A coordinated and heroic firefighting effort

I want to thank all the firemen who fought the Coulter Creek Fire on Sunday. The winds were gusting up to 20 mph. It was difficult terrain. Many of us neighbors watched from the Panorama subdivision as the air attack started, with helicopters and small planes dropping water or retardant on the most important hot spots as they flared up.

We could see brush trucks stationed in strategic locations with their hoses knocking down other flare-ups as they happened. Then the big tankers flew in and dropped retardant in very precise spots that really brought the fire under control.

It was a well-coordinated effort by many well-trained firefighters. It was clearly a regional response, as many different departments showed up. I counted more than 20 fire trucks at the Missouri Heights Substation at 8:30 p.m., with dozens of men recapping the day.

It was wonderful to see so many different fire departments implement a strategy of helping each other out in their moment of need.

Well done, good and faithful servants.

John Eaton, Carbondale

Health care costs show need for Medicare for All

Of course small-group health insurance rates are going up (Aug. 4), along with just about every other form of health insurance premium. We are like frogs in a pot of slowly warming water, and before long we’ll all be completely poached and unable to afford any health care.

The solution is not in shopping for better deals — there are none. The free market cannot solve this. We’re all ultimately in this together, and the only solution is a health insurance system that includes all of us.

We boomers appreciate that original Medicare — not Medicare Advantage, a for-profit scheme ripping off and defrauding enrollees, taxpayers and the government — is the best form of insurance in the country, even with its imperfections. We can see just about any doctor and go to any hospital any time we choose with peace of mind about paying for it. That’s freedom!

We’d love for everyone to enjoy the same benefits and pay less (in new taxes) than they do now in overall health costs. Right now, mainly the poor are suffering, as their Medicaid gets stripped away. But soon, more middle-class taxpayers will join them in droves as their employers become unable to provide coverage.

Before we’re all well done, jump out of the pot and demand Improved Medicare for All.

George Bohmfalk, Carbondale