ANOTHER VIEW: To TCMC: Find money, forget taxes

By GARY GONSALVES - Carlsbad resident | Saturday, September 27, 2008 2:10 PM PDT ∞

Following the defeat of Measure A, I had the opportunity to watch the video of the Tri-City Volunteer Campaign Center. I said this at the board meeting and I will say it again: I took no personal joy in the sorrow of those people.

At Stop Taxing Us, we have always held to the basic tenet that Tri-City should have a great medical center. We simply do not believe this tax was necessary or justified, and the public agreed.

So where do we go from here?

First, I would like to call for an end to the divisive talk and Web logs. It serves no constructive purpose and only deepens the divide. I understand that many people have had negative experiences at Tri-City, but many others have been equally touched in a positive manner.

The doctors, nurses, and other care providers are not the enemy. They are our friends, our neighbors, and our families. They have dedicated their lives to caring for our community. I personally know several of the care providers at this facility, and I am proud to be their friend.

The true enemies of our hospital are those elected representatives who do nothing to fix Medicare aside from expanding its benefits as the number of people paying into the system continues to decline. The true enemies of our hospital are those who hire illegal immigrants and promote the mass influx of an impoverished people. The true enemies of our hospital are the state officials who want to mandate changes, but do not want to provide any method of funding to address these changes.

This said, within hours of the defeat of Proposition A, everyday people, board members and administrators started to discuss potential solutions to the hospital's problems. This exemplifies what we at Stop Taxing Us have been saying all along. A tax is not necessary to address the financial woes of this institution.

Nonetheless, three failed bonds demonstrate a lack of vision and mandates changes in the hospital administration and the board of directors.

The trust between the hospital and the community has been breached.

As such, we are requesting that Art Gonzalez step aside so that we may commence the search for a new CEO. With regard to the board, the voters have the power.

Four of our current board members are up for re-election. Take the time to evaluate their opposition.

If this hospital is going to survive, we believe this change is mandatory.

With new leadership comes new ideas, and it is important to consider all alternatives to a tax, including hospital privatization. We are not saying this is the best answer; we are merely implying that it is a possible solution and it should be discussed.

The reality is that the circumstances that lead to the formation of this hospital district simply do not exist today.

Many in the district would like to see all or part of the hospital sold and those monies applied elsewhere. Finally, this hospital can no longer tolerate writing off $1 million dollars a month on indigent health care.

Health care is not a right. It is an expensive luxury. It should not bring people to the brink of financial collapse, but it should certainly be worth more than that grande mocha and a pack of cigarettes.

In closing, we would like to propose that the failure to pass this bond is not the end, but the beginning of a dialogue. At Stop Taxing Us, we are willing to participate in this discussion, but we will not endorse a tax.

We represent the fiscal conservatives and we are American to our very core. We would like to invite you to join our organization, and together we can take back our country, starting with the success of this one hospital.

Carlsbad resident Gary Gonsalves is co-founder of Stop Taxing Us.

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Tags: NCT Opinion Perspective Perspective2008

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Thank You wrote on Sep 14, 2008 12:28 PM:A big THANK YOU to Gary Gonsalves and everyone at Stoptaxingus! Keep up the good work!

Thank You too wrote on Sep 14, 2008 8:32 PM:I agree. I for one is making a small donation. You have just saved me thousands and 40 years of grieves. There are still lots of work to be done head. A free market health care is the only way to go. Free Market, personalized care, wouldn't it be nice.

I agree wrote on Sep 14, 2008 8:36 PM:All those who work at the Tri-City hospital have been overworked and under appreciated. Its nice that Dr. Gonsalves gave us the credit we deserve. A nice new working environment without the district strong arm and all the red tape will cut out lots of waste and costs.

postive blogging for a change wrote on Sep 14, 2008 8:38 PM:looks like a new hospital name with a new hospital format will stop the Tri-City community divide.

Randy wrote on Sep 15, 2008 9:09 AM:Palomar Hospital earns more than twice as much money as Tri-City, yet Palomar had to float a bond to pay for its buildings. It makes no sense to think that Tri-City can pay for buildings without a bond.

To Randy wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:18 AM:If somebody will just give you what you want, and you don't have to work for it or budget for it, wouldn't you take advantage of it too? So I take issue with your statement that Palomar "had" to float a bond. They did it because it was the easy thing to do.

Randy, you will be pleasantly surprised when TriCity is redone without the need for an extra tax.

