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Commissioner: Volunteers will still be helping

I would like to respond to the editorial in the Jan. 29 Daily Inter Lake regarding the Retired Senior Volunteer Program not being renewed. The editorial had some misinformation in it.

Lisa Sheppard, director of Agency on Aging, brought a request to the commissioners and asked us not to renew the grant. Not because it wasn’t a good program, but because of the cost (bureaucracy/compliance) to run and the cost to the taxpayers. It was not an effective way to run this program, between regulations and costs.

Please be aware that all volunteers are important and are needed. They are all still going to do the same work, just not under the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The volunteers care about people and are happy to continue to offer their services. —Phil Mitchell, Whitefish Republican, Flathead County Commissioner

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Jan. 29 editorial said that without RSVP, “A gaping void will be left in how ready-and-able volunteers are connected to places where they can get to work helping others.” We stand by that sentiment.)

Daines wrong about Affordable Care Act

Sen. Daines needs to do a fact check on his positions. I am referring to the video he posted on his website about why he is voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

He states that Americans want this bill to be repealed, but the Kaiser Poll published on NPR on Dec. 2 indicated that only 26 percent of Americans favor a full repeal, 17 percent say scale it back and 30 percent favor expanding the law. Where’s the majority?

He also stated that Obamacare raided Medicare of over $700 billion. But that is not the whole story. Obamacare also provides preventive care benefits and slows down the rising costs of Medicare. Gov. Huckabee promoted this old story, which earned a “Half True” rating by Politifact.

Some of the rising insurance premiums may be due to the limited “risk corridor” that Republicans will not address. These safeguards were put in place when Republicans implemented Medicare Part D. This could affect the astronomical insurance rate hikes.

Although he read letters from constituents who had insurance premiums that are too high, a real problem, he did not acknowledge the flip side of people who can now get health care.

Small rural towns are benefiting from Obamacare. When more people have insurance, more health-care providers will relocate to rural Montana. One of our biggest problems in Montana is not enough health-care providers.

Sen. Daines said Obamacare can’t be tweaked and must be repealed. I disagree. There are flaws, serious ones, but these can and should be fixed. Do not repeal without a replacement.

Sen. Daines needs to consider the needs of Montanans and not just follow the Paul Ryan playbook. —Anne Alexander, Libby

Concerns about medical testing

I would like to thank Dr. Boharski for his response to my letter regarding the alternatives to the colonoscopy test. I am writing to clarify, that of course, in some cases, there is no substitute for having one.

My overall goal as a reformer, is lower the cost of health insurance by encouraging readers question any test or procedure that may not be necessary — to question any test that is recommended by someone who stands to gain financially, or by someone who simply fears you will sue them for malpractice. In Kaliispell colonoscopies are a multimillion dollar industry.

Because of my stated goal, I wonder if the colonoscopy is the best base-line, first-level screening for public health, when so many newer options, with less side effects, risk, and time requirements are available.

As health-care consumers evolve, which we must, we will examine more options, and things will change, including a reduction in unnecessary testing.

One big challenge is who to ask for advice. Will you trust someone with a financial vested interest? Will you trust someone who makes recommendations based on fear of malpractice?

Find someone you trust: a good, kind, humble family doctor, and decide together. —Steve Eckels, Kalispell

The rest of the story about votes

We’re not hearing much now about Hillary’s win of the popular vote and calls for abandonment of the Electoral College, but we will. Maybe we should take a look at where most of that popular vote came from.

As I write, the total presidential vote is reported as Hillary: 65,844,94, Trump: 62,979,879. In most of the big states where Hillary won, the difference was about 1 million, sometimes a little more and sometimes less. Washington state: 1,610,524 for Hillary and 1,129,120 for Trump. New York: 4,547,562 for Hillary and 2,814,589 for Trump. But in California there was a huge difference — 8,753,788 for Hillary, and 4,483,810 for Trump. California allows illegals to obtain drivers’ licenses, and, like all states allows for motor voter registration. The burden is on every county election department to verify every registration. How efficient is every California county election department?

I don’t like the idea of illegals determining the presidency. Maybe instead of abolishing the Electoral College, we should consider abolishing motor voter registration and same-day registration, both of which invite error the possibility of fraud. —Mitzi Anderson, Whitefish

Legislature must re-assess crime penalties

On Jan. 19, the “In Court” column in the Daily Inter Lake reported that two men had pleaded guilty to partner family member assault in separate incidents and were fined $100 each. The law for family assault (MCA 45-5-206) is similar to general assault (MCA 45-5-201): causing bodily injury, creating the reasonable apprehension of bodily injury, or making physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature.

Two days later, the “In Court” column reported that a man had been fined a total of $700 for using a spotlight to shoot a simulated animal decoy. The laws he broke (MCA 87-6-217 and MCA 87-6-401) are apparently used to discourage illegal hunting.

These judgments in Flathead County Justice Court tell me that if a woman marries or lives with a man and he hurts or threatens her, it will cost him a mere hundred dollars. But if that same man goes out at night and uses a flashlight to shoot a decoy in the woods with a game warden hiding nearby, he has committed a serious crime and must pay $700. Of course, this isn’t just about men. The Jan. 19 article also mentioned a woman paying the same $100 for family assault.

Are these penalties an indication of how little value we place on the worth, safety and dignity of Montana families? I hope not. I’ve contacted my state representative and senator asking for a minimum penalty of $500 for the first family assault offense, and I encourage you to do the same. It’s a good question to bring up with any politician asking for votes. —Michael Merchant, Kalispell

Stop Dakota Access pipeline

I write the following to President Trump:

“I am contacting you to urge withdrawal of the order to allow the Dakota pipeline and for your administration to respect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to carry out its Environmental Impact Statement review of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

“I also urge a change in U.S. law and policy to ensure that the federal government seeks the free, prior and informed consent of tribes before any such projects are approved in the future.

“Please respect the right to peaceful protest at Standing Rock (and everywhere else) and keep in mind that the U.S. government is obligated under international law to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of indigenous people, including the right to clean water, the right to peacefully protest and a right to have a say in decisions that may harm their human rights.” —Linda de Kort, Kalispell