Letters to the editor: Roads, health care, football
Roads
ACHD failure again. This morning at 8:30 a.m., I had to travel Federal Way. Absolutely no snow/ice treatment on Federal Way that I could see, and it was slick, as well, from Overland Road to Yamhill Road. None of the hills were treated, as well. Even by the trailer factories Flat road and at less than 30 mph not giving it any gas and my car wanted to go sideways. The only place I saw the blue treatment was at Victory Road and Federal Way intersection and some on Lake Forest Drive. This is the second snow we’ve had and it was the same way on the first snow this year. No treatment on Federal Way. This is not acceptable. We taxpayers pay for safe roads and are not getting them. Remember the crappy paint we had a few years ago. It’s still not good and can’t be seen in a lot of places under way minor conditions, like just a mist on the roads and at night, not raining or pouring. The powers that be need to get out and drive the roads in the condition I’ve listed and see for themselves how unsafe it is.
Tim L. Tanton Sr., Boise
Football
A contract is an agreement between two or more parties for services, payments, etc. All areas are agreed to before the contract is signed. Boise State has lost and then hired two assistant football coaches recently. This is a recurring theme. I have always wondered why this is allowed to happen.
If a coach wants the security of a long-term contract, he should sign one with no buy-out clause and, unless fired, no movement to another school/team. If not, it is a one-way deal. The coach gets what he wants and, if he finds something better, he can leave. If a coach wants to take a chance on his ability and successes to move to a better job, he can sign a short-term contract and is a free agent when it ends.
In either case, no buy-out clause, no movement to a team/school in the same league, and no taking recruits with him/her, and Michael Civiello had a very detailed explanation of the Super Bowl halftime show with a list of his complaints. Does his TV set or remote have an “off” button or a channel changer?
Mal Fichman, Boise
Education
Someone once said, “There are two educations. One teaches you how to make a living; the other teaches you how to make a life.”
We have learned well the art of making a living, but we are failing in helping the rising generation to make great lives.
Bob Kustra wrote an editorial a number of years ago entitled: “Character Matters When It Comes to Student Success.” In his editorial he said, “Developing positive character traits such as self-control can be a struggle.” But then he said, “Parents, caregivers, and educators can have a big impact on a child’s future success.”
He advocated teaching character traits such as patience and self-control. He promised they would play big dividends in a child’s life. He referenced the book, “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character.”
I would advocate we teach the rising generation the 3R’s: Respect for flag, country, parents, and teachers. Restraint in dress, music, movies, and etc.; and being Responsible in their daily conduct and commitments. The Boy Scouts motto: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my Country” is a great mission statement for all America’s youth.
Morris Bastian, Boise
Nielsen
My friend Cortney Nielsen is a visionary. In her race for Boise mayor, she was always ahead of her class. Her many ideas included a filtration and automatic feeding system for the koi pond at the train depot; expanding Hawks stadium to include a soccer field and make use of acres and acres of free parking; bringing back the ponies to Les Bois with a reduced schedule in 2020 (with no slot machines!) and full schedule in 2021; a new park larger than Julia Davis near Micron or Lucky Peak; 40,000 new trees in four years planted by citizens; using a case of silver paint to add “diamond” 2-passenger commuter lanes between Nampa and Boise; a voluntary increase in the minimum wage to $9.25/hour on July 4 and $12/hour on Christmas; cutting the bloated Boise budget by $ 25 million in 2020; shifting property taxes off the backs of homeowners and having developers pick up their fair share; neighborhood clinics for the poor and homeless; four new neighborhood libraries in four years and an $ 11 million remodel (complete with koi pond) of the Boise Public Library!
Pete Peterson, Boise
Health care
As we age in place over the years, seniors find it more difficult to communicate with younger medical professionals. I find this happening more and more when I go to emergency rooms in hospitals around town.
In one episode recently, I sought treatment for food stuck in my esophagus. I told the nurses and doctors they would understand my problem if they would check my ER record of April 2018. But instead they ordered an X-ray of my throat. Of course they found no food caught in my throat when the food was caught lower down in my esophagus. Half an hour later they decided to follow my advice and check my ER record of 2018. After reading it they called the G.I. doctor on call. When he performed an endoscopy on me he found popcorn stuck in the third part of my esophagus which he successfully removed. Had the nurses and doctors listened to this 88-year-old patient, they would have saved both time and money for an unnecessary X-ray.
Communication with the medical professionals becomes more difficult as the years go by.
Susanne Colvin, Boise
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 10:37 AM.