Just wondering wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:00 AM:Just wondering why Dr. Gonsalves isn't pushing for Palomar to go private and why he has no problem with the tax on their bond? I know at this point it's a "dead horse", but I wouldn't trust anything he says.

Its a TAX wrote on Sep 15, 2008 4:44 PM:Its a tax people, quit referring to it as a bond. People pay ever increasing taxes until our middle class dissappears as we have paid for the "less fortunate" and start to resemble a socialist poor country! Kudos to Gary and his warriors for fighting this huge and unnecessary TAX! Everyone needs to join his group to keep our taxes from going even higher. ...

Dr Gonsalves wrote on Sep 15, 2008 5:13 PM:knows whereof he speaks. He is a bright, honest, articulate homeowner who doesn't want to see his kids and grandkids saddled with a billion dollar, 40 year, tax. What's wrong with discussing privatization, sale leaseback, debt consolidation, stopping the $12 million+/year drain, and possibly employee contribution in return for profit sharing? Both my children were born at Tri City and, for the most part, it was a pleasurable experience. But, that was years ago. Now when I have had to bring on child or another to the ER, it has been a nightmare. That is sad.

Hey Wondering wrote on Sep 15, 2008 5:16 PM:Since you obviously love paying high taxes for anything and everything, I'm sending you my property tax bill. If you pay it I'll support your stupid bond for Tri-City. Put up or shut up! Take your socialist attitude and self-deport yourself to Cuba!! You'll fit right in!

To Just Wondering wrote on Sep 15, 2008 5:31 PM:In keeping with Dr. Gonsalves' request I will keep this post positive. I know him through Stop Taxing Us. He is genuine and trustworthy. Don't take my word for it; join Stop Taxing Us and get to know him. He issues regular emails, and is an active member of the North County Community. Thank you Dr Gonsalves

Stop the drain wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:18 PM:Illegal aliens use the Tri-City ER as a free clinic to the tune of over $1 million per month. About $13 million per year. I took my violently ill wife there, and had to wait over 5 hours in a waiting room stacked with illegals. I know. I asked them. They proudly and defiantly said SI! They feel entitled, since it is their contention that the land was stolen from them by white people. The Tri-City ER docs make NO attempt to triage them and kick out the NON-EMERGENCY cases. But the other pushers were the construction industry bosses that stood to make MILLIONS in contracts building the hospital retrofits, and the Mexican illegals who would have taken those jobs from Americans.

NS wrote on Sep 16, 2008 3:27 AM:The fact that PPH rushed its bond through before the taxpayers got wise doesn't set it above TCMC. Same shameless BS but it was all in the timing. PPH will remain a joke since the state took away their excuse via earthquake scare, to force an issue that could have been handled with planning and intelligence. LOL LOL LOL. He who laughs last, laughs best.

Randy wrote on Sep 16, 2008 6:49 AM:Show me the money!

Sad Randy wrote on Sep 16, 2008 1:44 PM:Randy

Your comments sadly represent the same liberal views that are destroying our county. It is not about showing you the money. It is about running a business responsibly to ensure that you have the cash flow to achieve strategic goals.

Bond Default wrote on Sep 17, 2008 6:53 PM:With high home foreclosure rate,plummeting home prices, the TCMC bond would have never received the kind of tax dollars it was expecting. This bond would have defaulted just like the recent case that a county in the State of Alabama defaulting on its Sewer bond. It is a lose lose situation.
If TCMC stopped the one million dollars a month lost,it could have foot the $480 millions construction bond (12*40) itself without having to pay any interests to bond holders.
TCMC should be honest enough to do a phased construction. Scripps Encinitas is expanding to service all Carlsbad. Goodbye TriCity, hello Twin City. It will be really nice not to ever hear the name TriCity again.

To Stop the Drain wrote on Oct 29, 2008 10:48 AM:WOW, how racist can you possibly be? TCMC does not have a choice but to treat EVERYONE. Talk to your congressmen about your feelings and stop blaming TCMC for doing 1) what they are required by law to do 2) to do the right thing and treat their fellow human beings.
Dr. Gonsalves clearly has a personal gripe w/ the CEO. "Stop taxing us", their ONLY agenda has been to defeat TCMC. Have you been to the site? Not a single other agenda than to stop TCMC. This from a Dr. who works for a competing hospital. What a hero!
Thanks for saving us $100 year. Now I can go to Starbucks and buy that $4 cup of coffee. That's much more important.

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