Forget this wrote on Aug 1, 2008 8:51 PM:Here it goes again, a push to pay for medical services for the illegals. How will this help peolple who work and can't afford health insurance. Face it, you get care if you have insurance so the hospitals can bill enoumous amounts for services, or its free if you are or claim to be her illegally. Only the hospitals will benefit by increased profits. The general public won't gain a thing generally speaking.

Proud Voter wrote on Aug 1, 2008 9:05 PM:I am happy to say that I voted NO and so did my wife. Enough is enough.

Vista Watchdog wrote on Aug 1, 2008 10:28 PM:North County faces serious issues concerning our Emergency Services (Fire, Police, Paramedics, Emergency Room and Trauma Center, etc.), and yet we sit on Billions of Dollars in assets that could be tapped to improve those services to a level that would make the rest of the county wish they lived here. Unfortunately those currently sitting on those assets continue to demand we citizens give them more money, and threaten to cut our ER and Hospital services if we refuse.
What am I talking about you say? The Hospital itself! With no other Hospital in the area, and Millions of people being served by it, TCMC is a very desirable acquisition for many of the LARGE private hospital operators. If sold, the revenue from the sale could be used to build out a Trauma Center, buy and operate a Trauma Helicopter, build a North County Communications and Emergency Command Center, aid Cities and Communities in the region with Police, Fire, and Paramedic services, for many many years to come!

There is no reason to keep pouring more money into TCTM as a community Hospital. It is time to put up the For Sale Sign, and then go to the voters and ask to convert the current Hospital District into an Emergency Management District.

Why ask the Citizens for money when you already have Billion in assets you haven't even considered tapping?

No No No wrote on Aug 1, 2008 11:00 PM:That is my vote

ANOTHER PROUD VOTER wrote on Aug 1, 2008 11:33 PM:Voted NO this time, last time and the time before that. Health costs are high enough without having to pay another tax. NO NO NO

Dave wrote on Aug 1, 2008 11:36 PM:How many times do I have to vote NO before they understand that NO MEANS NO!

VOTE NO on A wrote on Aug 2, 2008 12:54 AM:Vista Watchdog- Yes I agree SELL THE HOSPITAL!!!

NO MEANS NO!!!

lady wrote on Aug 2, 2008 6:26 AM:To " Forget this"
Good one!! Right on the money. I have said the same thing from the get go!! I am so so,so tired of paying for others that "DO NOT" pay their own way!!! AND WE ALL are going broke over it ENOUGH all ready
I too voted NO,NO,NO and 3 others in my household " WHO pay own way"!!!

M A ... wrote on Aug 2, 2008 7:01 AM:Los Angeles has suggested water rationing
because of drought conditions but at the
same time maintains a "sanctuary city"
protecting over 2 million illegal aliens
who should not be there! Many people
protest this by keeping their lawn as
green as possible untill immigration
laws are enforced.

Earth Shaker wrote on Aug 2, 2008 7:41 AM:Just coincidence or is the big guy trying to tell us something. The day the ballots are mailed out we have a fairly significant southern California earthquake.

In all the rhetoric you here on this measure don’t forget. The California State Government has mandated the seismic upgrade to Tri-City Hospital by 2013. The State Government is responsible for creating the need for the bond. When you stop to think about it they are correct the building will come down in a major quake because the building codes in the 1950’s did not take into account the stress from a seismic event. Peoples lives are at stake here. The Gov won’t pay for the cost but have mandated the upgrade. The State will not allow patients in the old buildings thus preventing the hospital from functioning.

They need your support folks. The hospital cares for thousand of district “citizens” each and every year. Illegal immigration has nothing to do with this issue. I am a resident in the district and I voted yes!

Cut off your nose... wrote on Aug 2, 2008 7:58 AM:Cut off your nose to spite your face, and justify it to yourself and society using the red herring of illegal immigration. I am someone who has spent years studying the impact of illegal immigration on health care and society in general. The supposed impact of illegal immigrants on this hospital's operations is greatly exaggerated by Prop. A's opponents. It plays a role in rising health care costs, to be sure. But not to the level that many believe. If you are against the bond, please find a legitimate reason--you don't trust management, the board is dysfunctional, or the total cost is too much to the taxpayers--rather than this nonsense about illegal immigration. While the anti-illegal immigration movement, which I am a part of, had sound policy and rational arguments at its foundation, I am afraid that racism is now a major factor and has clouded people's judgment.

