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Do we want a homogenized Glacier?

From the June 19 front page of the Daily Inter Lake: “Zinke leaning toward privatizing park camps.”

Is this what the secretary meant when he promised not to sell off OUR public lands? Just turn them over to be managed by corporate interests? Zinke told members of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association: “My folks will never be as good as you are.” What a slap in the face to the many dedicated professionals who labor through, under funded, year after year. Instead of being an advocate for adequate funding, Zinke said, “I don’t want to be in the business of running campgrounds.”

And Derrick Crandall, an industry spokesperson, wants extended services and amenities such as wi-fi and food trucks? Welcome to KOA Glacier, homogenized to look like everywhere else. Sorry, folks, but when you visit Glacier you should expect and have a right to expect it to be different from every place else. Relax, kick back, and unplug all that electronic garbage. Enjoy NATURE. And please, when you return home, write or phone your representatives and either ask why they have not tried to obtain the funding our parks need or thank them profusely if they have. —Joel Vignere, Lakeside

Pharmaceutical companies role in the opioid epidemic

Endo, Purdue and Janssen ... three pharmaceutical companies that are culpable in the opioid epidemic that has taken the lives of countless Americans and destroyed many families.

These drug companies had promoted their drugs as “safe, effective and (believe it or not) non-addicting” to prescribing physicians.

Drug company representatives, their sales force, went beyond FDA guidelines that dictated how these drugs should be promoted and prescribed when they detailed physicians in their use.

Montana has been severely impacted by the opioid epidemic. Literally tens of millions of dollars ave been spent by taxpayers on treating the results of this abuse.

I strongly encourage our attorney general, Tim Fox, to join the other states in suing these drug companies to reimburse our state’s taxpayers and fund prevention and rehabilitation programs.

There is precedent for this action ... think tobacco companies and the billions they paid states for the deceptions they engaged in when promoting the sales of cigarettes. —Alexander Bokor, MD, Kalispell

Turn on your headlights

One of my pet peeves is people not putting their headlights on in less than favorable weather. C’mon people. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s not how well you can see us, but how well we can see you. Maybe this tip may save your life, and maybe mine. —Antonio Adrignola, Rollins

Thank you to Creston Fire

I want to give a huge THANK YOU to the Creston Fire Department chief and all the wonderful volunteers who were present at the catastrophic deck collapse last month. Many of our friends and neighbors were there; and more than a few were injured. But given the fact that the event was centered on a fallen Creston Fire Department volunteer, the courageous and well-trained firemen were there to help.

I haven’t seen any mention of the Creston Fire Department in the papers, but know that, without their immediate and well-coordinated assistance, things might have been much worse. My husband and I attended a follow-up meeting and were so impressed with the caring concern expressed by all present, and the feeling of a loving community coming together at a time of tragedy. So hats off to all those skilled, compassionate and responsive firefighters from the Creston Fire Department. You’re the best! —Lauralee O’Neil, Kalispell

Health proposal will do more harm than good

Flathead Community Health Center’s board has been paying close attention to the debate in Washington, D.C., about what needs to change with health care in America. It is our belief that the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act will do more harm than good to the 1,000-plus individual patients we provide care for at our health center — a majority being from middle- or low-income households. In particular, we are very concerned about the significant changes proposed to Medicaid as this affects almost half of our patients.

Under this bill, more than 70,000 of the approximately 217,000 Montanans currently covered by Medicaid would lose health coverage and the state would lose $4.8 billion in federal funding by 2026.

Currently, 52,000 Montanans use tax credits to purchase health insurance. The Better Care Reconciliation Act’s proposed deductions in tax credits would make health insurance unaffordable to many.

In addition to people with pre-existing conditions, “these cuts would hurt Montana’s most vulnerable residents, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Furthermore, they would weaken the state’s health-care system, threaten the viability of our rural hospitals, and put our state’s balanced budget at risk.” That’s according to Montana Health Care Foundation CEO Dr. Aaron Wernham.

There are many issues we need to address including accessibility, affordability, and insuring we are investing in prevention, but neither the Senate nor the House bill does that in a way that makes sense for Montana.

We urge you to contact Sen. Daines and Sen. Tester to work on a Senate bill that will protect our patients and improve the health care of all Montanans. We are counting on their leadership and their commitment to the people of Montana to pass a meaningful health-care bill that doesn’t play politics with people’s lives. —Bruce Gibson, Columbia Falls, board president, Flathead Community Health Center