The news about the pending closing of Brookside Nursing Home concerns me.
I am enraged to think that our aging population has become a commodity. I understand that there have to be guidelines to protect and give at least a good level of care. In my opinion, Medicare and Medicaid stopping funding Brookside is not the answer.
Laws should be put into place that when these situations happen, the state can step in and take over. If any one of us doesn’t make our car payment, we have our cars repossessed. If we do not pay our mortgage on our homes, they are taken from us by our lenders. In my opinion, we are holding our seniors in less regard.
This subject hits home with me. My mother spent three years in an assisted living facility and I remember she felt displaced for a long time. Once she accepted it, she was fine. Her dementia became worse. I can’t imagine having to have her relocated once again.
We are at a time when we need more facilities for our aging citizens. The baby boomers are now at the age where we are going to need care. The answer is not to close these facilities, but to find a way to keep them open and add more.
Of course this will be costly. But will it not be worth it? After all, we will probably need this kind of help in our futures.
Timothy Pyer
White River Junction
When considering the high-risk traffic stop necessitated by Rabbi Berl Fink’s refusal to pull over after being followed for more than 4 miles by a Vermont State Trooper with siren on and lights flashing, it is important to put ourselves in their shoes.
It was not that many years ago and not too far from this incident that a beloved father, community member and State Trooper was killed on I-91 by a car when the driver did not stop and instead chose to flee.
Unfortunately, we live in dangerous times. This is especially true for a law enforcement officer working alone in the middle of the night who does not know what to expect when a car does not pull over. The officer must, for his own safety, follow procedures for a potentially dangerous stop.
Troopers are trained on what actions to take until the scene is secured, and in this case the procedures for a potentially dangerous stop were followed. Rabbi Fink and his family were treated no differently than any other speeding car full of people who refused to pull over in the middle of the night. This is why his superiors and the advisory commission that reviews allegations of misconduct are standing behind the trooper.
Rabbi Fink, who appears somewhat befuddled in the video, would do well to do some soul-searching and reflect upon how his own actions led to an unpleasant high-risk traffic stop. It caused a great deal of stress not only for his family but also for the trooper who needed to make the stop.
John Freitag
South Strafford
Last Saturday in Hanover, while I was leaving the Dartmouth Bookstore and entering the flow of pedestrians, a young man on a bicycle came within a hair’s breadth of knocking me down. He must have been riding several times faster than the pace of the pedestrians as he continued on.
Had he knocked me down, he could have broken my wrist or maybe shoulder as he was heavily built and I am frail. I sat down on a bench and soon saw another cyclist, this time a girl about 9, riding her bike on the sidewalk, weaving through the pedestrians. Do such cyclists assume that all pedestrians have acute hearing, eyes in the back of their heads and lightning reflexes to leap aside?
Bike riding on sidewalks ought to be fined and stopped by Hanover Police. Cyclists ought to be careful about the safety of pedestrians, just as they wish for themselves in relation to cars.
To a pedestrian, a fast-moving bike with an adult rider is like a weapon. Would a cyclist who caused injuries be willing to take full responsibility? Would he call 911 and see it through? Cyclists want their full rights on the road; shouldn’t they have to take full responsibility too — pass an exam, be licensed, carry insurance and take consequences?
I was appalled by this close call and will avoid the Hanover business district as long as such reckless behavior continues.
Cecelia Blair
Windsor
Margaret Drye is a candidate for the Sullivan District 1 seat representing Plainfield, Cornish, Grantham and Springfield.
Drye’s immense strength and love for her community has driven her to seek election. I have every confidence that we would be well-served by her. Please vote for Margaret Drye on Nov. 7 for the Sullivan District 1 Seat.
Larry Greenwood
Plainfield
In his Oct. 5 Primary Source column, John Gregg described Brian Sullivan, the Democratic candidate in the Sullivan County District 1 election, as a “Grantham Democrat with strong backing from the education establishment.” As a public school teacher for 35 years and a coach for teachers in a large city public school system, I spent my professional career in public education. Yet, I have never considered myself the “education establishment.”
If the fact that I, and many of Sullivan’s supporters, believe deeply in the mission of public schools and question the movement in our current state Legislature and in, at least, one local school district, to weaken them through various fund-cutting measures, including the diversion of funding to support private education, makes us “the establishment,” then I wear the label with pride.
However, it is important for residents in Sullivan County District 1 to know that Sullivan has detailed, thoughtful positions on a variety of other essential topics such as the connection between a vibrant tourist industry and a commitment to maintain clean water, air and natural resources. He would work toward replacing fossil fuel with clean, renewable energy.
Sullivan is approaching this election with energy, enthusiasm and a deep commitment to Sullivan County and the state of New Hampshire.
Judy McCarthy
Grantham
What’s this with Steve Bannon? He was elected to nothing by no one, and yet the press is covering him like he was “chosen” to lead. No, he should be treated like the skunk at the garden party.
Nancy Parker
Hanover