Tommy wrote on Aug 2, 2008 8:19 AM:So it's an unfunded mandate? Another reason to vote no, since the hospital board can then go back to the State and ask them to provide the necessary funds.

To Tommy wrote on Aug 2, 2008 8:42 AM:The State cant even pay their employees. Thats a good solution...... not..

To Cut off your nose... wrote on Aug 2, 2008 9:05 AM:I can't afford the $100 or so a year. Will you front me the money?

Tommy wrote on Aug 2, 2008 9:06 AM:If the taxpayers can't afford it and the State can't afford it, then it is not gonna happen.

To Earth Shaker wrote on Aug 2, 2008 9:30 AM:The State mandate for upgrading the Hospital was put in place in the mid 1970's, the newest portion of the Hospital was built in the 1980s. Why did TCMC [allegedly] ignore the seismic upgrade requirements in the 1980's when they obviously had the money back then to do the work? Why did they wait until now?
Answer, the Hospital is OWNED by the Tri City Hospital District (a Government body that has taxation powers) and they knew that they could eventually hold the people hostage and demand more money.

You note that the semis upgrades were mandated by the state, and that the state will not fund the upgrades they mandated. The same holds true for the many Private Hospitals around California, yet NOT ONE of them has failed to perform the upgrades! None of the Private Hospitals had to go to the people for the money, and ALL have completed the required work well before the deadline! Not TMCM though. No, they continue to squander the funds they have, [allegedly] ignore state requirements, and then try to convince us that we could give them more money so that we can receive quality health care. Do you see a problem with this? I sure do! How can I trust them to provide quality care when they [allegedly] are willing to ignore state requirements for building safety? How can I trust them with my health if they are willing to threaten me if I fail to pass a bond to bail them out of their mismanagement? It sound to me like this Hospital District has out lived its usefulness to the Community it serves! It is time for the people to stand up and take back their Hospital from the Government that has usurped the control and who continues to demand more while providing less!

To Cut off your nose wrote on Aug 2, 2008 9:39 AM:The pro-illegal immigration folks are the ones who continue to call any mention of illegal immigration and its impact (however large or small) racism. If you continue to shove that title on every complaint about the inforcement of our laws you will soon find you have no laws and thus no country. If the Government Fails to enforce its laws then how can we trust them with our health care? They have shown us they don't respect the people they serve, so why should we give them more of our hard earned money?
You even admit that illegal imarants hae had an impact on our health care system, but you then shy away from the exact nature of that impact. Further more, if there is an annual impact and you measure the cummulative effect (past, present, and future) how much of the $580M bond is directly related to that impact? Since this Baond is funded by PROPERTY TAXES, and few illegals owne property, how much of teh bond will be paid for by the illegals? Your analysis is incomplete and you spend far too much time trying to attach the illegal immigraiotn issue to the racial issue. They do not go hand in hand, as the racial issues would still exist even with the illegal immigration.

NO TO ILLEGAL ALIENS wrote on Aug 2, 2008 10:47 AM:using our hospitals as free clinics. Sorry can't afford it. Send the $600 million bill to Senor Bush. His corrupt administration has created this mess and we are asked to fix it? NO WAY JOSE!

CITIZEN AT RISK wrote on Aug 2, 2008 10:53 AM:The reason to vote YES on retrofitting the hospital is EARTHQUAKE! Where do you naysayers think you will go for emergency treatment after an EARTHQUAKE?

Physicians and medical staff will be injured when the hospital falls down

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

To To Earth Shaker wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:07 AM:Your logic is missing a few details. Look at your own County. Palomar and Grossmont hospital both passed bonds to upgrade their facilities. There is not a lot of money to be made in hospital operations. The people making the money are the HMO! Hospitals run on a 1 to 2 percent margin and they cannot afford to make this type of upgrade on operations alone. How do you figure they had money to replace the core building in the 70’s. They we busy expanding the ED and patient rooms to accommodate the population growth.

You say the hospital has squandered funds, your dead wrong. The hospital provides state of art care and equipment to the community each and every day 24 hours a day. The hospital has invested millions into high tech equipment and electronic medical records and imaging. When the bond passes the hospital need to fund over a 100 million in equipment and furniture to complete the new core building. They have skin in the game.

