Three letters: Opportunity for Chamber, patients over insurance companies and toll road proposal

Great opportunity for Chamber of Commerce to promote Morgan Hill

Dear Editor,

During the past few months, I worked closely with Lorraine Welk, the Chamber of Commerce’s newly-installed board president as well as the outgoing Woman of the Year, to make the 2012 Celebrate Morgan Hill a fun and memorable event for all who attended. Many people told me after the awards ceremony that this year’s Celebrate, held last Saturday night, was the most enjoyable and entertaining they had ever attended. Much of the success came from Welk’s leadership in building a team of volunteers focused on fresh ideas to achieve a well-timed flow to the festivities.

At this year’s event, Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate swore in the new Chamber board of directors, a group of local people volunteering their time and talents to build commerce in Morgan Hill. As the outgoing Man of the Year, I would like to encourage them to use the success of this year’s Celebrate as a model for visionary leadership.

The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, which received more than $64,000 in RDA funds this fiscal year, has an obligation to the public to promote economic vitality and build businesses and industry in our city. There are many in Morgan Hill, including myself, who see tremendous opportunities for the Chamber to achieve visionary leadership in 2012 and use the taxpayers’ money to serve the greater public good.

With Lorraine Welk at the helm of the new board, I see positive changes for the Chamber of Commerce. I would like to see two broad goals for the Chamber under her leadership. The first is for the Chamber to work more dynamically in encouraging new businesses to look at Morgan Hill as an industry-friendly site for their operations. Our citizens enjoy a high quality of life in Morgan Hill. The Chamber can use that fact in its efforts to attract companies to consider coming here.

I would also like to see more effort by the Chamber in building the tourist trade in Morgan Hill by more widely promoting our city as a visitors’ destination. We are blessed with many award-winning wineries, fine restaurants, county parks, Henry Coe State Park, family-friendly festivals and sports facilities that are second to none in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, many people outside of Morgan Hill see our community not as a destination, but as someplace to go through on the way to somewhere else. I encourage the Chamber in 2012 to take steps – perhaps working more closely with the Gilroy Visitor’s Bureau – to market Morgan Hill and the South Valley region as a place well worth visiting.

I thank the new Chamber board for taking the time to serve the community by promoting commerce and tourism in Morgan Hill. On Saturday night, many in the community saw a new dynamic and vision in the Chamber’s leadership style. I’m confident from my experience working with her on the 2012 Celebrate event that Lorraine Welk has the leadership skills to build a team of volunteer board members that will move the Chamber in a positive direction this year.

Marty Cheek, Morgan HIll and 2011 Man of the Year

Patients should take precedence over insurance company profits

Dear Editor,

Republicans oppose the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Requiring insurers to spend 80 percent on real medical expenses, banning discrimination against pre-existing conditions, no lifetime limits, no dropping coverage when you get sick, restricted use of annual limits, no different rates based on medical history or gender, right to appeal coverage decisions, same insurance choices as members of Congress, cuts in Medicare payments to insurance companies that are overcharging for level of service provided have made Republicans fighting mad.

This law leaves 23 million Americans uninsured instead of the 54 million Republicans want. Patient protection is given precedence over the right of insurance companies to make maximum profit. No wonder Republicans are outraged.

Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill

Toll proposal for Highway 152 needs coverage – it’s highway robbery

Dear Editor,

Santa Clara County’s Valley Transportation Authority and San Benito County’s Council of Governments have a “Mobility Partnership,” with no consent from the voters in either SCC or SBC.

The “Partnership” is pushing for its “new plan” to replace Highway 152 with a toll road build in conjunction with the Bullet Train. No voter ever voted for a “Director” to VTA or COG, yet they are a stand-alone government acting with all the powers of government from taxation, condemnation and appropriations. Local elected leaders give me the middle finger salute when I ask them about it.

They operate motor carriers of passengers for hire in direct competition with the private sector, and use 99 percent funding by the taxpayers (using legal accounting to make the calculation – they themselves use Enron-style “off book” accounting to make their false financial reports to the public).

Nobody is covering this story, and it cries out for press coverage.

Joe Thompson, Gilroy