Letters to the Editor

Last week the Bigfork Eagle ran a letter to the editor titled "Hooligans in Bigfork?!" containing unsubstantiated accusations concerning a group of downtown businesses. The letter should not have been printed, as it did not meet our required standards to hold civilized public discourse on our opinion pages.

We regret its publication and apologize for using poor judgment.

Alex Strickland

Managing Editor

Health care reform needed

I write this as a health care advocate. I have no party distinction. I was a casualty of the current health care crisis.

American families cannot afford to wait any longer. The crushing health care costs have made it impossible to strengthen our economy and with businesss and families struggling to make ends meet, escalating costs are leading us toward exploding deficits, weaker benifits and millions of people losing their coverage.

If Congress fails to act now, your health costs will double over the next decade, and millions more people will lose their insurance and bankruptcy looms for state budgets.

Health care must be affordable. Americans shouldn't have to pay more for health care than members of Congress pay for their own coverage. I beleive that Americans must be guaranteed coverage they can afford. Reform would be meaningless if working people can't afford to purchase coverage or can't afford to get the health care they need once covered.

Patricia Dejong

Libby