Letters to the Editor 7-10-14

Listening or Dictating?
Editor: I’ve recently attended two “Community Listening” meetings by the Palm Drive Hospital District Board of Directors. Many people expressed dismay that their agenda used predetermined goals to promote anything but reopening the hospital. While concerns for teenage smoking and nutrition are important, the parcel tax initiatives specifically direct hospital funds be spent on acute care and local emergency services. Many people said they want the hospital reopened, and some wondered how much money was spent by the board on attorneys and PR. More than 15 people left because reopening Palm Drive was off the table. One who asked how long the board was going to block the Foundation’s plan to reopen the hospital was ruled “out of order.” Comments by community leaders in a Sonoma County assessment (June 30, 2014) indicate that Public Safety officers need the hospital to be reopened. The board maintains that the hospital had to be closed, but financial statements indicate excessive administrative salaries and expenditures, elimination of a citizen financial review committee and a fortune spent to close the hospital could have kept it open. One comment sums it up: a teenager hit by a bus needs immediate ER care, not nutritional or anti-smoking advice.
Susan Moulton
Sebasotpol
Lopsided rosters
Editor: The roster for the Sebastopol Little League Junior All Stars seems a little lopsided. The manager and coaches chose their sons, which might be fair since the kids have the advantage of lots of personal attention to their game. But those coaches also chose six kids total from their team for the All Stars, far outnumbering the other available players. It doesn’t look like the choices were equally divided among the teams, which would have given the best boys on all teams a fair chance. Granted, the kids not chosen can learn from failure to make the team and the disappointment they must feel after a year, or years, of hard work. But what exactly are they learning? Is this about politics, ego, or winning at all costs? A survey out of Michigan State a few years ago found that the number one reason kids play sports is for fun. And an informal survey I read about in the New York Times found that kids play for “fun,” “to do something I’m good at,” and “to improve my skills.” “Winning” did not even crack the top 10. How fun is it to be passed over when you know you did a great job all season? And how were the players chosen?
Georgia McCleod
Sebastopol