Our community built this hospital and we need to support it so we have local doctors to see us and a hospital to treat us if we have a health problem. I don’t want to drive to Escondido to see my doctor because he has moved his practice to be close to a hospital. For people to continue to think a private company is going to come in and take over the hospital when it needs a 1 billion dollars in upgrades is out of touch with economics. Lastly dozens of hospital have closed in California and the “Government” has not come in an rescued a single one.

It up to the community to help make this happen. The hospital will pay you back many times over with strong job growth and strong property values. To lose this would devastate the local economy.

Grandma Mad wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:14 AM:I see... finally--the hospital gadflies have not got into work to blog yet. I understand that they could have spoke with an opposition and killed it before they even occurred. That within itself tells me they are not to be trusted with all of this money. If they are too pig-headed to try to manage grown-up conversation, then if they get this money, they will not try to work through simple differences with the community, for which this opposition is derived.

Not A Gringo wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:21 AM:I am not what you call a Gringo, but of Mexican decent, and I do not feel it is racist to protect our borders and our assets in the states. Pro-immigration proponents do more harm than good at bringing race in the picture. My great grandfather came in at a time, and did it legally. I have seen prisons, hospitals and almost every governmental agency overloaded with people trying to gain the benefits of being American, and I say... NO MORE!

Concerned wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:42 AM:I'm very concerned by this article. It says ballots were mailed to all voters in the Tri City District. Isn't this just supposed to be homeowners?????

Another question wrote on Aug 2, 2008 11:43 AM:Has anyone ever gotten a written demand to retrofit these properties? My understanding is that the buildings don't even need that to be done. I voted NO.

NEIL wrote on Aug 2, 2008 12:40 PM:NO! NO! NO on A.

Once the hospital stops giving away our money and services to the Illegal Aliens in our midst, then I might, just might reconsider. Until then, it's Americans first, and, as Sharon Osborne says, it's a NO for me!

No new taxes wrote on Aug 2, 2008 1:52 PM:A significant percentage of hospitals surveyed in California are SPC-1 facilities, constructed between 1950 and 1975. The methodology used for the seismic evaluations is NEHRP Handbook for the Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings (FEMA 178). Since the publication of FEMA 178 in 1992, significant progress has been made in understanding the seismic performance of buildings, especially in performance based design. HAZUS-MH has contributed in a major way to our ability to assess performance of buildings in earthquakes.

In November, 2007, the California Building Standards Commission approved the use of the HAZUS-MH Advanced Engineering Building Module (AEBM) to re-evaluate hospitals in California. The Commission's action amends the rule for implementing SB 1953.

The use of HAZUS-MH instead of the FEMA 178 methodology will offer significant cost savings for California's hospitals. As Chris Poland, former President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute explained, "This new method is not only more accurate in assessing a hospital's risk of failure in a 500-year earthquake, but it also saves the state billions of dollars in repairs that do not need to be completed until 2030. Many of the buildings that are safe from collapse have been inaccurately labeled as unsafe by previous rudimentary measurements."

The application of HAZUS-MH for hospital risk assessment in California has paid immediate and potentially far reaching dividends. In January 2007, the California Health Care Foundation issued a RAND report entitled, Seismic Safety: Will California's Hospitals be Ready for the Next Big Quake? The report indicates that SB 1953 could have cost $110 billion and that nearly half of the hospitals needing retrofitting would not be able to meet the 2013 deadline.

The ability to adapt the AEBM methodology to the evaluation of hospitals in California provides the state with a much more accurate assessment of the seismic safety of these essential facilities, and in the process is saving the state billions of dollars.

HAZUS-MH Will NOT Help wrote on Aug 2, 2008 2:08 PM:"The ability to adapt the AEBM methodology to the evaluation of hospitals in California provides the state with a much more accurate assessment of the seismic safety of these essential facilities, and in the process is saving the state billions of dollars."

This has been done the core building has been HAZUS-MH reviewed. Still it still does not pass.

Extra Extra Tri-City Hospital Closes Its Doors - January wrote on Aug 2, 2008 2:23 PM:3,000 jobs lost and the economy is in shambles resulting in many moving to other states; no healthcare for the children and seniors who live in Carlsbad, Vista and Oceanside - - Camp Predilection hospital not an option; no healthcare for emergency services for those who have had a heart attack or a stroke who live in Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista resulting in countless lives lost. The economy of Oceanside, Vista and Carlsbad negatively impacted because the area's second largest employer closes its doors. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocks the county resulting in significant shortages of staff and assistance in surrounding hospitals; traffic delay prevents man from reaching the hospital in Encrinites in time to prevent brain death from a heart attack.

