Soap Box

To the editor,

The United States of America is comprised of real estate that has been surveyed, mapped and divided into 50 distinct, individual regions that exist on the outer crust of this planet. This is where the populace resides, with addresses, zip codes, etc. Now, a 51st state has come into existence: the “State of/denial,” where most of us are right now because we cannot face the facts that are too bad to be true.

Donald Trump did not invent corruption in government, it was alive and thriving in our nation’s capital, created unwittingly by the founding fathers of this country. The genesis was when they chartered the first bank and did not include sufficient checks and balances written into the document. That was the birth of corporate America, which has evolved with the compliance of generation after generation of members of both major political parties, the pot and the kettle, into an all-powerful and corrupt system that imposes its will on our government.

Mr. Trump is a mirror image of that system, but with one boat-rocking deviation. He has changed the modus operandi from slithering silently and politely as dirty deeds are accomplished to a modus of in-your-face lying, bullying, bragging and even announcing for all to hear what dirty deed he plans next.

The composite structure and functionality of the Trump Administration, which has seamlessly become conjoined with Trump enterprises, has created a serious crisis in this country, as well as others on this planet. Trump is being allowed to rape the Constitution of the United States of Americans while being aided by the stooges, puppets and parrots that he has appointed/hired. They aid and abet criminality while drawing salaries paid by American taxpayers. The most notable example is the attorney general of this nation, who has proven to be nothing more than the president’s personal valet, shining his shoes and memorizing the script he is instructed to read. Trump has attracted several groups that seem to consider him as some sort of heroic icon. Some persons in the media not only applaud but defend his criminality, his mantra of hate and discontent, his racism and his routine disrespect of humanity. The white supremacy groups, the ultra-rich – these people are all hanging on to the president’s shirt tail. They cling tightly in spite of being dragged along through his droppings, which will leave them permanently stained and filed in the historical records of this country in a folder marked, “The Trump Years – Criminality, Hate, Discontent and Racism for Proift.”

Too bad and too sad to be true – a velvet pillow for corporate America and a bed of spikes for us. What the hell kind of a country is this? That is a very legitimate question echoing all over America – in the hallways of VA hospitals, the front desks of health clinics, the homes of mass shooting victims, homeless shelters, homes and offices of all women, the federal prison camps/cages on our southern border, and all the various locations where millions of people are suffering the agony of the opioid addiction caused by a corrupt system of conflict of interest and selective enforcement.

What the hell kind of country is this? The question burns like a wild fire while our elected politicians refuse to act. These people elected to serve the best interests of our citizenry are hiding in the dark nooks and crannies of our nation’s capital, shirking their duties as first responders to address a crisis in government. Like Nero, they fiddle with themselves while the firestorm continues, unabated. Silence is their only answer.

The question remains, perhaps to be carved in two-story-high letters as public art on Mount Rushmore, as a historical “Monument of Truth.” A monument with acres and acres of blank wall space where citizens who are screaming the question can scrawl or carve their personal experience. These stories can become answers that reflect the truth in detail for all to see exactly what this county has become.

Now, that’s a wall with a meaningful purpose.

– Peter Martin, Durango

To the editor,

Jesse Anderson’s opinion piece last week entitled “Bicycles are not cars” was a somewhat obfuscated attempt to justify cars rights on roadways while trying to referee a Facebook group and placate/educate local cyclists. To wit, he stated; “... my car is more important,” “I’m more of a motorist than I am a cyclist,” “... if you’re a bicycle zealot who doesn’t own a car.”

Be that as it may, what bothered me enough to write in was that he stated; “If you’re a cyclist, and you want to enjoy the privilege of sharing the road ... .” This statement reads to me that when in a car, people have a “right” that people not in cars don’t. That having a drivers license isn’t a privilege, but rather a right. That being on a road in a car IS the priority, and issues such as responsibility, humanity, courtesy and safety all come after.

And then there’s something called history (from which we often do not learn)– when in the early 1900s, pedestrians and nonmotorized conveyances were what roads were for. And only after auto/pedestrian deaths started to rise and cities like Cincinnati tried to limit motorized conveyance, did the auto industry groups introduce the “Model Municipal Traffic Ordinance” and jaywalking laws, which quickly tuned roads into motorized right-of-ways. (Read Peter Norton’s Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the Invention of the Motor Age Street).

Jesse’s article seemed to me to justify motorists having the right of way. To not be “stuck behind a bicycle,” or a “cyclist not taking up a lane of traffic,” etc. And that in closing he gave cyclists the status of being “definitely humans.” To which all I can say is, Cody’s right, “steel bumpers make quick work of aluminum wheels.”

I suggest roads are best-suited for human use, regardless of the type of conveyance. Humans are impatient,  make mistakes, are quick to judge and are fragile. I avoid cars whenever I can, on and off the road, as I do people like Cody. But I know for fact that the Codys are out there, and if I’m on my bike, I’m the one who stands to lose the most if a collision happens, whoever is at fault. Anyone not in a car but on the road is subject to the dominant paradigm, but everyone on the road is responsible. Life (& death) is the ultimate king of the road.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

To the editor,

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has been vocal about the need for a federal solution to protect patients from out-of-network, or surprise, billing. Despite the distraction tactics and big-budget ad spends that have recently hijacked these important conversations, ACEP has been involved in Congressional discussions on this issue since early 2018 and has consistently supported a ban on balance billing of patients, as long as the mechanism ensures patient access to care won’t be compromised.

ACEP serves as the voice of individual emergency physicians regardless of where they practice. Our membership comprises emergency physicians from all walks of life who practice and are employed in a variety of work environments that range from academic settings or teaching hospitals, to emergency physician groups that are either managed or independently owned and operated by the physicians. In fact, the vast majority (85 percent) of emergency physician groups are made up of 50 or fewer physicians.

ACEP’s leadership is as diverse as our members, and once democratically elected by peers, the ACEP president represents the entire field of emergency medicine. ACEP’s Council, a legislative body of elected emergency physicians, votes on resolutions that serve as the foundation for ACEP’s federal and state advocacy positions.

On behalf of all emergency physicians, ACEP is concerned by several proposals currently being debated in Congress. Not only will they fail to adequately solve surprise bills for emergency patients, they could severely affect small emergency physician practices and threaten access to the vital health-care safety net they provide, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Granting insurers license to squeeze physicians harder will push even more doctors out of network and put access to emergency care at risk. Allowing insurers to further manipulate rates will shift even more of the burden to patients while driving physicians out of the market.

Smaller physician groups are already disadvantaged when attempting to negotiate contracts with insurers, and they have expressed their concerns to Congress. That’s why 60 smaller independent practices, which collectively provide emergency care to 7.3 million patients annually, sent a letter urging the House Education and Labor, and Ways and Means Committees to consider their unique perspective and the importance of making sure that federal legislation does not limit their ability to provide high-quality emergency care for patients.

ACEP will continue to work with Congress on behalf of all emergency physicians to find a federal solution to protect patients from out-of-network surprise billing that avoids any unintended consequences to the broader health-care system.

Visit www.ProtectEmergencyCare.org for more information.

– Steve Arnoff, The American College of Emergency Physicians