Letters to the editor: Vaccines, marijuana, dams
Vaccine rollout
From my perspective as a 73-year-old senior, the Idaho vaccine rollout has been a disaster. It has all the organization of a Black Friday sale, with whack-a-mole thrown in. Hearsay, luck and computer skills (which many seniors lack) — not need — determines who gets a shot. Whoever set up My Chart at St. Luke’s must have read Catch-22 recently.
The problem is the big hospitals are putting the burden on the individual to set up an appointment, rather than having an organized priority system set up by them, and distributing the vaccines accordingly. They have our info. Everyone could be assigned a tracking number, and you could go online to see where you stand to get a shot. This would be lots better than the dreaded recording saying no shots are available. At least you would know you’re in the system. At least you would have hope. Essential workers and nursing homes would have first priority, then seniors listed by age.
When the next pandemic hits, having an efficient distribution system in place may be the difference between stemming the virus or having it spread out of control. St. Luke’s and Saint Al’s, get this done!
Patrick Harren, McCall
Legislating morality
Daniel Kern correctly stated that you can’t legislate morality and offered a quote condemning the idea of doing so based on tradition or religious beliefs. (Idaho Sen.) C. Scott Grow, who wants to ban marijuana is attempting to do just that. He and I are LDS and condemn the recreational use of drugs, but LDS scripture condemns those who, “(let) their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others;” (D&C 134:4) Other Christians should support this as well since the Apostle Paul in the Bible likewise rhetorically asks, “… for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?” ( 1 Cor. 10:29). The bottom line is that scripture condemns legislating morality and believers should therefore reject trying to legislate their own subjective morality.
The solution? Treat marijuana like alcohol — tax it, punish those who DUI or sell to kids. Maybe even deny state health benefits to those whose condition resulted from using them. Do the same for alcohol and tobacco too.
I can’t believe I had to write this. Grow should have known better.
Chris Bolton, Meridian
Dam removal
Congressman Simpson has served up a comprehensive regional enhancement plan that will provide much-needed infrastructure upgrades while adding the benefits of healthy, sustainable salmon runs back into our lives. The plan is additive: Restoration of the Lower Snake River and its unmatched salmon runs will restore cultures, traditions, livelihoods, and spiritual health that only salmon can deliver, while rejuvenating and invigorating communities throughout the basin. It will be successful because it meets the socioeconomic needs of the people and the biological needs of the fish; “They need a river.” The alternative is a disgraceful legacy and an unjust, impoverished sentence for future generations.
To the science deniers and dam-removal doubters, I offer this: the five federal “salmon recovery” plans, soon to be six, have been rejected because they didn’t recommend the only scientifically supported action to restore our runs, removal of the four lower Snake River dams. Salmon and steelhead populations in rivers above two, three, or four dams are viable; ours are not- same ocean. There have been 1,500 dam removal projects in this country, three in Idaho; every one of them has been ecologically, culturally, and economically successful. We would do well to support Congressman Simpson’s bold plan.
David A. Cannamela, Boise
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 3:11 PM.