GOOD FOR HOSPITAL HONCHOS
Tonight is Sanford Healthcare’s mega concert –being held for their employees only. And I’ve got two things to say about that. One: I wish I were going, and two: GOOD FOR SANFORD!
I think it’s great that Sanford is showing their appreciation to their employees in a manner that is fun and up-beat and invites everyone interested in participating to have a great time. Music is a joiner. And it doesn’t really matter what type of music it is most of the time. What a great way to bring staff, honchos, doctors, nurses, janitors, cooks, chefs, clerks, volunteers, all together in one place for a hand-clapping, knee-slapping sing-along on a humid, hot Midwestern summer night!
If you’re looking down your nose at this, I’d like to know why. Is it because you think it is an “inappropriate” way for a medical facility to spend its money? Why? Even if you are a patient—it’s really no skin off your nose or money out of your pocket—so what’s the beef? Admit it—you’re the same person who never got invited to birthday parties as a kid and now, twenty, maybe thirty or even fifty years later—it really ticks you off to know someone else is able to have fun and you still can’t join in!! So now, instead of threatening to go eat worms, you complain about how much medical care costs and isn’t it outrageous “they” are spending “so much money” and yadda-yadda-yadda.
Congratulations, Sanford! Whoever thought this one up deserves a raise!
DO NORTH DAKOTA REPS NEED TO BE FARMERS?
Recently, someone emailed me a link to the local television news station that carries HOT BOX with Chris Berg interviewing Joel Heitkamp. Their subject was whether people running for Congressional and Senate seats should come from a farming background. Why? Because North Dakota is a state whose economy is strongly tied to agriculture. The primary reason is that North Dakota would be able to “fight” for the agricultural bills that enable farmers to continue to farm during bad economies and for the subsidies and crop insurance they are allowed.
I really don’t think so. Number one, only one Senator or Representative elected from North Dakota over the last few decades has been a farmer or has come from a farming background! That person was Mark Andrews. Of the rest—namely, Conrad, Dorgan, Pomeroy, Hoven and Berg —none of them grew up on farms! Yes, most came from small towns in North Dakota, but so what? I lived in Walhalla for three years and it’s definitely a farming community, but that doesn’t mean I understand or know very much about farming. And I definitely do not believe Minnesota is solely known for or even considered just a “farming” state. No more than Georgia would be, and believe me, no one in any of the larger towns and cities of Georgia considers them “farming” communities. That’s because they have far more going on than agriculture.
Now before anyone living on a farm gets his or her drawers up in a knot, I’m not saying there’s something wrong with coming from a farm. Frankly, most of the people I’ve ever known who did come from farms are some of the smartest, multi-talented, totally “can-do” attitude types I’ve ever met. At the same time, I’ve also know farmers who were great producers, but were also barely literate. And that can be said for just about any specific profession, coming from anywhere in the world. So, no, this is not a put-down of farmers. Not in the least. I still enjoy eating, and thankfully we have people in our country who still like producing what we all eat.
Yet because someone is from an area that is strongly tied to agriculture, does not necessarily mean they will be able to represent their state or their state’s main interest. For one thing, the Senate and the House both run the world’s largest game of “I’ll trade you for.” I think the common name for it is “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine.” Or, I’ll concede on this vote for you if you vote my way on mine.
Frankly, this smelled of campaign bait to me. The one thing Joel said that really got to me was talking about the candidates running for the Congressional seat—one is from a farm and the other is not. Joel feels one major reason the state of ND would be in better hands is because candidate “A” knows how to aid a cow during birth. He assumes that since candidate “B” is a city person, he would not know how to do this. Seriously? That’s why someone who may have moved recently to the state of North Dakota and knows nothing about either candidate should vote for Candidate “A” — because s/he has lived on a farm and perhaps plowed and harvested a crop, versus Candidate “B” who has never lifted a shovel of hay, let alone understands a farming operation? Noooo—that can’t possibly be what Joel meant, can it?
Definitely farm bills in Congress are serious business that affects each and every one of us. But that cannot be the reason anyone votes for one candidate over another. Not anymore.
LOOK AT THE BOAT
After hearing that the Becker County Sheriff’s department has a description of the boat that hit the Terry Erickson family on July 4th and took off without bothering to at least call 911 for help, leaving everyone aboard the Erickson boat stranded, finally someone has come forward with a description of the assailing boat. Go to the following website: www.co.becker.mn.us. Under “Welcome to Becker County” (on the home page) check the “Announcements” box for a link that will take you to a picture of the boat. Anyone with any information is asked to please call the Becker County Sheriff’s office at 218-847-2661. Shmucks like this need to be caught, made to answer for their dastardly deed, and then hung out to dry like stinky mildewed laundry.
Questions and comments can be sent to Soo to: sooasheim@aol.com or to tfinney@ncppub.com. All editorial letters may be sent to the same addresses.