June 3 letters to the editor

Judge Harrelson says farewell

To The Editor:

I am retiring as judge after June 2nd, 2008, a position I have held for 24 years. I plan to continue to work part-time, as needed, as a “senior” (retired) judge. I also hope to continue to write newspaper articles about the court system and the legal process.

I want to thank the many wonderful professionals with whom I have had the opportunity to work and be associated over the years: courageous and dedicated law enforcement officers; hard working probation officers; court administrator deputies, who have had to listen to my jokes; prosecutors; defense attorneys ; lawyers and their clients, who have had to listen to my lectures; my fellow hard-working judges of the Fifth Judicial District; my loyal law clerk, Gregg Solomon, whose intelligence and hard work allowed me to keep up(barely); and my trusty court reporter, Mike Janson, who taught me many life lessons, including how to ride a motorcycle.

Most of all, I would like to thank the people who have placed their trust in our legal system and their faith in the rule of law. It is that trust and faith that makes this system work. This has been more than a job or profession. It has been a calling with wonderful fulfillment. With complete sincerity, it has truly been an honor to serve the people of this area. Thank you all!

George Harrelson

Marshall

Legislators spare long-term care from budget cuts



To The Editor:

As a long-term care provider in Franklin, the end-of-session news out of St. Paul was a relief.

Recognizing that Minnesota’s long-term care facilities are struggling to keep up with increased labor costs and continue to suffer from a Medicaid funding gap, the Minnesota Legislature, urged on by Representative Marty Seifert, spared nursing homes budget cuts and even provided a small cost of living adjustment.

Will it solve the overall funding problem? No, but in view of a state budget deficit that was nearly a billion dollars, legislators such as Rep. Seifert understand the long-term problem. I take it as a good first step to get our industry on track to build – and adequately fund – a reliable spectrum of continuing care for Minnesota’s aging population.

With baby boomers soon to out-number school children, our current system is inadequate in many ways. Indeed, the needs of today’s seniors are not the same as a generation ago. Today’s seniors require a continuum of care options to meet their ever changing needs – from home health care and support services and independent living units to assisted living and nursing homes.

Yet, over the past six years, when the industry should have been preparing for increasing demand, we faced delays and cuts in funding that made it difficult to plan for the future – let alone provide quality care and retain highly-skilled staff.

Local legislators like Rep. Seifert have long understood the need for senior care and the value that long-term care providers bring to local economies. He deserves our thanks for his leadership on this issue; however, we have to continue to educate all Minnesotans about the reality of the long-term care system.

To address the long-term problem, we need to engage and educate Minnesota citizens, the media, and all of our leaders in St. Paul that the care of our senior population is an urgent issue and should rise to the top of our public policy agenda.

Caring for our seniors and adequately providing for their caregivers, should not be a political problem. It should be understood. I am both encouraged and thankful that we may be on our way to a complete understanding.

Dru Fischgrabe

Executive Director

Golden Living Center – Franklin