Your Views

Not all good nurses are equal

Herbert Dardik, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center's chief of surgery, said: "A good nurse anywhere is a good nurse, period." ("No talks scheduled in Englewood nurse work stoppage," Page L-1, June 5)

I am offended by his statement. I am not a nurse, nor am I employed by Englewood Hospital. However, all three of my children were born there; two of them spent considerable time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Fortunately, my children were taken care of by magnet nurses, those who have achieved special recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and not just "good nurses."

Any patient or family member who would settle for just "good" nurses doesn't deserve the expertise, professionalism and compassion that Englewood's magnet nurses have to offer. These are the very nurses that the hospital has locked out and left on the street.

Michele Trapp

Paramus, June 5

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"Nurses, hospital hit impasse" (Page A-5, June 3) is certainly the truth when one party refuses to negotiate in good faith.

I have been a registered nurse for 30 years, 24 1/2 of them at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, where I am the secretary treasurer for Local 5004 of Health Professionals and Allied Employees.

The care we give to our patients is what makes Englewood Hospital so special. So if we have a salary of $84,000 a year, are we robbing the hospital? We come to work, prepared, ready to deliver excellent patient care. We are educated and experienced. We are not the highest-paid nurses in the state. Why are hospital executives' salaries not an issue?

Englewood Hospital's management team needs to remember what happened last time it locked us out and we eventually went on strike.

Management should take the money it is spending on "replacements" and put it toward hiring more quality RNs who will provide excellent nursing care, the kind provided by magnet nurses locked out by the medical center.

Shawn Simone

Oakland, June 3

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The joke's on we the people

When I saw the picture with "Two shake-ups in one" (Business, May 23, Page A-12), I was drawn to the headline above it: "New leaders to implement AIG chief's plan." The pairing made the picture look like a joke: It made it look like outgoing AIG Chairman Edward Liddy was pointing a gun to his head.

As I read the article, I began to think that impression wasn't far from the truth.

Where in our Constitution does it say the government can take over companies and fire the CEOs? Why would we the people think that was a good idea? The things government is responsible for -- Social Security, for one -- are going down the tubes. Why should the president be able to tell the companies what they can build and tell us what we must drive?

It surprises me that the same people who were complicit in the Fannie Mae debacle think they know how to fix it. I would have much more confidence in the CEOs to fix their own problems, and I salute Ford for doing just that.

Ellen L. Passage

Ho-Ho-Kus, May 23

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A different point of view

As chairman of the Bergen County Republican Organization, one of my responsibilities is to defend the BCRO candidates running in the primary under the slogan Republicans for Responsible Government. That is what I did in the 17 Bergen County contested races in the June 2 primary.

BCRO candidates won in 14 contests. Unfortunately, Columnist Charles Stile ignored this fact in "Scorecard can tell who really won, lost" (Political Stile, Page L-1, June 4). I will take my candidates winning 14 out of 17 anytime.

The BCRO municipal candidates won in Washington Township, Midland Park, Rochelle Park and Rutherford. Chris Christie won. Our two freeholder candidates won, and our state committeewoman won. Finally, our two Assembly candidates won in District 40.

I endorsed and supported all these candidates. The primary proved to be an outstanding success for the BCRO.

Robert Yudin

Wyckoff, June 4

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