| Letters
to the editor from this week's Chronicle
To the Editor, I am not sure if you realize it or not, but next Monday, August 31, 2020, marks the end of an era. This will be the last day that Ron Sigler will work as a physician at St. Mary's Hospital. Trust me, this will be the end of a meaningful era; an era defined by sacrifice, commitment, compassion and a desire to leave this place better than he found it. I know that the term "era" is used often to encapsulate an individual's career or a team's historical run; but the era that ends Monday is what I will call a "real life impacting" era. I know I am biased; but also know, for once, that I am right; because I have had a front row seat for the last 25 years. Ron's sacrifice to St. Mary's Hospital and the Camas Prairie has been incredible. When everyone in today's world is always looking for "greener grass", Sigs made sure this place stayed watered and fertilized. He has spent his whole professional career at St. Mary's Hospital, unheard of in today's fast-moving world including the medical profession. (This is by no means an indictment of the physicians that have left this practice because they all have had more than justifiable reasons. It is just to enlighten you about the nature of family medicine.) The stats are amazing about how many different places a family physician will work during his or her career--just Google it. For Ron - just one. Really, how are we so lucky! It is also not as if he didn't have reasons to consider leaving. I have heard from him multiple times how after the first year he was here, he had less money in his savings account than when he started! That is hard to do straight out of medical school and residency. He could have moved back to Texas a few years back to care for his ailing mother. Instead, he moves her here so that he can continue to practice in Cottonwood and Kamiah. His three kids are located throughout the Northwest, but Ron has kept Cottonwood as his "home" and travels to see the kids and grandkids when he can. We are blessed he chose us. Although sacrifice and commitment typically go hand in hand, Sigs' commitment has been on a different level. Probably in the top 20 nationally of call nights taken in a career by a family physician, his work ethic has been unparalleled. Heck, for a time he was taking ER call a week at a time. Granted, they were less busy then, but you are still tied to the phone every night of your call week. None of us on the current staff would even consider such--you would be seeing tail lights! He also was financially committed. Probably a well-kept secret, but Ron has consistently donated back to the clinic/hospital for years. So not only does he give his career and time to this place, but also his money. We all know he doesn't need much to live! Physical possessions have never been real important. One of my favorite stories happened about a year ago when my nurse and I noticed he had a new shirt on at work. It happened to be a Thursday and my nurse commented on his new shirt. Sigs responded that he had to get a new "Thursday shirt" because his other one ripped as he was getting it out of the dryer! He had worn his "Thursday shirt" until it became completely threadbare and ripped. Hence, he had to get a new one. If not for retirement, I am confident he would wear this "Thursday shirt" until it ripped coming out of the dryer! The guy worries about other people and things way more than he thinks about himself. As his patients will tell you, Ron is compassionate about what he does. Quite frankly, at times, almost to a fault. He wants to help everyone that he cares for--whether it be simple or complicated. He has taught me time after time what it really means to care for people. Although certainly old school, he truly defines what a family physician should be. Giving patients rides home from the hospital, making multiple home visits to not only comfort the patients, but families; never refusing to help any of his partners if asked--the list is simply endless. Although maybe not recognized as some local physicians have been, he is the ultimate family "doc"! Lastly, Ron truly leaves behind a better place. Truly, Andy Jones and Ron Sigler have built St. Mary's Hospital and Clinics into what it is today. They set a standard of work ethic and patient care that hopefully those of us that remain can continue to emulate. Although Ron would be quick to deflect such praise, no one can deny that he has been a stabilizing force in some turbulent times. Honestly, the things he has done for this place and our community over the last 36 years is unfathomable! Unfortunately, current times make it impossible to celebrate Sigs the way his career deserves to be celebrated. Really it should be a community blowout in Cottonwood and Kamiah! If you see Sigs, give him a social-distanced hug and a big old "THANK YOU." Simply, we are all better people because he has been part of our lives and, really, just darn lucky! Hey Sigs, if you are listening, here is a sincere "thank you" and you will never know how much we will miss you. Good luck on your new adventure! Teel