Living

Our small community hospital is facing unprecedented financial problems. Sadly, this is a common problem throughout our country. Small hospitals close and a community is left to drive hours and many miles for health care. Our community is fighting to keep our Brattleboro, Vermont hospital open while difficult decisions have to be made.

Most recently, the hospital board decided to close its birthing center because it loses too much money. Projected losses over the next year are over $4 million while facing an overall deficit of $14 million.

Coalition commits to fundraising, state advocacy, and community mobilization to prevent closure within the six-to-nine month window.

BRATTLEBORO, VT — A broad coalition of Brattleboro and Windham County civic leaders, public officials, and business community members announced today a coordinated effort to prevent the closure of the BMH Birthing Center. The group is moving forward immediately on three fronts: community fundraising, state-level advocacy, and public mobilization.

The BMH Board of Directors recently voted to move toward closure of the BMH Birthing Center within six-to-nine months, citing unsustainable financial losses that will require significant external support. The coalition views that window as an opportunity to protect an essential public service in our town and region.

The U.S. is getting ready to celebrate the 250th year of this experiment in democracy. Do we really have anything to celebrate when all of the principles that this country was founded upon have been ignored and desecrated? Do we have anything to celebrate when the people we have elected allow a leader to trample on the rights of citizens and turn this country into a dream come true for a deranged would-be dictator?

What we should be doing on July 4 is having a great national funeral. We should declare a day of mourning and have funeral processions all over this country while we carry coffins containing the Constitution.

It’s not a matter of if but when. The Republicans are poised to take some degree of a beating in the mid-term elections in November and Trump is already trying to manipulate the outcome. No surprise.

Elections are controlled by states so Trump’s options are limited, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to use the U.S. Postal Service to rig the vote-by-mail system.

The Brennan Center for Justice has analyzed a Trump executive order that they point out is illegal. Breaking the law is something Trump does well because he never has to be accountable for his actions.

Although Trump’s ratings are in the toilet, that does not necessarily translate into support for the Democrats. That is a political problem that the Democratic party needs to work on, among others. If they do not find a way to become more vocal and more powerful and make a case that they can run the country better than Trump then we will end up with Trump III and that will be the final blow that kills our republic, its constitution and the rule of law.

The Democratic party is not doing well in terms of favorability. Most polls that I have found show unfavorability above 55%. That is alarming. The question to be answered is who will people vote for if they don’t like either party. Will they stay home in large numbers from the mid-term and next presidential election?