— by Lin McNulty —
Results of the special election have now been posted by San Juan County Elections Office. At the heart of this special election for Orcas Island was the approval of a Public Hospital District. With an easy 77 percent vote in favor, the measure was approved.
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San Juan County Public Hospital District #3 Proposition No. 1 Establishment of San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 3
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| Measure | Vote | Vote % |
|---|---|---|
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Yes
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1,451 | 76.94% |
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No
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435 | 23.06% |
| Total Votes (not including write-ins) | 1,886 | |
Also up for election were Commissioners for the Public Hospital District. The successful candidates were:
- Richard Fralick
- Pegi Groundwater
- Art Lange
- Diane Boteler
- Patricia Miller
Six hundred ballots remain to be counted and the next count is scheduled for May 3 at 4:30 p.m.
Good work! Subsidized health care makes it even more attractive to move to Orcas for our retirement. Thanks to everyone for working so hard to get this done.
I hope that the sobriquet “subsidized heath care” never takes hold, and never gets applied to PHD money.
While I am more than willing to help pay for the existence of our health clinics, and, indeed, voted “yes” for the PHD, I will never be willing to pay for someone else’s health care.
The two are vastly different, and I want them to remain so.
I am thankful for all the hard work that went into helping us understand the large and small details so that each of us could decide whether to vote to support a Public Hospital District for Orcas Island. I say Hurray!
Thank you to all who voted “Yes”, and congratulations to our Orcas Island community for continuing medical care.
And why wouldn’t you be willing to pay for someone else’s health care. Steve? That is, if you could or society as a whole could afford it. What is so terrible about a bit of generosity?
Generosity Eleanor? “The power to tax is the power to destroy”. We should be wary of this power and its potential for unintended consequences. And Steve, we should have no illusions, covering the financial shortfalls of our current practices is indeed a subsidy.
Our new PHD offers an opportunity to rethink sustainable primary and urgent care in anticipation of a changing rural healthcare environment. Since taxpayer support infers equal protection, the challenge for our new commission is to move beyond funding grants to an economically viable and cost effective clinic that is equally accessible to ALL.
My best wishes to our new commissioners!
Steve, Assuming you are of an age or soon will be, to benefit from all those countless Medicare contributors who do, or soon will contribute to you healthcare, the least you can do is put a brave face on contributing to that of others.
Phil, you missed an important word.
https://www.bartleby.com/73/1798.html
The quote is from Daniel Webster and John Marshall in the Supreme Court case, McCulloch v. Maryland. Webster, in arguing the case, said: “An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy,” 17 U.S. 327 (1819).
“Unlimited” is a key element of that quote.
You are correct Erik, Webster argued the case and Marshall wrote the majority opinion which echoed Websters argument. Suffice it to say that “democracy” offers unlimited power to the majority,something our founders were wary of in creating a government of checks and balances.
Such constraint at the local level is more challenging when taxes are viewed as contributions, gifts or investments, they are not! They are mandatory and enforceable by confiscation of property if not paid, thus the potential for destruction.
But I digress, if we are wise the PHD offers an opportunity for the commissioners to innovate and adapt in response to an uncertain future. Their pre-election comments hold that promise and I look forward to watching this unfold.