Just what are we doing here?
It seems to me that everybody wants to do the same thing but doesn't quite know the best way. Plenty of people want to protest outside the hospital, some want to protest outside of Lou Rinaldi's office, Some are going to look at LHIN stooges whilst they follow Ministry of Health dictates and approve plans also drawn up by bureaucracy following Ministry dictates and the bottom line is that local services are being cut, leaving citizens with the prospect of having to pay for what were once free services.
The contradiction in this is best expressed by Bill Patchett being heard saying, "I don't agree with picketing Lou Rinaldi's office he is working to save healthcare" Well until Lou actually gets down and dirty with the people waving signs and telling them he will opposes any mandated cuts in the legislature nobody will believe him. Meanwhile we have many local people, who have never been in a demo before, thoroughly committed to protesting.
We need focus people! The meeting on Thursday evening may pull people together but at the moment it is still without identifiable leadership. Two Cobourg councillors, Frost and Mutton, were at the OHC meeting last week, how many more have got off their duffs to help?
Where is the Mayor in this? Cobourg Council has staked its future on the Hospital as a economic driver, it has sunk millions into the construction, for it to abdicate its position now would be scandalous.
The point has to be made that despite cutting 30 beds and up to 45 jobs we have to concentrate on the fact that services are being cut, take the rehab for example, where is Joe Lunchbucket or Mary Pensioner going to get the $100 for the first consultation and the additional $75 for each visit to get post operative care? This situation is not about jobs it is about the cost of future care. If we keep focusing on the jobs argument it will be lost, nobody has sympathy for those earning better than average wages any more, but concentrating on the cost of out-sourced healthcare might strike a chord.
So we at the BurdReport see it this way: go to the meeting on Thursday and see who wants to lead and what issues emerge as the ones to act on.
We will be watching. Your comments are important as yet there is no community forum to discuss these issues, you can do it here.
The contradiction in this is best expressed by Bill Patchett being heard saying, "I don't agree with picketing Lou Rinaldi's office he is working to save healthcare" Well until Lou actually gets down and dirty with the people waving signs and telling them he will opposes any mandated cuts in the legislature nobody will believe him. Meanwhile we have many local people, who have never been in a demo before, thoroughly committed to protesting.
We need focus people! The meeting on Thursday evening may pull people together but at the moment it is still without identifiable leadership. Two Cobourg councillors, Frost and Mutton, were at the OHC meeting last week, how many more have got off their duffs to help?
Where is the Mayor in this? Cobourg Council has staked its future on the Hospital as a economic driver, it has sunk millions into the construction, for it to abdicate its position now would be scandalous.
The point has to be made that despite cutting 30 beds and up to 45 jobs we have to concentrate on the fact that services are being cut, take the rehab for example, where is Joe Lunchbucket or Mary Pensioner going to get the $100 for the first consultation and the additional $75 for each visit to get post operative care? This situation is not about jobs it is about the cost of future care. If we keep focusing on the jobs argument it will be lost, nobody has sympathy for those earning better than average wages any more, but concentrating on the cost of out-sourced healthcare might strike a chord.
So we at the BurdReport see it this way: go to the meeting on Thursday and see who wants to lead and what issues emerge as the ones to act on.
We will be watching. Your comments are important as yet there is no community forum to discuss these issues, you can do it here.
5 comments:
I was quite disappointed to see we now have competing groups on the same issue.
While I agree with the nurses that Rinaldi and his government are the true villians here, I don't agree with holding a separate action at his office.
For now, we need people to stick together and form a single battle plan. We can argue about where we should march later.
Let us act in solidarity, please people!
The villains? Really?
The amount that has been invested into hospitals around here over the past few years is unfathomable unless you really look at the hard numbers. So easy for people to dismiss it. Would the campbellford hospital even be here if it weren't for these villains? They would have to go to Cobourg or Trenton -cat scan/MRI machines an all (that wasn't there before now was it), and would be grateful to receive the stellar service there is at that hospital.
Whatever is invested, its not enough. Don't raise taxes, but at the same time increase your spending - with revenues down.
It. Does. Not. Add. Up. People.
Instead of protesting, pull out your wallet and say here - I want this $10 to do what it can. What a community effort that would be! What is this, government and community working together? Couldn't be!
Instead of protesting to spend your money anyway, why not just contribute to the solution instead of saying I don't like what is going on, but I'll protest without offering a solution.
Take a look at the photo in the front page of the March 16th Northumberland Today. Do you really think the people are going to rally around the Union leader thug? No wonder there are two groups.
No wonder you didn't put your name to this silly and offensive comment - Union thug? The pic shows old ladies are they thugs too?
Hospital Cutback Protest
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