I’ve been delighted by the considerable positive response regarding the plans to significantly improve our hospital. I’ve also heard some questions about the cost and necessity of the project that I want to address.
In a free market, those who use goods and services pay for the goods and services which they use. Individuals are free to use property as they see fit as long as they do not aggress upon somebody else or somebody else’s property. A free market leads to an equitable distribution of goods and services.
On Jan 15, 2009, Flight 1549 was leaving LaGuardia Airport with 155 passengers when the aircraft sucked a few bird through its engines causing a malfunction that forced an emergency landing. Using the Hudson River as a landing zone, Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger, a 57-year-old former fighter pilot with 29 years experience as a pilot for US Airways put the plane in the water at 3:31 p.m.
Pratt County citizens will soon be going to the polls to vote on a countywide sales tax proposition allowing Pratt Regional Medical Center to proceed with plans to build a much needed major addition to the hospital, which will provide a new patient care area.
An online search of “PRMC Renovation” on www.pratttribune.com finds a story dated Feb. 5, 2009 titled “PRMC pursing renovation plan”. This article is about renovating PRMC with no mention of new construction other than a boiler building. It points out that the original Pratt Hospital building opened its doors in 1950 and is almost 60 years old. The article quotes Susan Page, Pratt Regional Medical Center President and CEO, “The infrastructure of the main building is worn out.” The article then cites, “A rough estimate for the renovation is between $8 million and $12 million.” The article explained, “New construction codes prevent putting new boilers in the old boiler space so the cost for three new boilers and a separate building is estimated at $750,000 to $1 million.”
Since the beginning of the health care reform debate, I have argued that, to achieve true reform, health care costs must be reduced. The failure of legislation now pending in Congress to reduce costs means that these reform proposals would fail.
Farming is under attack. It is hard to turn the corner lately without confronting another challenge to the way I run my business. New regulations from the EPA and FDA and misinformation about how I run my business run rampant in the media.
Over my years as a teacher I learned first hand not to judge a student based on first impressions. Just as a first impression of a student was once proven wrong, I find I am in the wrong again about my impression of our current city commission and Mrs. Detwiler. From articles in the Pratt Tribune, I judged her to be a pest. Karen Detwiler is instead, a whistleblower.
We would like to say thank you to everyone who has been supportive of Cheyenne the past few weeks. She injured her right knee the day after Thanksgiving, diving after a basketball. On Dec 11, she had a hamstring graft to replace her ACL and repair two tears in her meniscus. She is now going through physical therapy at PRMC.
Dear American Soldier:
Thank you. Do you ever hear those words? We Americans tend to take so much for granted as we go about our daily lives. We sleep in warm, cozy beds and wake to the sound of an alarm telling us how much time we have to ready ourselves for the day.
To the editor:
The PTO at Haskins Elementary would like to thank you for your generous donation to our annual Fun House which was held on September 25 this year. Due to the many contributors like you, we ended up having the most successful Fun House ever! If there’s one fond memory students take from their time at Haskins, it’s the Fun House. They look forward to this activity every year.
To the editor:
“Trick or treat”–it’s more of a demand than a question. To some homeowners, it is looked upon as a bit of a threat, especially when it comes from someone their own age. Year after year there has been an ongoing controversy over the cutoff age at which it’s acceptable to decline someone for a Halloween sweet.
To the editor:
When Pratt had the huge snow, it dumped 28 inches on our carport and caved in on our car. I called my insurance agent. She gave me the number of a local contractor. When the job was done, I paid him in full. About two months later, Home Lumber put a lien on our house as the contractor didn’t pay them our bill. We are in debt and had to use some of our savings.
Where is our nation headed when children are “entertained” by shooting guns in school at a Fun Night? I thought we had laws preventing weapons from being brought onto school grounds. Are we training home-grown terrorists?
After reading the editorial dated October 2, 2009 in the Hutchinson News I had to stop and make sure I was not reading some gossip newspaper. Your editorial did not even have our City Attorney correct.
There are some very nice people here in Pratt.
Inquiring minds want to know. How come gas is always higher in Pratt than the surrounding towns?
Recently, as I read the newspaper and was going through the delinquent tax notices I was rather shocked to see one of our city commissioners, Willy Peltier and his business Deer Run Properties, LLC, posted repeatedly. Close to $40,000 worth of deliquent taxes?
As a REALTOR and tax-payer in Pratt, I would like to express my “THANKS” to the City Commissioners of Pratt for voting “FOR” the Maple Street project.
Since I was unable to attend Friday night’s PAHS board meeting due to prior commitments, I eagerly anticipated the Tribune’s story about the meeting. However, regardless of the message to keep things “good and positive,” I feel the meeting was basically a character assassination of a decent and caring man. The Mike Hill I know is more like the person described by Mr. Easterday in an excellent recent editorial in the Tribune. The Mike Hill I know would probably tell me “it’s over, just let it go” but I’m afraid I can’t quite yet.