An extra $100.00 a year (the price you'll be paying for gasoline in a week by 2013) could have prevented all of the scenarios.

This is not far from the truth if we are so shortsighted to allow the doors of the hospital to close, we'll soon find out how wrong we were to vote no on proposition A.

Oh, and wait until you need the service or your loved one and by the way - - - I voted no - - - so the hospital isn't there when I need it so I'm dead and now regret that I didn't vote yes.

Oh no - - the bond failed wrote on Aug 2, 2008 2:29 PM:1,000's of jobs lost. The economy is a wash; home prices drop because of the lack of healthcare in the area. More illegal immigrants move into the area because the prices of homes are so low they can all afford to buy a home. I now have to move to Los Angeles and - - oh my goodness more illegal immigrants; I now move to Arizona and oh my goodness it is hotter than __ __ __ __ here.

All because I voted no. How shortsighted.

To will not help wrote on Aug 2, 2008 4:01 PM:Please see page 4 of the report at;
http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/FDD/Regulations/Triennial_Code_Adoption_Cycle/HAZUS_Summary_Report.pdf
It doesn't say it didn't pass - It says "Additional info. requiored" to make a determination. TCMC doesn't want it to pass before a bond can get passed.

The Drama wrote on Aug 2, 2008 4:40 PM:Again the proponents play up the drama of a closed hospital. The opposition clearly state that this hospital will survive. It has to be fixed from the inside out. Taxing our grandchildren is not the answer. I voted NO NO NO!!!

To To will not help wrote on Aug 2, 2008 5:09 PM:Your link is a dead link. Misinformation will not help. The core facility does not meet the standard.

Reality Check please wrote on Aug 2, 2008 5:19 PM:The last NCT article said TCMC lost about $1 million a MONTH on uncollected bills. Those bills certainly weren't generated by home owners/taxpayers because TCMC would just put a lien on your home or garnish your wages. So how can "nose" and others claim there is NOT that big of an illegal alien problem? $12 million a year drain? If TCMC took out it's OWN financing at say 6%, the annual payment would be $17.3 million. TCMC could and should STOP the drain. NO services to those who do NOT have an emergency and who cannot pay, PERIOD. No MediCal to illegals or their children, either, as MediCal ONLY reimburses 50-80% of the hospital's charges. There are now over 70 Hospitals that have closed in CA, solely BECAUSE of this problem. TCMC needs to pay their own way, and NOT demand that the homeowner/taxpayer pick up yet ANOTHER tab on behalf of the illegal invaders.

To To Cut Off Your Nose wrote on Aug 2, 2008 6:12 PM:If you spent more than a couple of seconds reading my post, you would realize that I have not labeled every person who is anti-illegal immigration as a racist. In fact, I identified myself as someone who is against illegal immigration. I have also spent days patrolling the border with the Minute Men, and spent literally years studying the illegal immigration issue. Based on my experience, there is a fairly large contingent of people involved with the Minute Men who harbor racist feelings or display strong xenophobic tendencies. Not saying all Minute Men are like that, but definitely quite a few. There are hundreds of reasons to speak out against illegal immigration. However, this is not an argument about illegal immigration. This is an argument about understanding the vital role of a modern hospital in your community. This is about cutting off your nose to spite your face...standing against a community necessity because you believe that the emergency room is full of illegal immigrants...thereby preventing yourself and hundreds of thousands of legal citizens from having access to high quality care. Believe me, when seconds count, you need to have TCMC open and ready to assist. By the way, I have a news flash for you: Most of those people in the emergency room are legal citizens. Some of them just speak Spanish. Unfortunately, there are a large number of Americans who see this and assume that these people are illegal. That is a poor assumption based on ignorance rather than intimate knowledge of the issue. To answer your questions: 1) None of the $580 million for the bond is attributable to illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants have nothing to do with the bond. They are not the reason for a new hospital or for new rooms. They play no role. If your concerned about the charity care they receive--they make up only a small percentage of the $10 million (approximately) that TCMC provides annually. Note, that is out of an operating budget of $375 million. By the way, your taxes only contribute about the same amount ($10 million) every year to the hospital, so the taxpayers contribution is essentially a wash. 2) It doesn't matter if people own property or rent. Everyone will be paying. Read this part slow so you understand it: All property in the district is owned by someone. Owners who live in their homes will pay the tax directly. Owners who rent out their homes (including to illegal immigrants) will pass the additional cost of the tax on to their renters. That's how it works. If you need to, you can read that last part again.