Bruner To the Editor The many years Dr. Ron Sigler has been at St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics he has shown how much he cares about his patients. He is such a knowledgeable physician, showing compassion and empathy for all. After Dr. Imhoff retired, Dr. Sigler was the only doctor available at St. Mary’s for several years, working around the clock tirelessly. His total dedication to patients has earned the respect of anyone he has ever seen as a patient. As if the hours of a doctor aren’t long enough, he, Dr. Bruner and a few others decided to start a PeeWee football program to help the young people in our community. Several years after that he chose to be an assistant football coach helping our high school football program become a respected team that has brought home several trophies. It is with great appreciation, respect and admiration we honor Ron as a doctor and friend. Thank you Ron for always being there. You will be missed. Jerry & Janet Richardson
No. 278 - 8/24/2020 We struggle on! Our 2020 nemesis, the Corona virus, continues to take its toll around the country, in some areas bad enough that mandatory restrictions have gone back to previous levels. Our local Vandal and Cougar football teams because of the leagues they are in, have thrown in the towel and are hoping to play fall football next spring! Hey, a prediction here! The sporadic attack of the virus will still be with us then, and the more cautious among us, will still be going back to more mandated cautious times. The postponed seasons will be pushed further down the road! Professional basketball and baseball will again play WITH NO FANS! RIDICULOUS! Every news report should headline the death to case ratio, hovering below 1% in our state, Idaho, and around 3% nationwide, then stress the chance of an innocent babe being ripped from the womb in an abortion, still around 3000+/day and close to 1 in 6... (Hey! You do the math! These most innocent have a death ratio of 17%!), Then we might not be so shook up about the Corona! Or print this amazing stat! Research tells us we have some 330 million people in the U.S. today, and that 60 million or so have been aborted since 1973, made legal by Roe vs Wade in that year. That math tells us that roughly 1 of every 5.5 babes in the womb, innocent, helpless, and hoping to enjoy life, sunshine, the love of family, are aborted! All of us alive today should say a THANK YOU prayer that our mother chose not to abort us! Meanwhile, what is happening on the political scene? Continued HATRED of our president who was duly elected by our constitutional electoral system, and the choice of 35 or our 50 states. O yes! It should be mentioned that led by our biggest cities, the popular vote did go to the other candidate! But it is stressed here, that current conditions in those same cities are atrocious, and certainly not inviting to any who want to move to peaceful and serene areas! And if a reader today does not know the identity of the leading politicians in those states, then their TV is off, their newspaper canceled, and their eyes closed to the reality all around us! Maybe check the record of which areas areas are losing people and which are increasingly significantly today! Oh yes! back to the topic examined the last two articles! The state of our economy and the future we face! We have noticed that the efforts of our government have slowly shifted over the years from a PROTECTIVE role, to a PROMOTIONAL one, and that as a result, our leaders have been forced to borrow heavily on newly printed money by the trillions, to keep up with the demands of an ever more demanding citizenry! The result? A 26 trillion national debt, growing incredibly fast as we speak, (Google National Debt Clock) and a current battle over another BAILOUT demanded which will release another trillion or more of historically recognized FIAT, paper money, fast on its way to becoming worthless! And the gorilla in the room that threatens us! If not a severe depression, then a runaway INFLATION period, with prices rising steadily like they have in the historical past! Why? That is the look today promised in RNR 277! Simple to see with a bit of common sense! Several times in past articles, it has been asked what would happen if a huge plane would fly over our county and drop hundreds of $100 bills! Obvious! Scrambling local teens who grab hundreds of those bills would immediately go after the sports car of their dreams! Quickly, dealers would sense the power of the new money, and raise their prices! Old folks, slow to scramble, would have to pay the higher prices! In 1969, advisor to Ronald Reagan Milton Friedman called this "Helicopter money," and the idea of the issuing record new money in this manner has been adopted wholesale by governments today! Economists called monetarists use the equation MV = PO to explain why the inflation which is logical will inevitably strike hard in economies like ours today. (Concluding discussion of this"Helicopter money" and the equation MV = PO next week) Jake Wren
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