Letters to the editor

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:09 AM PDT

Lack of vision on regarding Amtrak is frustrating

Dear Editor,

I find it both curious and disturbing the Ontario City Council seems to be balking at adding its voice to the rising chorus for reinstating Amtrak’s Pioneer Line. Curious in that over the several years I have lived in this community and come to know some of its longer-lived residents, I have never heard anything but praise for the service and convenience they experienced in the days when the railroad offered passenger service allowing locals to travel from the Ontario Depot to places as far flung as Salt Lake City and Portland or as near as Boise.

In fact, my friends and neighbors consistently mention to me how they lament the fact that as they get older they feel less and less able to face the maddening automobile traffic and crazy quilt parking that we all must wade through to get to Boise when wanting to take advantage of the shopping, airport, medical facilities or to simply visit family that lives in the Treasure Valley.

I also find it disturbing our current mayor and City Council members seem to be stuck in neutral when attempting to develop a cohesive vision for attracting new residents or businesses to this area.

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It seems that whenever an opportunity presents itself, like reinstating a viable rail commuter line between the urban areas of the Treasure Valley, Ontario and its rural environs, the City Council falls all over itself to be the first to throw cold water on it.

I note with some measure of frustration that, in contrast to Ontario, the city fathers of our neighboring city of Weiser are actively courting Amtrak to include Weiser in its negotiations for reinstating the Pioneer Line.

Finally, in regards to the habitual nay sayers who seem to populate our current City Council to an inordinate level, I would like to point out that if the sticking point for city sponsorship of the Pioneer Line is financial why not simply propose that a minimal user tax of $1 (for instance) be tacked on to the price of a ticket purchased through the Ontario Depot.

Certainly the benefits of a viable commuter line to the residents of Ontario in terms of convenience, time saved in traffic, chances for lowered air pollution levels and enhanced public relations for the city and area far out-weigh the additional dollar or two an individual user would pay for a ticket. But then again, to breathe air into the rebirth of a viable commuter rail line, it would take a City Council that has at least a minimum of vision and a modicum of gumption.

Kent Taucer

Ontario

Speak up against proposed health care changes

I just want to make a short comment about the health care debate. As it looks now, if the current Democrat proposal in health care reform passes, Medicare will take about an 8 percent cut during the next 10 years. This will happen during a period when most, if not all, predictions are for increased health care costs. The distribution of this cut is not certain. Some say it will not affect rural or Critical Access Hospital providers like small district hospitals. I tend to doubt this in the long run.

If we look at the new American demographics, the majority of people now live in the urban areas.

They will not hesitate to attack what they see as fund favoritism for rural areas just as they have never had a problem attacking our livelihoods related to agriculture and natural resources. Can CAH hospitals and rural clinics survive an 8 percent cut to Medicare? Who knows??

Next, let’s look at one part of the current public insurance option. Can you imagine what the cost will be to all of us when insurers are required under penalty of the law to insure those with preexisting conditions? For example, say I do not buy into the health care system provided by the government as it is currently proposed. They fine me up to $400 annually for not complying. I pay the fine. I then get sick, join the plan for nothing, get treated and hopefully cured and then drop out again and go back to paying a $400 per year fine to the government until I get sick again.

Guess who pays the bill for my treatments. That person is reading this letter! These are the kind of details that are not even close to solutions in the existing Democrat health care drafts out there. Remember, in medical terms, “Act impulsively, regret chronically.”

We need to support focused changes in medical tort reform, insurance portability, private insurance co-ops and private tax free insurance savings plans. The reasonable call for improved Health Information Technology (HIT) is already being accomplished by the more advanced hospitals such as ours in Harney County and will be forced to be advanced in other hospitals in order for them to compete. That will happen without more mandates by the government.

I believe we need to speak up loudly and clearly against the current proposal for mass changes in our health care system.

Tim Smith

Harney County