| October 29, 2009
Editorial
Wife, mother and gentle spirit succumbs to ALS
By Jim Blow
Editor
Sweet people die every day, they say. But it still hurts like hell when someone you know is taken away so early in their life.
Family and friends mourned the passing of Linda Decker this week. She passed away late last week at the hands of one of the most insidious diseases around — Lou Gehrig's disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is better known as the disease that killed Lou Gehrig, the famous New York Yankee baseball player who considered himself "the luckiest man on the face of this Earth."
Gehrig, as vigorous a man as there was back in the 1930s, was diagnosed with ALS in 1939. He died from the disease two years later on June 2, 1941.
ALS is an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. The disease attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, selectively killing motor neurons that control the movement of voluntary muscles. When the motor neurons die, the brain can no longer initiate and control muscle movement. Because muscles no longer receive the messages they need in order to function, they gradually weaken and deteriorate.
The initial signs of ALS may vary but typical symptoms include stiffness and increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the hands and feet. The disease eventually affects speech, swallowing and breathing. Because ALS only attacks motor neurons that control the body's voluntary muscles, patients' minds and senses are not impaired.
The average expected survival time for those suffering from ALS is three to five years. At any given time, approximately 30,000 people in the United States are living with the disease.
The cause of ALS remains unclear, and no cure exists. Researchers believe there could be a genetic link, and research continues into possible contributions from environmental factors related to lifestyles, toxins or even viral infections. The ALS Association does note affirmatively that ALS is not contagious.
While there is no drug to prevent or cure the disease, recent breakthroughs have resulted in Rilutek, a drug that modestly slows the progression of ALS.
Approximately 14 cases of ALS are diagnosed every day in the United States. Most people who develop the disease are between the ages of 40 and 70, though Gehrig was 36 when he was diagnosed.
We've had at least three local cases of ALS that I knew of over the past six years. Ken Sagmiller succumbed to the disease in 2003. Friends got together after his death and organized the annual Ken Sagmiller ALS Memorial Golf Tournament to raise funds to help ALS victims and their families. Enough funds were raised to support those in the valley that the local board began to use some of the raised funds for local scholarships to worthy students.
Sadly, Pat Williams' name was added to the tournament name when the long-time Ronan resident and teacher who loved to play golf died from the disease in May of 2009. Pat was also a good friend and neighbor of Gale and Linda Decker.
Last week Linda Decker's death reminded all of us how horrendous, debilitating and unrelenting ALS is. It seemed like just a few months ago that she was diagnosed with it, but for Linda the disease developed rapidly and quickly robbed her of motor function. Her mind functioned normally, but she quickly lost the ability to swallow, to move about and eventually lost the basic ability to communicate with the ones she loved.
She suffered so, but her husband, Gale, and the rest of her family did what they could to help keep her spirits up as they devoted themselves to her care.
I know Gale and Linda's daughter, Noelle, more than I knew Linda. But every time we got a chance to speak we always had a pleasant conversation that always lead into a discussion about her family. Though oh, so very humble, Linda was so proud of her family and held them so very dear to her heart.
More often than not, she and I would spend a little time on the pine in the bleachers of a gym as one of her grandchildren — or occasionally her officiating daughter or husband — ran up and down the floor in a basketball game. She was adept at sharing some kind, yet humbling comment about her grandchild while never losing track of them on the court, nor the pertinence of their effort.
Linda Decker was not just a kind, loving woman who cherished her family. She was also a kind soul and gentle spirit, someone you absolutely know God has embraced in the palm of his hand. Though she was taken much too early in her life, she left her family with a lifetime of loving memories that will surely shape the remainder of theirs.
If you would like more information about ALS or if you would like to help fund the discovery of a cure for the disease, please contact the ALS Association or visit www.alsa.org
And, as Linda Decker's family noted, if you would like to donate in Linda's memory, please consider donations to Camp Mak-A-Dream through its Web site at www.campdream.org or the local Ken Sagmiller Memorial fund at Community Bank in Ronan, P.O. Box B, Ronan, MT 59864.
