Letters to the editor, January 28, 2009

Governor must listen
The governor of this state has really made a poor choice this time around by cutting Medicaid for those senior citizens who don't have Medicare or the wherewithal to make private payments.
This is a complete disaster. This is also a very costly mistake on her part and it's only asking for trouble.
The problem is their grown children work during the day or are shift workers and can't be there for their elderly parents, which is the reason why we can't turn down Medicaid patients.
They need a place to go so that they can be cared for. Their needs can't be very well met at home, there's too much at stake plus taking a big risk. They need 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week nursing care. Cutting the Medicaid program out of the picture is only going to cause nursing homes to close up.
The governor has to understand, right now, we can't afford to have that happen.
Nursing homes are the vital link to senior health care because there's no way we can take care of our aging family members at home - not when these people will need IV feeding or an oxygen tank. These, of course, require nursing care.
The need for nursing homes is greater than ever before, the population is aging fast and there's a need. There's no way we can leave most families at wit's end wondering where they're going to place their loved ones.
This is so wrong and unfair.
If they decide to cut Medicaid, which may close nursing homes, the governor and lawmakers can be held accountable. They will have to clean up the mess and fix the problem.
Most of these seniors when they were young worked hard all their lives, ran a family business and didn't make a whole lot of money. They raised their families and provided for their every need, so to cut them off just because they're Medicaid patients is wrong.
These seniors deserve to be cared for and have a warm, safe place to live, so there has to be funding and support for Medicaid and the governor of this state - sit up straight and listen.
Carol Wry
Sequim 


Bone watch time
Again, this is the time of the year when the ice age fossils and artifacts are found on our local beaches here along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The older fossils are shades of brown, while new stuff is a light color, except for the ice age ivory. What you will be looking for is mostly pieces of bone, ivory and teeth - very large mammoth teeth.
Do not climb up the cliffs, that sand is very loose, be safe as you stay down.
This area has lifted many hundred feet since 5,000-foot-thick glaciers flowed through here on the way to the sea, pushing the land down.
In between glacier events, the warm periods were much as today, with herds of ice-age animals glazing across the land. Also keep in mind, man was here, using this pathway to migrate inland.
There have been in the past, also, many violent water events that have put the items you find in deposits in these now-sandy cliffs.
Recovering items on the beach, before the high tide and surf destroy them, is fun for all age groups.
Be sure you have and know how to use a tide book. Start your beach walk on a falling tide and return safely before running out of sandy beach. Also, be aware of changes in weather and wind, etc.
Clean found items gently with water and a small brush, then coat with water soluble white glue and let dry. Do not use other types of sealers as they destroy the fossils; the white glue goes away in a bucket of water overnight if the experts want to examine the finds.
Richard Dobbs


In support of our president
After our new president's speech I was thinking, "What could I do to make this a better America?"
I clear and rebuild trails that get damaged from storms in the U.S. Forest Service and Olympic National Park lands.
I'm a volunteer. I'm in my 78th year.
After thinking for a short time, I realized this is my work, so I will build and clear trails to the best of my ability so if someone wants to have a wilderness experience, no matter what their condition is, this can happen.
People will be able to spend time by a stream or sit on a log in the quiet forest or just lie on some moss in the sun and feel and hear the elements - the freedom of just being there and, oh yes, the high country.
I'll make better trails we can all enjoy. That's what I can do.
Don Stoneman
Sequim


A dangerous new world
In response to  Pat Clark's letter to the editor printed in the Gazette's Jan. 21 edition, Mr. Clark objects to random stops and checkpoints used by the U.S. Border Patrol.
His reasoning seems to be that paying his taxes his whole life to support our infrastructure system, i.e., highways, gives him the right to drive unimpeded and not be harassed by an overzealous border patrol.
He believes that the U.S. Border Patrol uses random stops improperly, ignoring completely that these stops have uncovered several illegal aliens who have no right to be in this country.
I object to the illegal aliens. I do not object to the U.S. Border Patrol keeping us safe by setting up checkpoints. Does Mr. Clark object to DUI check points? They keep us safe by keeping drunks off the highways.
I believe that being slightly inconvenienced and possibly giving up a small amount of liberty is worth the cost. The terrorist bomber apprehended in Port Angles was at a U.S. Customs (Border Patrol) checkpoint.
As Dorothy said, "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
This is a dangerous new world, and we should be happy that our government has the wherewithal to use checkpoints to keep us safe. We need to support the border patrol in these uncertain times. Keep on truckin', border patrol!
Bill Eichler
Sequim