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Letters to the editor: Health care workers, support Assistance League and others

Health care workers

I was very disheartened upon reading the Nov. 21 article about the abuse being foisted on health care workers.

First, and not most important, where do people get off telling professionals that they don’t know how to do their jobs? Medical pros get years of intensive training and ongoing education throughout their careers.

Second, and still not the most important, where is the civility and respect for others who are sworn to help those in need? I was raised to recognize that doctors and nurses were all about healing the sick and saving lives.

Third, and to me certainly the most important, is the lack of compassion for people who are obviously way overworked and stressed during this critical period. Having recently had a loved one who spent time in an ICU, I witnessed firsthand how much these people care and how hard they work and how much the difficult situations they are faced with weigh on them.

To Nurse Rikki and all in these fields, I offer my apologies for anyone who is a jerk to you, and express my undying appreciation for all you do. We love you. Keep your chins up, you are heroes without capes.

Curtis Stoddard, Eagle

Support Assistance League

Right now, our healthcare workers in Ada County are on the front lines of battling the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that continues to spread throughout our city, state and nation. You are putting yourselves in the path of this virus — in this community and all around our state — in this unprecedented crisis. Our doctors, nurses, technicians, transporters, EMTs, pharmacists and everyone who supports patient care are rising to the occasion and caring for our most vulnerable populations. Your dedication and commitment goes so beyond our expectations.

Thank you — from everyone at Assistance League® of Boise — for the sacrifices you make, every day and especially during this pandemic. Your dedication, commitment and courage deserve our deepest gratitude and admiration. Your service to patients is saving countless lives and making thousands of differences. For our part, our organization has reinstated the requirement for wearing a mask while working or shopping at our facility in Garden City. Our mission is to transform lives and to strengthen our community. This is a small inconvenience in the scope of the efforts being made to protect our community, our healthcare workers and curb the spread of the virus.

Finally, to express our appreciation and gratitude for our everyday heroes, we would like to invite you to our Thrift Shop in Garden City. We are having lots of special holiday sales to enjoy. We want you to know that every dollar you spend at the Thrift Shop is returned to the community to help over 22,000 underserved youth in Ada County.

With our deepest appreciation, we thank you for everything that you have done, are doing and will continue to do while the battle continues to control this pandemic.

Lynn Mounier, Boise

Thanks for help

This afternoon, my husband and child were in a car accident in downtown Boise. Thankfully, neither they nor the woman with whom they collided were seriously hurt. And in the minutes after the accident, there was kindness at every turn.

The first thing my husband remembers was a good samaritan calling 911 and checking to see if everyone was OK. An employee from the downtown Y ran over with blankets to keep them warm on this cold, damp afternoon. At a parking lot nearby, a mom and her children were loading up in their minivan, but instead of leaving they made room for my shocked and frightened daughter, keeping her warm and comforted while my husband dealt with the aftermath and until I could get there.

Tonight we talked about the first responders. How calm and competent they each were, their demeanor calming everyone else. I know none of these peoples’ names, which is almost unreal to me, as they each will always be important to my family. So I share my thanks here, in hopes they may see it, and as a reminder to all who read this of the kindness all around us. Happy Thanksgiving.

Marie Kellner, Boise

Foundation for Government Accountability

Regarding Hailey Holik’s Tuesday opinion piece: Idaho headed in the right direction economically — boy, what a blatant partisan puff piece for Gov. Little. As I am accustomed to doing whenever I read something that seems questionable, I looked up Ms. Holik’s credentials at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), which claims to be a non-partisan, nonprofit organization protecting the American Dream. FGA is a right-wing advocacy group founded in 2011 and based in Naples, Florida.

A State Policy Network (SPN) member, FGA is part of a web of state pressure groups that call themselves “think tanks” and drive a right-wing agenda in statehouses nationwide. FGA’s legislative agenda is a carbon copy of our very own Idaho Freedom Foundation: pro-big business, anti-healthcare, anti-education, anti-worker, anti-family, anti-voter rights, and pro the big lie that there is vast voter fraud in our country.

FGA’s opening website story, for example, blames BIDEN Stamps (food stamps) for single-handedly keeping working mothers out of the workforce and driving up inflation. Really? Non-partisan? How about a lack of child care? Given her pursed lips, I have to wonder if Ms. Holik had as tough a time writing her opinion as I did reading it?

Tom Voccola, Boise