Letters: Health District staff, nationalism, Golden Rule and more | June 4

Public health staff deserve support

In the unprecedented public health crisis we are now facing it is particularly important to acknowledge the remarkable work and dedication of our health care providers, including the professionals working at the Benton-Franklin District Health Department. I was privileged to work with some of them during my career and always found their dedication and professionalism inspiring. They epitomize public service at its finest. And, as the spouse of a registered nurse who worked as a public health nurse early in her career, I know first-hand the demanding and critical nature of their work. In the best of times, their work is demanding and hard; in extraordinarily difficult times, such as the current COVID-19 crisis, their work is overwhelming but all the more necessary. They serve at the epicenter of our communities’ efforts to keep us all as safe as possible from the coronavirus. Each (person) working there on our behalf deserves and needs our approbation and full support, not our opposition or criticism.

Our Benton Franklin Public Health workers, along with others working tirelessly to provide health care and maintain public safety, are genuine heroes and need to be recognized as such by us all, certainly including our elected public officials.

A reader’s view of nationalism

Globalists generally believe that the welfare of mankind is ultimately best served by an educated elite ruling within a one world order to avoid major wars and catastrophic events. They support bigger controlling governments to that end, forcing their will upon others in whatever they think is best for the whole overrides individual rights, supporting that the end justifies the means.

Nationalists generally believe that the welfare of mankind is best served by independent nations competing against each other with mutual cooperation of free trade on a level playing field bringing out the best in everyone. They believe that the stronger patriotic benevolent nations who support local and limited government can best keep any rogue nations in check.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and as a person’s power increases, usually their sense of morality decreases. Anyone who supports more centralized government power (Socialism) in giving up freedoms in the hope of more security is deceiving themselves from reality.

The best nations have always been the ones with a good and moral people practicing Godly principles within a structure of limited and local government unleashing the free enterprise system increasing people’s standard of living and quality of life to the highest.

We owe thanks to delivery people

We want to salute our paper carrier! Throughout this COVID-19 situation, she continues to deliver our paper with a smile – literally! On windy days and sometimes just for fun, she encloses a painted rock with a smiley face! We have been subscribers since 1990 and have had some really fine carriers, and she is exceptional. Many thanks to all the delivery folks working in a pretty difficult job. We are paying forward the smiley rocks as we walk through our neighborhood.

God’s rules first, then Constitution

Many church pastors have decided that it is more important to defend the constitutional right the church has to worship than to live the many lessons of Jesus about how we are to treat one another; three of those lessons stand out as being central to how Christians are to live. The first command is to love God, the second is to love your neighbor as yourself, and the third is the Golden Rule which teaches that we are to “Do unto others as we would have others do unto us.”

Despite my own reservations about some of the rules that governors throughout this country have put in place to help us to stay safe from the coronavirus, we who are called to ministry are also called to exercise wisdom in how we love others. Ministers are also called to leave behind the foolishness of the ways of the world, including the political world, and to be good shepherds and stewards of those whom God has sent us to lead.

It would be helpful if more church pastors remembered to live by the Golden Rule rather than to believe in the man-made constitutional right to freedom of religion, which far too many pastors now seem to believe is more important than believing and trusting in God and in living the lessons taught to us by our Savior.

Who are those unmasked people?

Being a relatively healthy 71-year-old guy, I take precautions to hopefully reduce my exposure and lessen the chances that I will contribute to the spread of the Coronavirus. When I am out doing my grocery shopping and other essential errands, I wear a mask and try to maintain distancing. It’s not to protect me; it’s to protect others in case I may have the virus and show no symptoms, or be unaware that I am a carrier. When I see others who are not wearing a mask or not maintaining a safe distance, I have several thoughts. One thought is that they may feel that they have a right to ignore the guidelines that the scientific and medical communities have provided us with. Other thoughts include: they have no concern for my safety or that of my family; they have no concern for the safety of the essential workers in the facilities that they are in, or their families; they have no concern for the safety of the health care workers or first responders that may have to care for anyone that becomes infected due to their carelessness.

Our ill workers need federal help

Two counties in Rep. Dan Newhouse’s U.S. House district have the highest per capita rates of Covid-19 on the West Coast — Yakima and Franklin counties. Forty percent of workers earning under $40,000 per year are unemployed. Most do not have paid sick leave. It is vitally important that sick and unemployed workers don’t also lose their homes.

I would like to urge Rep. Newhouse to support legislation that would enact a national one-year moratorium on evictions and provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. It is important to everyone that sick or exposed workers be able to recover without the threat of homelessness guiding their decisions. Emergency rental assistance is good for landlords too. It protects the investments they have made during this time of economic upheaval.

I encourage Rep. Newhouse to provide compassionate leadership that prevents his most vulnerable constituents from becoming homeless during this crisis.

Trump justice not draining swamp

Under Trump, a new judicial transformation has taken place. Trump’s new system allows convicted felons like Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, who just happen to be friends of Trump, to be treated under a new, more “forgiving” judicial system, while the rest of us remain subject to the more traditional “unforgiving” judicial system. Disgusting!! I thought Trump was going to “drain the swamp!” Sure looks like the swamp is deeper than ever before. How do Trump, Barr and my silent Republican Party live with themselves?

This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Health District staff, nationalism, Golden Rule and more | June 4."