To dead link wrote on Aug 2, 2008 6:30 PM:Funny, I don't have a problem accessing the site. Try going to www.oshpd.ca.gov and look up the status chart for all California hospitals.

The Drama wrote on Aug 2, 2008 7:43 PM:TCMC has not completed its homework. In 2006 they put their blinders on and decided they could only answer this question with a tax. THIS IS KNOWN AS LACK OF VISION! Fact: TCMC has not followed up with the state regarding HAZUS retrofitting. Fact: TCMC has a history of paying generous bonuses. Fact: TCMC is spending money on a wellness center in Carlsbad and recently gave $300K to a group of community organizations. They actually brag about that one on their website. FACT: TCMC is deliberately attempting to circumvent the democratic process with this mail ballot. FACT: Illegal immigration IS a significant problem for all of our California hospitals. The facts are simply too overwhelming to ignore. Our hospital needs new management, not new taxes. Tell the hospital board "give us a new CEO, or we will find a new board".

To The Drama wrote on Aug 2, 2008 8:30 PM:So Mr. Drama, We get a new board and we replace the CEO. What does that do for us the community who want a modern medical center in our community? We should hope it stays functional in a major quake. We should hope the old building can meet the need of a growing community. We should hope the emergency department can move more and more patient through the existing space as fast as they possibly can. We should hope the outstanding physicians will stay and practice in an aging facility that cannot easily accommodate the latest new technology. You’re so quick so say everyone who runs the hospital is incompetent. Everyone who works in the hospital is wrong and they do not know the problems of the old building. And as you say the illegals are the main root of the problem. So Mr. Drama what is you solution for the community? We want a state of art facility and the best doctors in the nation.

Please provide us with your solution to the needs of the hospital and the community. You seem to have the answers.

I see your plan, let is slowly die.

Larry wrote on Aug 2, 2008 8:41 PM:How about staffing the ER admissions department with ICE officers? I'll bet that would put a dent in the ER traffic.

To To the Drama wrote on Aug 3, 2008 4:16 AM:This is why I use the handle "the drama" because yet again, the proponents can only rely on drama, not FACTS, for their arguments because the hospital has not behaved responsibly and has failed the community in its due diligence. What does a new CEO do? The answer is simple. The right CEO brings a vision beyond taxation, restores the relations between medical staff and administration, and bridges the gaping hole between the hospital and the community. A new CEO finds alternative ways to build our NEW hospital. In the words of Obama, this hospital needs CHANGE! Simply giving the hospital a public subsidy will do nothing to address the problems on the inside. As for illegal immigration, I said this is a significant problem, NOT the main problem. To deny this is to display true ignorance. As for specific solutions, many have been already noted in these posting: fiscal responsibility, following up with the state for actual building evaluations as opposed to the imaginary ones, exploration of privatization, and the list goes on. The whole idea that there even is a list, is proof enough that this election is an attempt by Tri-City to circumvent the democratic process.

BobbyG wrote on Aug 3, 2008 6:17 AM:Third times the charm? Think again.How much money has been spent on this charade? What they need to do is put up a for sale sign. The homeowners will not give this mis-managed hospital any more money and are growing weary of having to repeat themselves. I wouldn't be surprized if they tried a fourth time.....

Lopez wrote on Aug 3, 2008 7:57 AM:I would gladly vote yes if I knew it was going to a good cause. How many ILLEGAL our health cares system for FREE. I am not going to pay a penny to cover someone else’s health care bill. I already pay enough as it to take care of them.

Lady wrote on Aug 3, 2008 8:05 AM:ONCE again " Folks" read the ballot,$60 per $100,000 ,houses are worth more then " $100" toward this ballot people. And IF passed HOW will they figure out our property value??? Value,now, next years value etc,etc. Better watch out on that one!!
I to am talking about the people who do not pay their way,no color mentioned,just people that DO NOT pay their way "whoever" that may be PERIOD!!

Equal taxation wrote on Aug 3, 2008 8:56 AM:A sales tax increase for the service area will generate the needed revenue to rebuild and/or remodel TCMC as needed. This will tax all the recipients of the hospital services and not just property owners.

Last year alone wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:02 AM:I paid over 1000 dollars extra on my property taxes that where all due to BONDS.

This is another back door Mello Roo if you ask me.