Letters to the editor
Vote against the sales tax
Editor,
There are some that are referring to the so-called Resort Tax as a Tourist Tax. That is a fallacy. Among the items to be taxed are cameras, bowling, video rentals and cut flowers.
Having hosted a dozen tourists in the past two years, I have never witnessed one who came to Polson to rent a video, bowl, or purchase cut flowers. Every one arrived with a camera in their possession to photograph the beauty of Montana.
Since the proposed tax would also include items dispensed by vending machines, those users would actually wind up paying a tax in excess of 3 percent since vending machines aren't programmed to accept pennies.
Operators would most likely increase prices by a minimum of 5 cents per dollar. Likewise, many merchants prefer to minimize their usage of pennies so they are likely to round off their price increases.
If passed, will it prohibit other products from being added to the list? I don't think so and envision the list growing by leaps and bounds as revenue falls short of projected goals.
Resort tax, tourist tax, luxury tax by any other name is just a sales tax. Follow the advice dispensed to our youths regarding things that are bad for your health and just say "no."
Peter Daniels
Polson
Vote no on the resort tax
Editor,
I hope Polson city residents are paying attention to the resort tax. Last time I checked, we are still in a recession. Yet they want us to pay more taxes.
We are not Whitefish. They benefit from their resort tax year-round with the ski resort, but we are not a year-round tourist town.
Has anyone ever taken a poll at Polson events to see how many people are tourists and how many are local residents? You might be surprised how many are locals.
Has there been a census done on the population of Polson? It is not more than 5,500, which would make this tax invalid. If locals don't have to pay then how are we going to make money? Tourists only come three months out of the year.
Tribal members would be exempt, yet they can vote on this if they are registered to vote and live in the city limits. But all of us who are affected who live outside of city limits cannot vote on it.
Is KwaTaqNuk exempt? How will that be fair to the other hotels in town? People will stay there so they will not have to pay the tax.
The Missoulian article listed quite a few items which are taxable — lodging, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, fast food, vending machines, wine, beer, liquor as well as car and movie rentals, golfing, bowling, buy a ticket to a rodeo, concert or movie, and you'll pay it.
It was suggested this would help with property tax relief. How convenient to say this when reappraisals sky-rocketed this year.
I am wondering if people will go out of town to shop to avoid the tax. The money is supposed to go to road repair. What do you think we pay road, property and gas taxes for? If everyone paid their share of taxes, maybe there would be money for repairs. Everyone should help make the world a better place to live. We are a small town in Montana, not a city in California.
Please vote "no" to the resort tax.
Kelly Bailey
Polson
Resort tax leaves many unanswered questions
Editor,
Please vote "no" on the Polson Resort Tax.
The resort tax was implemented by the state for towns that rely heavily on tourism. Polson does not. This is no more than a local sales tax that will be paid by mostly local residents, not by our tourists that are here for only a couple of months.
There are too many unanswered questions as to the tax in general, especially in regard to the list of items that continues to change and can be modified even after the election.
The City of Polson has also not been able to get a commitment from the CSKT Tribal Council on whether tribal businesses will collect the tax. If we want a local sales tax, we will need to get the state legislature to pass a law that will allow such activity.
The legislature failed to pass such a law in the 2009 legislative session.
I would encourage you to vote "no" on the Polson Resort Tax in its current form.
Greg Hertz
Polson
Conduct your own research
Editor,
This letter is in regard to the global warming, global climate change argument. When the global warming issue came up and was making headlines everywhere a few years ago, I bought into it. I just assumed it must be true because of what I was hearing on the news time after time.
Then they changed the name to global climate change, and at the same time I found them assigning global climate change to temperatures, rainfall, etc., that was above normal, as well as below normal. They seemed to attribute everything to global climate change.
After this name change, I began researching it myself. To make a long story short, I have found out that so much of the global climate change claims are way off base. I urge everyone to do a bit of research themselves. I urge readers to look at the website www.globalwarminghoax.com
There you will find arguments based on science, news, and common sense. This site is non-partisan and non-religious based.
Do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Just because someone tells you something 100 times does not necessarily make it true.
John Meinders
St. Ignatius
Thanks for the history lesson
Editor,
This past Friday, at a potluck gathering in Big Arm, attendees were treated to a wonderful glimpse into our local history thanks to Gil Mangles of the Miracle of America Museum.
