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Letters to the editor Jan. 5

Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 5 years AGO
| January 5, 2020 3:00 AM

Health department in strong shape

In response to Colin Gaiser’s reporting (Dec. 22) of the county commissioners’ decision to replace me on the Flathead City-County Board of Health has been encouraging. Many residents have contacted me to express concerns with that decision and their appreciation for my 12 years of voluntary community service on that board. I never considered the appointment to be political; I have always considered it to be an opportunity to provide expertise to a key public organization, having retired as a clinician and, more recently, as a senior administrator of a major health system.

With over 50 board years of experience, both private and public, I have seen good decisions made, bad decisions made and some really bad decisions made. Time will tell which of these three buckets this recent decision falls into. I’m comforted knowing that I leave this board at a time when the Flathead City-County Health Department is among the strongest and best in the state.

To the many who have contacted me, I am most appreciative.

—Dr. Wayne A. Miller, Kalispell

Mandated vaccinations

I hesitate to jump into the political fight over Dr. Bukacek’s appointment to the county Board of Health. Apparently the opinions of David Myerowitz and Kristen Bruninga are -in their minds- correct, and Dr. Bukacek’s are “dangerous” and “unsubstantiated.” I’m not up to speed on all the issues or on Bukacek’s stance on them. I would guess she is against government mandated vaccinations and thinks parents should be made aware of the danger and effectiveness of vaccinations.

As far as the squabble over the safety of vaccinations goes, a cursory look at the statistics of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program should give pause to the effort to forcibly vaccinate everyone against everything. The fund has paid over $3.5 billion to injury claimants since 1988. There were 19,000 injury claims filed and only about a third of them awarded compensation. These numbers show how difficult it is to file a claim and win. Also keep in mind that it is estimated that, at the most, only 10% of the adverse events are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

The claims of “dangerous” and “unsubstantiated” might very well apply to politicians who think they know it all.

—Gary Goers, Kalispell

Protect public access

In the last minute of shooting light on one of the last days of the 2019 hunting season, I took the opportunity to harvest a mule deer buck outside of Lolo.

This opportunity was made possible by the timber company, Weyerhaeuser, and Weyerhaeuser’s greatly appreciated public access policy. The parcel of land I was hunting is in the process of being protected in perpetuity thanks to the Trust for Public Land and to the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is providing funds for its acquisition. Once the purchase is complete, the parcel will be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Lolo Trails Landmark Project. This project will conserve over 14,000 acres, maintain public access, and protect natural and historical features.

However, the future of public access to other Weyerhaeuser lands is currently in limbo. Recently, Weyerhaeuser agreed to sell its 630,000 acres of timberland in Montana. It remains to be seen whether the new owner will maintain Weyerhaeuser’s legacy of public access. Because of LWCF and the Trust for Public Lands’ efforts, however, the area that I was able to access this fall will remain open for public use. The future of access in other areas previously owned by Weyerhaeuser remains uncertain. This is yet another reason why it is imperative that the LWCF be fully funded so that land managers throughout Montana will have the opportunity and resources to preserve access on the lands on which we rely for hunting, fishing, and other recreation.

­—Julie Mackiewicz, Missoula

Illegal voting

Yup, the Russians are illegally voting in our elections. So are people from Mexico, Israel, Iran, China, Africa, etc. Why not — no valid ID is required at all voting stations. Check the 2016 votes to see many stations that had illegal voting ballots. What did we do? NOTHING!

So the solution is easy. All voters must prove they are legal U.S. citizens with state or federally issued ID. Why make it hard as the solution is simple. Prove you are a U.S. citizen to be able to vote and control the democratic way of governing. Anyone who disagrees is just as dangerous as the illegals they support. After all, many countries already have the messed up governments and false “we will take care of you” policies. Go there. Choose wisely.

—Ron Albrecht, Kalispell

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