Don’t cut Critical Access

Dear Editor,

Here is a copy of a letter I sent to our representatives in Olympia and I think more people in the community should be aware that Tonasket’s North Valley Hospital is a Critical Access hospital and may face severe cuts if this budget cut is enacted. I encourage members of the community to act as I did.

As a registered nurse and constituent, I am very concerned about the proposed cuts to our critical access hospitals.

Please don’t cut Critical Access Hospitals – jobs and our rural health care safety net depend on them. These cuts will hurt hospitals with large numbers of Medicaid patients the most. These hospitals are often the only providers in their communities.

I appreciate that safety net and public health services have not been cut further due to the legislature’s willingness to propose new revenues. Please continue to explore the option of new revenues to stop cuts to critical access hospitals.

Thank you,

Jean Pfeifer RN

Tonasket

Keep the faith

Dear Editor,

I don’t know where to begin. I guess I’m gonna take my Grandpa Ed Round’s approach; speak the best I know “with the heart.”

Community, I was raised by a very loving family. I lived on a small black out at Sawtell-East Oroville Road in Oroville. I had loving aunts and uncles, two wonderful grandparents and super loving parents. I was blessed with two moms and two sisters. Not to mention a handful of cousins!

I didn’t realize just how blessed I was!

A church was built on that land. My Grandpa Ed said to me one time when I was younger, “A seeds been planted Sabrina! Watch it grow. You’re gonna know by its fruit that it’s good.” I didn’t get it then and really it didn’t matter much to me.

Now community I don’t know if you all been out that way lately. It’s not the common scenic route people take and at first sight it may not even look like much. Couple double-wides, some junk laying around, nothing too spectacular at first sight. But I guarantee you thee is life thriving on that land! I know just how special this little block is cause my Grandpa gave that land to God’s people! Plain and simple.

I remember a year before my Grandma Ardith went to see the Lord; we were outside and they got this tree my Grandpa planted in their front yard. Beautiful tree. Well the flowers on it were so sweet there were at least 30 to 40 humming birds feeding on it! No joke!

Now behind their house is my Mom and Dad, Jerry and Connie’s house. Dad’s got lots of animals! He lives on social security and over half his money goes to feed pigeons (even two migrants from town), 10 or 11 chihuahuas, horses, chickens, turkeys and a goat! He told me, “I want Early-Dawn and Tapanga to know something more than what this generation is growing up with.” My family is poor, but they are the richest folks I know.

Another example of selfless faith – Randy and Cindy McAllister. Wonderful people! They Pastor that little church that’s growing. They take a lot of stones thrown at them. I figure there are some jealous judgmental folks that don’t like them much but that’s okay. Cause I know they pray for everyone. They are the good fruit!

Community I know that the fruit my Grandpa talked of is good because I know the seeds planted were planted in selfless faith and love. This fruit is all of those that are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Luke 6:43-45 says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by it’s own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes or grapes from briers.

The good man brings good things out of the good stores up in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the over flow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

So with that said Gary I wanna close by saying how truly grateful for those who have persevered through all adversity for God’s purpose. Don’t give up! Thank you family, Randy and Cindy McAllister, thank you community.

His servant,

Sabrina Rounds

Missoula, Montana

Same old song

Dear Editor,

Republican presidential contestants are singing the same old song. Four conservative white guys pandering to, playing to, an unrepresentative base of anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-immigration, anti-tax, anti-government, anti-everything zealots. They and their party are remnants of a bygone past.

Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul, are old news in a fast changing world. They are a picture of negativity spewing out vindictive rhetoric on everyone and everything that doesn’t fit in their worldview.

Four conservative guys trumpeting Bush era failed economic policies, tossing around pie-in-the-sky promises, on how they’ll move the country forward. This pack no longer represents anything. They only represent themselves.

Ron Lowe

Nevada City, California