THANK YOU ...
... to Butch Otter and family
A thank you to our governor, Butch Otter, and his family.
We read so often of the negative character traits and deeds of our politicians. On New Year’s Eve day, a very cold day indeed, not fit for any outdoor yard work, I observed a good deed.
We live on a small lake. The fall windstorms left much debris blown down from the surrounding cottonwoods.
Of his own free will and good heartedness, my neighbor, our governor, with his family, spent the day cutting down and mulching the wood debris.
Thanks, Governor, for your generosity.
STEVE BLACKHURST, Star
... to a generous couple
A very special thank you to Sathyan Munirathinam and Yogalakshmi Padmanabhan, who recently paid for more than a month’s worth of meals for a recipient of the Elks Meals on Wheels program. The couple’s generous gesture was in honor of their twins’ first birthday.
I had the privilege of recently accompanying the couple and the twins to the home of the benefactor. They had the opportunity to deliver her meal and take pictures with her. She was most appreciative and even offered to baby-sit the boys!
Since so many senior citizens are not able to pay for their meals through Meals on Wheels, the generosity of this family is especially appreciated and so very invaluable. Thank you, Sathyan and Yogalakshmi, for marking your twins’ birthday this way.
GRANT JONES, Meals on Wheels, Boise
... to Boise’s bus drivers
A recent snowstorm caught me pushing my bike through the slush and drifts. I was very excited to be able to ride the warm bus home and put my bike on the front. I want to applaud all the bus drivers getting people home safely. I have extra appreciation for the #5 bus driver. He was an excellent driver and he jumped out of the bus to load and unload my bike. Thanks, Valley Ride.
RUTH MERRILL, Boise
DIABETES
Lose some extra pounds and maybe win money
Thank you for the editorial on Jan. 12 regarding the cost of obesity.
We know if individuals lose 5 percent to 10 percent of their total body weight and are active 30 minutes a day, five days a week, they reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Lose a few pounds. Move a little more. Eat a little better. Live longer.
And we can help get you started.
The $10,000 Treasure Valley Weight Loss Challenge is a five-month program that assists individuals in developing better eating habits and creating activity plans. The $50 registration fee includes over 30 support groups, classes and informational meetings. We send out weekly health tips to provide more information and inspiration. And we split the $10,000 in prize money among our top three men and top three women who lose the biggest percent of weight.
A few folks will win cash. Most people will claim the bigger prize of better health, more energy, smaller clothes, reducing — or eliminating — medications for diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure. The success stories are amazing, inspiring and humbling.
Registration closes Sunday. You can join at Ladd Family Pharmacy in Boise. Please join us.
LISA GONSER, St. Luke’s Humphreys Diabetes Center, Boise
RAUL LABRADOR
Congressman cast the rightvote on fiscal cliff bill
It’s no wonder to me that few of our politicians are worthy of their office, since doing the right thing often gets the good ones lambasted by the mainstream media, as in Kevin Richert’s Jan. 3 opinion article, “Labrador’s lonely leap from the fiscal cliff.” Richert acknowledges that the deal made has “sizeable shortcomings,” but then goes on to claim that the vote was not difficult for Rep. Labrador. Voting either way could not have been an easy decision, but I for one thank Rep. Labrador and the very few others who stood up and did the right thing. As Richert also pointed out, neither party seems serious about addressing our nation’s debt and the insane overspending that continues because they “have to look at the actual bill they have in front of them rather than merely wishing for something bigger and better.” Aren’t our representatives supposed to be doing just that — making things better? We all know that our country cannot continue down the current path and survive. Here’s another quote: “All it takes for evil to prevail is for enough good men to do nothing,” or, in other words, “take the easy way out.”
KARA ARNOLD, Cascade