600 Million dollar bond for what? So administrater can give themselves huge raises again.

No way! This makes me so mad that this Bond attempt has failed 2 times already and they think they can just keep going at it until we say yes.

Just to let you know it disturbs me that when I have visited the hospital recently I observed 6 cars with plates that where from Baja California. What does that tell me?

No way am I supporting this Bond. NO ON A !

No on A wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:10 AM:No on A

No On A

No on A

No On A

No on A

To misinformation wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:16 AM:The previous post is correct. I visited the website for Summary of Requests for HAZUS Re-assessments which was revised on 7/17/08. TCMC submitted the request on 1/22/08 and there is no results for all 3 of the buildings because more information needs to be submitted for a determination.

Tommy wrote on Aug 3, 2008 11:59 AM:Given the amazingly high charges on a typical bill, I don't believe you when you say there isn't a lot of money to be made operating a hospital.

Wheres My Ballot wrote on Aug 3, 2008 12:00 PM:I've been waiting patiently for my ballot to arrive, but it hasn't. Think I'll call the Registrar tomorrow to find out what happened.

Already voted NO... wrote on Aug 3, 2008 12:10 PM:and mailed in the ballot. "No" is the way I voted the previous two times as well. I'm sure there will be a future vote and "NO" will be the way I cast my ballot then as well..NO No No NO NO NO always NO

Undecided wrote on Aug 3, 2008 6:31 PM:TriCity is a good hospital with many valuable employees. It does need repairs and/or renovation. Unfortunately, I do not trust the judgment of the administration. I have seen the results of their decisions firsthand. I have seen the unnecessary waste they produce firsthand. I have seen equipment falling apart before my eyes while they spend money on a new wellness center that does nothing to improve the care of current patients. My concern is that their frivolous spending habits will continue and they will need alot more than the $589 million they are asking for.

To To To Earth Shaker wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:29 PM:Before TCMC was approved by the County and voters there were three small private hospitals in the area. Two closed because they could not compete with the government and the other was bought by TCMC. However, at the time the population did not support any large Private hospital coming in to serve the area. Yes, at that time TCMC was needed. Now things are very different!
As for a Private organization being able to afford to buy TCMC and do the improvements that is a very simple issue of the sales agreement: TCMC sells the Hospital to the Private organization and agrees to pay for the upgrades required out of the proceeds received from the sale. There are any number of reasons for such an agreement, and one of those involves the margin you spoke of. (Of course here I should point out your lie regarding the $1 billion of upgrades needed - if this were the case then why only move for $850M in bonds?). You must realize that with the sale of TCMC to a Private operation the 501c3 Organization and its funds would remain in tack as a 501c3 supporting the new Hospital. Only the Assets (Building, land, and equipment) would be sold and the Community Hospital District could either continue to operate (providing support to the Hospital) or it could be disbanded (returning the funds received from the sale to the taxpayers, or it could be converted (with the approval of the voters) to an Emergency Management District (which by the way could also still provide support to the Hospital to ensure the quality operation of the ER and a full Trauma Center - TCMC does not have such now).

Obviously you are still thinking small and believing that Government is better than private where Health Care is concerned.

As for the Hospitals in CA that have closed without the state coming in to rescue them: In every case there was no financial justification for such a move as in most cases the community served was too small and/or there were other hospitals within reasonable distance that could provide the same or better services. You are right that PPH would not be within reasonable distance, and would be over crowded at that. So, TCMC will NOT close if this bond fails to pass. That is one of the MOST misleading claims made. Event the Ballot statement was allowed to contain language that is misleading and false concerning the need for the funds! But, when the Government controls the Ballots and the Hospital, and the People are too ignorant to realize they are being manipulated, then these things are bound to happen!

No TCMC is no longer needed as a Community Hospital and a Private Corporation would do as well in its place. The assets from the sale of TCMC would definitely serve the people better if put toward providing Emergency Services as opposed to trying to operate a Hospital!

Carlsbad resident wrote on Aug 3, 2008 9:59 PM:Tri-City Hospital District is a relic from a time when such a thing made sense. Interstate 5 was not in place and the nearest hospital was either Palomar or in La Jolla. Today it does NOT make sense for homeowners to be burdened by this dinosaur. Close the Hospital District and sell it off to someone who can make it survive on its own. Scripps Encinitas is currently expanding WITHOUT hitting the nearby homeowners up for 40+ years of extra taxes!

