Website doesn’t present facts

An advertisement (Ritzville Journal August 28) read “No rumors, no guesses. Point your web browser at…” Readers were promised “The facts: clear, complete, correct.” The advertisement also promised, “Not affiliated with Adams County Hospital District No. 2.”

Website visitors will find a more comprehensive disclaimer “This site is not in any way. Official, unofficial, associated or affiliated with Adams County Hospital District No. 2.” We are left to conclude that the website facts (true or not) were created by a group of monkeys with computers completely unaware of Ritzville and not associated or affiliated with the community in any way. The Webmaster of the site is one M. Lynn Walker who appears to be a close associate of a Hospital District No. 2 commissioner.

While there is useful information to be found at the website, the website author appears unable to be clear, complete and/or correct in a number of cases. For example, the problems with the hospital structure are not simply a matter of age nor “ the inevitable deteriorations of age…” The author admits “For many years, the District did not do certain repairs and upgrades because the long-term plan was to save enough money to build a new facility.” Thus, problems with the hospital facility are the consequence of deliberate neglect. This long-term plan was not communicated to the district taxpayer. Hospital commissioners had continued to ask for operations and maintenance levies while neglecting the maintenance of the facility.

The website author wrote: “Unfortunately, in 2011 the District’s situation underwent some radical stresses. Income fell off sharply while expenses rose sharply.” Radical stresses indeed! Should we believe a newcomer to the district reading the author’s words would have a clear, complete and correct understanding of the facts? Of course not. Yet those “radical stresses” resulted in the spending millions of taxpayer dollars to cover the mismanagement of those responsible. Millions of dollars have been wasted and the hospital commissioners want more. If the hospital commissioners returned just one million dollars to the taxpayer, how much would the taxpayer receive?

The current hospital commissioners have yet to prove they can competently operate the district facility, The situation the district taxpayers find themselves is not the result of monkeys with computers not the result of matter in motion. Real people put us in the spot we find ourselves in. The fact that we could lose our hospital is not sufficient reason for trying to build a facility that the taxpayers cannot afford. Nor should they complicate matters by taking on the Life Care Center.

Are the facts clear, correct and complete as presented by the author of the website defending the hospital bond? Not at all clear, correct or complete.

Barry Boyer, Ritzville