Letters

Hollister’s mayoral race is a chance for the residents to show that they want a better future. We must improve our long-term economic outlook and in-county employment while, at the same time, maintaining the things that make Hollister special – safety, recreation and, most of all, that personal small town and friendly semi-rural atmosphere.

Drew Johnson’s “Another View” in the August 10 Free Lance gives his picture of Sustainable Development.  His description of the new sustainable home of 420 square feet is very compatible with the United Nation’s Agenda for the 21 Century, or just Agenda 21.

I am the Owner and Manager of Hollister Soaring Center LLC also dba Bay Area Glider Rides. As a resident and business owner in Hollister it's my opinion that the City Council should cancel the Hollister Airshow for 2013. I hold this opinion because I feel that the airshow has become economically damaging to both my business and the city's depleted resources.

The San Benito County Water District will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIR) for the West Hill Water Treatment Plant (WTP) that will be constructed starting in 2014. It is scheduled to be on line by the end of 2015.

My family and I were shocked and saddened by the passing of Stacey Reid, a manager at Save Mart. Mr. Reid was a positive person who seemed to engage all his customers.

I have read the response and questions presented by Mr. Kevin Doherty. I have also been in health care for well over 20 years. I  have worked in hospitals all over California, across the country, and in the private sector as well. Mr. Doherty is correct in his observations and the roles of governing agencies at the state and federal levels. It is their job to find where there is improvement to grow and to be sure that the hospitals are functioning at the levels that have been sent forth by them. Every hospital that I have worked at has stories of great work for their community and their patients. The scene of lives being saved and making people comfortable happen at all of them. There are so many unsung heroes in every hospital, at so many different levels.

American Voters have vital choices for medical care this November. Strengthen the Affordable Care Act by adding the Public Option and reduce the deficit by $143 billion or repeal the law and turn control of medical care back to insurance companies, boost the deficit by $109 billion. Strengthen Medicare and provide funding to cover America's middle class or replace Medicare with a voucher system to improve insurance company profit margins. Interesting to see what voters decide.

By Tom and Karen Lantz

I have been in the Health Care business for over 20 years and have worked at a number of hospitals in this state and abroad. Every time the surveyors, State or Federal, inspect a facility they find points of "non-compliance" and “deficiencies”. In fact it's their job to find these issues. Just as a driver risks losing his/her right to drive if they do not comply with the rules of the road, hospitals must follow their own set or rules or risk penalty. When a surveyor finds a hospital out of compliance on something, there is the threat of Federal/State funds being pulled. This is nothing new. It happens all the time and at every hospital in the country. This is all part of the process that helps a hospital achieve excellence in patient care and safety. Why don't your reporters report these facts? Why does the local paper here not support their only hospital? The reporting is so negative and full of doom that I believe you are doing your readership a disservice. Do you ever consider celebrating the good work Saint Louise does on a daily basis? I see it from the front row. I’ve seen lives saved here. I see people made well here every day. Do you think we will see a front page story on one of the very many wonderful successes achieved at Saint Louise?

In addition to the very thrilling reports of Hollister’s baseball playing youngsters and their moves toward regional championships, the July 10 issue of the Free Lance was filled with many other relevant and timely articles of interest. Although I usually start with the sports page and then consume anything written on the subjects of local or state government and the criminal justice system, I was stopped by hitting a brick wall by the opinion page article written by 16-year-old Nicole Huxtable.