The Tri-City Board wants an easy fix to its poor management: our money! They saw how Grossmont and Palomar Hospital Districts successfully frightened voters into giving them money, so they hired the same firm and tried the same tactics here. Not all of our voters are as foolish as the NCTimes! Homeowners should NO LONGER foot the bill for the archiac idea of a Hospital District.

Vote "NO"

Carlsbad resident wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:20 PM:I've lived here all 48 years of my life and I've never been to Tri-City Hospital. I choose to take my family to Scripps Encinitas. It's better AND closer. If you want to go to Tri-City Hospital, then YOU PAY FOR IT, NOT ME!!!!!!!

kit wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:41 PM:Tri-city has lost the confidence of the public. Until there is a new administration and several changes, I don't think this will pass. I do not think it was right to go to the expense of this special election. More $$

yes on prop A wrote on Aug 4, 2008 7:37 AM:You can tell that most of the "NO" haters posting comments don't have a clue as to what is being asked from this bond measure. You don't even know if this hospital is a district hospital or not. You don't even know that it takes years to get "ALL THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS" annexed to help you pay.You can tell that none of you even went to "ALL" the sessions that Tri-City has set up to inform the citizens as to what would need to be built. And if you did you would not be fighting over this issue right now. I sure hope that if the bond passes or doesn't pass. All the "NO" haters can do is sit here on these comments and say bad things once it goes to vote. SELL YOUR HOMES AND MOVE BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE VALUE AND PRIDE IN KNOWING YOU HAVE A GREAT HOSPITAL RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE.

evidence please wrote on Aug 4, 2008 12:13 PM:To all the bigots out there: where is your data on so-called illegal immigrants' utilization of free health services? Specifically, before you go shooting your mouths off, you should show: 1. how much money is spent on such services, 2. whether this is a significant portion of all healthcare expenditures. Until you have some real information, please shut up.

For what it's worth, my ancestors were illegal immigrants from Europe, just like yours probably were.

Simply Amazing wrote on Aug 4, 2008 2:37 PM:Its amazing how many arm-chair quarterbacks we have in this county who have never run anything larger than a lemonade stand yet think they know how to run and manage a hospital with its myriad of regulations and payers not the least of which is medicare.

TCMC is a District Community Hospital serving the needs of our community. If you have a problem with the board instead of just complaining about it "VOTE" them out......

To the illegal "idiot" crowd...check state & federal law, no person can be refused medical care on their ability to pay, and thanks to the government; hospitals cant even check their legal status and report them.

You think TCMC is high with $1 million uncollected each month. That is low compared to the larger hospitals who average upwards of $5 million a month in uncollected debt. In any case that has zero relevance to the Bond Issue, its a larger nationwide issue that we as Legal Voters need to address.

I am a homeowner in the district and I am voting "YES" on the bond, not only do we need the hospital and its services this area needs the jobs it provides.

A small tax increase(we all hate them I know) for continued and up-to-date services from out local hospital.

Upwards of 3000 jobs kept in the community with money by those people being spent in the community at other businesses.

Overall better property values because communities near hositals typically have higher values than those that are not.


Small price to pay for the overall very long term benifits.

Just the facts please... wrote on Aug 4, 2008 10:37 PM:"Overall better property values because communities near hospitals typically have higher values than those that are not."

You made that up, didn't you? Is your lemonade stand on the Tri-City campus?

Should we tax payers shell out our money to keep every big employer going? No, but just yours, right?

To yes on prop A wrote on Aug 5, 2008 5:46 AM:Actually we do know of what we speak and we have heard the rhetoric of the board for far too long! We also recognize that we do have a good hospital that has the potential to be a GREAT hospital if it were under new management!
What you don't seem to recognize is that the Community aspect of this, and other Community Hospitals, means that it belongs to the TAXPAYERS and as such we have the RIGHT to demand our tax dollars be spent wisely. Furthermore, we have the RIGHT to demand that our taxdollars not be spent to compete or prevent competition from private hospitals! Government should NEVER stifle private organizations from competing in the market place, yet TCMC is doing just that! It was needed as a community Hospital at the time of its conception due to the lack of population and business in the area. But now it is time for the PEOPLE's Asset to be sold to private enterprise and for our money to be spent on other, more needed projects!

Terry wrote on Aug 5, 2008 7:32 AM:I voted NO on Bond A...the money stop here. Has anyone ask them self if the bond pass who is going to furnish the hospital?
Again Tri City will have to ask the public for donnations.