Doctor urges following public health guidance

Editor,
A friend recently expressed concern because she didn’t think that there were many, if any, public statements from the local medical community supporting the recommended actions for combatting the pandemic. She mentioned that she is especially bewildered by that apparent silence at a time when the spread of the virus is attaining a significantly higher level, even here in our rural area.

I am a physician (albeit retired) and spent my entire career working in Rhinelander/Oneida and Forest Counties.

I implore each and every one of us to do what we can to stem the spread of Covid-19. So much of what is recommended by epidemiologists and infectious disease experts requires appallingly little personal sacrifice. Many are being asked to do much more, putting their businesses and livelihoods at risk. Everyone should adhere to the easy actions so that those friends and neighbors don’t end up suffering needlessly because of our indifference or selfishness. And our local, state, and national leaders should be encouraged to commit to thoughtful dialogue and working together to determine how to balance public safety and effects on the economy.

This shouldn’t be a matter of politics. And I can tell you that from personal experience it doesn’t have to be. My younger brother and I will vote for different candidates in next month’s election. But, in his role as Chief Medical Officer for Essentia Health Care in Minnesota you won’t find a more passionate or outspoken advocate for adhering to the recommended public health measures.

I hope that other practitioners will speak out, but more than that I urge the major health care organizations in our area to do so publicly and unitedly. That would include Ascension Healthcare (where I worked), the Marshfield Clinic system, and Aspirus. A joint declaration from those 3 supporting the science and the necessity for action would be greatly appreciated. And it should offer support to Linda Conlon and the Oneida County Health Department for the efforts that they are making to help us all arrive at the daylight which will eventually be there.
Michael Henry, M.D., Rhinelander

Writer says vote them out

Editor,
In recent years, many have been spouting a strange Republican ideology that claims that executive or administrative authority is basically invalid and that all power should be in the legislature. Now we’ve been through most of a year where the executive and public health officials are the only ones trying to do anything to resolve the tremendous health and economic issues facing us. It’s obvious that our representatives in the legislature have not only failed to even participate in any problem-solving sessions, they have actively tried to use the courts to subvert every measure aimed at beating the pandemic or even those designed to help people vote safely. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!

None of these “legislators” deserves to remain in office, much less to be elected to a higher one. Tiffany and Felzkowski have consistently supported special interests, many from outside the state, and voted against most things that might help ordinary folks in Wisconsin. Swearingen just follows along. In his short time in Congress, Tiffany has voted “No” on every effort to help sick and unemployed people, even opposing the Great American Outdoors Act (much-delayed funding for the kind of outdoor activities our local economy depends upon), which the president himself proudly signed!

Don’t say, “Tom’s such a nice guy!” That’s just not good enough. We have to judge by what these people do, not by what they say. This election is our best chance to move them out.

Please get your vote in as soon as you can, to choose people who will really represent us: Tricia Zunker for Congress, Ed Vocke for State Senate and Kirk Bangstad for the Assembly. THE TIME IS NOW!
Gerald Anderson, Rhinelander

Writer counting the days to vote Biden

Editor,
I am 77-years-old and counting the days and hoping I remain upright so I can vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Nov. 3. I am so tired of the lies that our current president makes every day, firing competent people who disagree with him, using his office to enrich himself and his family, acting like a king and a fascist dictator, cozying up to Putin, calling our soldiers who died or got injured in war stupid and losers, failing to lead immediately on the COVID virus causing many more unnecessary deaths, fighting tooth and nail not to release his taxes, and the list goes on and on.

Trump’s motto was Make America Great Again and now it should be Biden’s motto. We have lost our respect in the world with our allies and no wonder Putin smiles ear to ear every time he meets with our president.

Our current president says the election will be rigged. The question is who will be doing the rigging? Trump is doing his best to limit absentee balloting, tampering with the postal service, limiting the hours people can vote, and reducing the number of polling places all to reduce the number of votes by Democrats. We need a landslide victory to dispose of Trump. Anything less will allow him to contest the results, claim they’re a fraud and try to hold on to power.
Fred Hardt, Watersmeet, Mich.