Measure O

* In reading the comments of many people who are supporting Measure O, the giveaway of Ventura County’s share of the tobacco settlement money, I am reminded of one of those old sayings that my mother used to irritate me with: “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”

Some people want to deny the money to the Ventura County Medical Center and its clinics because they are mad at the board of supervisors for past offenses. They are cutting off their own tax-supported programs from a source of money that was achieved by a taxpayer-funded lawsuit.

Do they think that if private hospitals win the money they will also take over the responsibility of taking care of indigent or uninsured people? That’s not going to happen. Instead the county will just have to find the funds somewhere else--some taxpayer-supported, somewhere else. It isn’t the supervisors’ nose voters will be cutting off, its ours.

RUTH A. HIBBARD

Ventura

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Critics of Measure O have repeatedly pointed out that there is no public authority for how the hospitals would spend the tobacco settlement money. Michael Bakst of Community Memorial Hospital, who drew up the initiative, was careful to include provisions for such public accountability on how the tobacco money would be distributed among the participating hospitals. There was no such provision covering expenditure of the money, however.

Defenders of Measure O are quick to point out that a commission is designated to “safeguard” and report annually on “the operation of the program.” They do not acknowledge, however, that the commission shall consist entirely of two representatives from each of the seven private hospitals in Ventura County: the chairman of the board and the chief of the medical staff from each hospital, for a total of 14 members. Not exactly public accountability.

What we have here is a classic example of the fox guarding the henhouse. In fact, we have 14 hungry foxes salivating over one fat, juicy $260-million henhouse they are pledged to safeguard.

The chutzpah displayed by Bakst in Measure O would draw admiration from every con artist since that sneaky snake in the Garden of Eden.

WILLIAM MERIT TRUE II

Port Hueneme