Gil gave a delightful introduction to the movie "Smoke on the Waters," which described through the use of photographs and movie clips, the exciting and often dangerous era of steamboats on the Flathead Lake.
The movie told of the history going back to the 1880s, the ferocity of the lake before Hungry Horse Dam, the peril of travelling on steamboats that spewed wood embers from its smokestack as well as the size and quantity of the steamboats.
We would like to thank Gil for the wonderful presentation and for also donating an antique desk to the Big Arm School.
We would also like to thank Lois Hart of the Polson Flathead Historical Museum for her help in researching photographs, school books and desks for the Big Arm Historic School.
We encourage everyone to visit and support our great local museums.
Alison Meslin
Big Arm Association
Big Arm
Auction proves great success
Editor,
The board and staff of SAFE Harbor wish to thank everyone in the Lake County community for the tremendous support for the annual fund raising auction held Sept. 26.
The generosity of the people in our community is touching and inspiring.
SAFE Harbor has the only shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Lake County. Unfortunately, these services are very much needed in our community.
The auction was a great success with more than 200 people attending, and more than $42,000 raised. Thanks to all the people and businesses that donated auction items, attended the event and bought items at the auction.
There were 25 businesses that gave sponsorships for the event, 12 major sponsors including S&K Electronics, Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation, Kwa Taq Nuk/S&K Gaming and Harvest Foods in Ronan.
There are many more businesses and individuals that made this event possible.
For a full list of our sponsors, please go to our website: www.safeharbormt.org
For more information about SAFE Harbor services and volunteer opportunities visit the above website, email safe@ronan.net or call 676-0800.
Judy Preston
President
SAFE Harbor Board
Polson
Poorly written, badly timed resort tax
Editor,
The mentality of politicians always amazes me. We have a struggling economy, a high unemployment rate and many local businesses are closing. What do the Polson City Commissioners vote on and pass? A Resort Tax to be put on the Nov. 3 ballot.
In reality, this is nothing more than a sales tax, you as a local citizen will pay. The wording is vague, but the tax will be assessed to candy, pop, beer, cigarettes, and prepared food. You will also pay to go to the movies, bowling, or any recreational activity. These are just a few items you will pay taxes on.
When asked what the taxes will be used for, neither the Polson Commissioners nor the city manager can answer this question. They do not know how much money this tax will even generate. This is a poorly written and badly timed tax that has not been researched properly.
The city manager patterned it after the resort tax the town of Whitefish has established. First of all, we do not have the tourism seven to eight months out of the year, as Whitefish does.
Secondly, we live on a reservation. The tribal members will not have to pay this tax, if they choose not to. Do you realize what a nightmare this creates for local businesses?
We will have to ID most of our customers and fill out a form, which more than doubles our transaction time. Not to mention the headache required for the paperwork.
Also, tribal businesses do not have to collect this tax, which puts non-tribal businesses at a disadvantage.
When I explain the resort tax to our customers, their reaction is, "We will just buy our goods and services out of town."
So, I ask you as a voter, are you ready to live in a ghost town?
Vote "no" to the Resort Tax on Nov. 3
Ramona and George Mahoney
Polson Bay Grocery
Polson
Cowbells spoiled the game
Editor,
While I know this will probably start a brouhaha, I feel strongly about this issue.
I was ready to enjoy a good football game between Polson and Ronan. I grew up and graduated from Polson High School and since I have returned to Polson, this is the first time in a long time that these two teams met with the outcome of possibly being the Northwest Divisional Champions.
The game started out fine, then the cowbells started. I am not sure of the meaning of ringing cowbells during a football game, except they are very distracting and annoying to those that came to see the game.
The ringers seemed oblivious to the looks and stares they were receiving by those trying to enjoy the game.
I had to leave at half time with a ringing headache and noticed that many couples also left. How many others left for the same reason, I cannot say. But from the looks being passed back, I can guess.
I am hoping that during the playoffs, maybe the bell ringers could move to one end of the stadium seating, or maybe not even ring them.
Frank Swain
Polson
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