Listen to us Our health care pleas must be taken seriously Dear Sir: Congratulations ta Rev. Bill Anderson for the let- ter “Hospital woes boil down to priorities’” (Aug. 18, 1999, Terrace Standard). He hit the nail squarely om the head as to the troubles in our northwest health care system, and namely Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace. Please NDP govemment politicians and health care heavy brass people, wake up, read and heed these honest, caring letters, comments and wishes from community citizens, and drop the ideas of cut- ting necessary funding and professionals to a should be regional and city facility such as Mills Memorial Hospital. Cuts in budgets should be made to over staffed, heftily paid goveriment overseers and administra- live officers who, I’m certain, receive fringe bene- fits and wages included, and some who have been : wedged out. of other communities in our province for us to receive their thwarted help. Terrace and district communily people do deserve better and will not tolerate this inconsidcrate hand- ling of our health care. Edna Jensen Terrace B.C. Let bureaucrats eat Slop — not our seniors Dear Sir: Tm responding to the Aug, 25 story in the Ter- race Standard concerning giving the residents of Terraceview Lodge the slop thal they serve as food at the hospital. I was a patient at Mills Memorial for two weeks and I lost 25 pounds as it was impossible for me to éat this garbage served as food. 1 only had to be in the hospital two weeks and I asked my doctor to get me out of there as I was starving to death. . Il séems that money is more important than people. What is this world coming to when we are willing to starve our mothers and fathers to save a _ Little money? If these government hacks bad to eal this food or starve I’m not sure how many would live, Shame on them. I hope they never get old and get treated to this type of food for the almighty dollar. Jim Piffer Terrace B.C. Get rid of politics and waste in health care © Dear Sir: In the Aug. 4 Terrace Standard it stated thal Mills Memorial Hospital is broke. What is happening to our hospital, our health care system, and what is going to happen to the people in Terrace when this service is not available? We have highly quatified doctors and nurses here and you can’t expect them to work under the condi- tions we have at our hospital. What will happen if they all go elsewhere? Why is money being wasted on a [y-in adminis- trator from Vancouver? We have some well- educated people in Terrace that could do the job and without living and travel expenses. I"m sure even a financial trouble shooter could have been found locally. The money saved on those two positions alone could have made it possible for three more nurses to be put on staff. In past years we had a board of directors who volunteered their time to improve the health care system and they took pride in their job. Now we have a health council appointed by the goveriument. Are they really interested? What will happen if those volunteers get fed up and cancel their support, financially or otherwise? Maybe ii’s time we got rid of the politics in our health care system and got back to the basics before it’s too late, Jean Baker Terrace B,C, Hospital has more managers than beds Dear Sir: I wish to respond to a few comments in the Srart- dara’s July 28th edition. The Terrace hospital’s budget problem bas been in part due to nursing staff over-time costs, Mr. Leisinger states there aren’! any permanent posi- lions to advertise. Ms, Leeanne Malthus of the B.C, Nurses Unions remarks on how over-worked the nurses are, leading to resignations, increased sick lime aad a significant morale problem, Our government purports io care for the people and claim to believe in ‘‘closer 10 home’' policies. What part of this does not make sense? Over the last 10 years, while physicians and nurses were busy providing patient care, the goveriment took over control of medicine. They have installed extra levels of managers and bureaucrais none of whom practice medicine but are mighty concemed about the bottom dollar. Look at how things bave turned out. Our hospital has almost as many managers as it has beds, Feder- al health minister Allan Rack recently stated there is a growing shortage of trained medical personnel. (Are you surprised?) While it is teue there is a country wide shortage of nurses you'd think the hospital would work toward retaining those nurses they already have instead of irritating them. Mt. Leisinger states, ‘‘We're still here and we sland ready, able and willing to render necessary care to (people in emergency).’’ Please nole, Mr. Leisinger and his bureaucrats do not render care, doctors do. [t is our ‘business’? to act as patlent ad- vocates and to offer the best and the most ap. propridle care possible. ‘CORRESPONDENCE F FOR 1 THE E TERRACE STANDARD “The _Mail Bag Do any of you feel you are better off now than 10 years ago? Who do you want making decisions about your health — the hospital's accountant? Dr. L.T, Almas, co-president Terrace and District Medical Association Skewed feminist logic Dear Sir: Sarah de Leeuw’s Aug. 4 colunin in the Standard is a perfect example of skewed feminist logic and demonstrates what a biased education, no doubt: in ‘women’s studies’, will do. to narrow a person ’s view of the world, First of all, Vatican City isn’t a church. It is an in- dependent, sovereign country and ‘is older’ than many of the countries the make up.the United Na- tious (UN), It has diplomatic relations with coun- tries around the world and as such, it is in the UN’s interest to have it as a member and to listen to what it has to say. Secondly, by referring to Vatican City as the Roman Catholic Church, Miss De‘ Lecuw reveals the true object of her bigotry — practicing Catholic Christians who are faithful to their religion, How- ever, she shows that she is also implicitly intolerant . of all people who adhere to what their faith caches, including other Christians, Orthodox Jews: and_par- ticularly Muslims. Many countries with large Islamic popula tions are in agreement with Vatican City’s efforts to stand up to the ominous policies proposed by afew powerful member groups at UN assemblies, | Thirdly, by implying that the Catholic Church i is solely responsible for thwarting the insidious: ef- forts of population control zealots at the UN, Miss De Leeuw has displayed her ignorance of UN politics. She failed to acknowledge the significant opposi- tion of countries other than Vatican City, Many African, Latin American, and Third World countries have opposed the UN’s policies regarding health care and population. Finally, it is naive to believe that everything the UN does and proposes is good for humanity. It is nolsome omnipotent, benevalent dispenser agetiaw- less solutions to global prob'ems.qt is obviftis that ils agendas, with regard to reproductive health is- sues and population, have often been fashioned by zealous feminist sympathizers and self-serving First World organizations, "Rather than. creatively and justly tying to. al- leviate Third World problems, they seek to bully the very people who have the problems by in- timidating and blackmailing the governmeats of de- veloping countries, and ultimately women: into ac- cepling their inbuman agenda, ‘Where are Miss De Leeuw and her comrades - When babies are aborted because of their gender? Where. is the UN when women in China are forced 10: undergo sterilization or have abortions afler'they've had one-child?” While. Miss De Leeuw and company: sit in their women's centres and write propaganda, UN com- mitices are. busy drafting more oulrageous proposals. i "Phe Eatest dssembly has proposed to give 10-year- olds around ‘the world, contraception and access to abortion, This is self-righteous feminism and UN coloniatism “gone berserk. We need to support delegates with courage and conviction who are in a posilion to oppose: such ‘insanity and stand up for “true human rights at these conferences, © Maria Davis Terrace B.C. ‘Chretien has forsaken us for treaty glory Dear Sir: Al times my mind drifts back to the good old days when our non-native community lived in harmony with the Nisga’a. There have been good chiefs here in days gone by, chiefs who grew up when times were tough and understood the’ need for water, firewood, the right to earn a Living and live together without prejudice. Now I wonder if those days will ever return. LARRY DAHLBERG, host of ESPN TV show The Hunt For or Big Fish, was charged May 12 with fish molestation after a fisheries officer watched him play a Kitimat River steelhead nearly 30 minutes to get television footage. Fish molester Dahlberg was an arrogant, ignorant Yankee Dear Sir: Your columnist Ctaudeite Sandecki told it just like it is. The Larry Dahlberg incident certainly makes one wonder, Do all the nasty Yanks come to Canada? During the Vietnam era we received may good Americans, most who stayed and becanie, in my. . opinion, better Canadians than many of the peaple born in this country, Now we have to put up with the likes of Larry Dahlberg and those snotty senior citizens who treat us like third world denizens. Maybe they know’ something we don’t When I first heard of the fish molesting incident . and knowing how miserable some of our DFO of- ficers. can be, 1 thought that the incident could be judged as one would view a marine accident — a cértaln percentage against the officious DFO of- ficers and a portion against the arrogant Yankee, a ‘certain’ Larry Dahlberg, 1 then heard an interview with the aforementioned Mr. ‘Dahlberg. The ‘man's arrogance was matched : only by his ignorance. - ‘Keep up the good work, Claudette Sandecki. There has to be someone here i in Canada with some backbone, Dennis Peacock Prince Rupert B.C. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 1, 1999 - A5 Instead of this good relationship we are suddenly regarded as a race of people who do not deserve any of these items of survival. We have been denied all of them. Instead of the help and understanding we used to get from chiefs of the past all we bear now are words like ‘ignorant’, ‘racist’, and ‘fearmongers’. It scems that even our own Prime Minister bas forsaken ‘us in the. same way that some other politicians have. But | guess when you’re on the lop of the heap someone else’s problems are of no im- portance. All I can say is thank God for the few politicians who still have the guts lo stand up and fight forus. Some of the peaple thal I’ve talked | to think that the Prime Minister should: cither apologize to the people of British Columbia or resign because be is allempling lo: use his political influence to in- timidate the decision of the upcoming court cases and that could be au offence. And I should add that by the words ‘‘people of British Columbia’? I mean native and non-native - alike, There are many natives who can see past the ” dazzling dancers, drum beats and articulate lan- guage and know full well in their hearts that they will never see any of the moncy when this ‘‘present day”? Nisga’a Treaty is passed, There are more options available that would guar- antée thal cach individual gets their share. I believe il is an insult to the intelligence of the regular working class family to assume that they do not know how to handle their own financial affairs. We’ve all come a long way since the 1960s, Let’s come up with a treaty that is workable. for: every- one. The big office boys have enough money now. We need the strength to speak out now before it is forever too late. Ley Brinson Nass Camp B.C. Could it really be true? Dear Sir: ‘MP to visit Nass?” L could scarcely believe my senses on hearing the news: ‘MP to visit.the Nass’! Imagine. Our own Mike Scott —- Her Majesty’s Joyal aboriginal critic — abandoning his criticisms of Canadian aboriginal people long enough to final- ly take up chief Joseph Gosnell’s oft-repeated entreaty and go to the Nass and at long last meet with his Nisyga’a constituents. Fantastic. This, remember, is the Mike Scott who has de- scribed native communities in bis Skeena riding as populated . by indigent vagrants: — communitics characterized — deser- vedly, in Mike’s opinion — by their high levels of unemployment, chronic dependence on social welfare programs and low confidence Ievels and self estecm; people who patently do not belong to the vast major- ity of his Skeena con- stituents, who he says work hard for their ; prosperity. ns ra “Tt is,” Mike has Mike Scott decreed, ‘a misrepresentalion of the worst kind to sugges! to anyone in our socicty that they can enjay prosperity self resepoect and contentment without this corresponding effort.”’ In other words, confor- ming to the iron mold of Mike’s Majority, Thus it was especially gratifying to think that Mike would abandon such recklessly self-serving sentiments and open his mind to consider (if not recognize) Nisga’a aspirations as just and legiti- mate and worthy of being discussed face to face and in good faith, What a breakthroughl! “MP to visit Nass’?! My heart soars like a... wait a minute... that’s not ‘‘MP to visit’’.., that’s “PM to visit’. Not an imminent epochal encounter featur- ing our own peerless parliamentarian, rather just another tinpot politician grubbing for media atten- lion. I really must get that dyslexia attended to. Jobin How Terrace .C. Designed to segregate Dear Sir: “Registered Kermode teens only!”? What a harrowing thought, in this day and age, to think that there still is segregation. Walking with my wife and son in downtown, we happened upon Kermode Friendship Society's new youth center beside the Bank of Nova Scotia, There I was admiring the beautiful artwork on the windows of the center, little realizing that it is a ceater that bas a different view of who should enter — for lo and behold there were two notices hung precariously on both sides of the entrance: Regis- tered Kermode teens only, In terms of raising children, how good is the com- munity of Terrace in providing a safe, healthy cn- vironment when there are subile reminders of who belongs where in their community? What exactly are we teaching them when we con- done such signs to be placed for public viewing? I certainly would got raise my boys up in a com- munity that tends to favour one race over another, lt reminds me of the southern U.S, statcs where in the very recent past, signage on almost every busi- ness staied the likes of ‘* Whites only”! at *‘No coloureds allowed."’ Now our communily’s children are getting that very same message — segregation. .Sa who should take responsibility of giving our children the appropriale message? Should it be the people of Terrace who may have seen this sign? Should it be Kermode Friendship Society who had this sign placed on the window of the center? Or should it be me, and simply take my boys away from such messages that promote hatred and division among people? Bill Christlansen Terrace, 18,C, About the Mail Bag Letters to the editor can be mailed to the Terrace Standard at 3210 Clinton St. Tor- race, B.C., V8G SR2. You can also fax let- ters to us at 250-638-8432. Or you can emall your letter to us at slandard@kermode.net Name, address and phone number Is Te- quired for verification.