MUSIC, FEB. 26: “OUT OF THIS WORLD”
VENUS ON POINT
I remember Venus and the Lion back before Maggie joined (way before they called themselves Venus and the Lion) and listening to them today is like listening to a completely different group. These guys are on point! I did a two-day tour with them last year, and they were honestly the highlight of the show for me. Congrats on the good coverage, guys! It's about time.
ROB
SFREPORTER.COM
OPINION, FEB. 19:“SELF IDENTITY”
KUDOS TO SFR
I would like to thank you for printing Linda Chavez's letter concerning trans identity. I would like to thank you because nothing like the nasty and bullying letter sent to your office highlights so perfectly the kind of personal and professional attacks our trans community members face constantly. That a person, who does not know the people she is writing about or quite apparently anything about gender theory, would take precious time out of her day to espouse such hateful and hurtful things about a person she knows nothing about highlights to us just how integral and all-pervasive this kind of hate speech is with our society and our community. I thought it took great professionalism to print this letter and let your readers know that people like Linda Chavez are out there loudly spreading their messages of ignorance right here at home. Jess Clark, and all the other trans members of our community, deserve what is guaranteed them through our most basic human morality, namely respect, understanding and the right to pursue their own happiness, regardless of who foolishly or ignorantly objects.
AMANDA MATHER
SANTA FE
NEWS, FEB. 19:“LET’S TALK HEALTHCARE”
LOADED QUESTIONS
The study needs to be an educational experience for the Santa Fe community by an institution that has surfeited the community with expensive PR advertisements and has done very little to make themselves more transparent and engage in serious and comprehensive communication with its stakeholders.
The meetings of both the governing board and the Patient and Family Advisory Council are not open to observation by the public. Why aren't these meetings open to the public and publicly announced? Is there ever an independent newspaper reporting on their decisions or issues discussed at the meetings? Does the Hospital Foundation get a report of their activities? Are their members or contributors welcome to attend or speak at their meetings?
I was told by a spokesperson for the hospital that they are not a community hospital, but that they are in fact a community nonprofit hospital. What does that mean? We need a better clear legal definition.
What reporting and information is required to the county, since it provides some financial support? This is particularly important for a medical institution that has an almost monopoly influence on the community.
As to collective bargaining, Christus, with the exception of Santa Fe, is a notoriously non(anti?)-union firm.
Any enterprise can respond to a union in different ways. 1. Be in opposition but begrudgingly accept them as the legal representative of the workers authorized by the NLRB and national labor laws. 2. Look upon their unions as a partners in cooperatively solving complex or workplace problems, respecting their intelligence and dignity. Always a step toward better morale. What is the approach of the hospital?
The hospital should develop a clear publicly distributed statement of commitment to the democratic process of collective bargaining and the Catholic principles stated in the Rerum Novarum and various other statements of church officials.
A hospital spokesperson noted to me that the reason they never make such a statement or have a picture with the union leadership and members identified as union members is that the union only represents some of the workers at the hospital, and they are all fairly treated. That and governmentally legally sanctioned collective bargaining participants are just like every other worker. They do not recognize that a collective bargaining relationship is different and more important.
The analogy would be getting married and being ashamed to be seen with your wife in public.
Rumors of poor treatment and poor morale is not limited to nurses. We need to see documentation on how nonunion workers are treated and if they have grievances on how they are handled without a contractually negotiated formal grievance system. In our system, all workers are beneficiaries of union action and presence.
Citizens have raised questions about duplication of expensive diagnostic tools. Can we learn how capital and other program expenses are decided upon? Is there a publicly available budget? If patients or citizens have suggestions, how are they received? Does the hospital welcome such input? Is there a follow-through response?
Workplace democracy is part of our American way. It is not business as usual. Let's all celebrate and practice involving workers, patients, all medical staff and members of the community.
STANLEY ROSEBUD
ROSEN SANTA FE
CORRECTIONS
The food column in last week's edition erroneously stated that Blake's Lotaburger helped fight a bigoted marriage resolution in California. The restaurant actually supported Proposition 8 with donations.
A letter to the editor that appeared on Feb. 26 mixed up a name. It was Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Margaret M Gonzales who traveled to Florida with Nick Klonis to help him research his father's life. SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mistake, editor@sfreporter.com or 988- 5541, ext. 215. Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver to 132 E Marcy St., or email them to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter.
