MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL Sunday Readers' Forum MGH Poll Question Was Clear Alexander Binik has criticized the objectivity of a July poll revealing that only 45 percent of Marin Healthcare District residents would support a bond measure to address earthquake safety at Marin General Hospital. (Readers' Forum, Aug. 24, "Spotswood's data questioned"). The exact wording of the critical question was this: "If Marin General were to put a bond issue on the ballot to address earthquake safety, the cost per homeowner in increased property taxes could be $30 per $100,000 of assessed valuation per year. Remember that assessed value is less than market value. A home with an assessed value of $500,000, therefore, would pay about $150 a year. If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this bond issue?" The results were 45 percent yes; 40.5 percent no; and 14.5 percent don't know/not sure. The total number of responses was 400. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Spotswood and other columnists and reporters are free to use these figures as they wish. The polling was done by the highly respected firm of Solem & Associates. Binik's reference to the group commissioning the poll, the Alliance to Save Our Hospital, as favoring the continuation of "corporate-controlled" health care at Marin General is inaccurate. The alliance's goal is to support the best solution to continuing the operation of MGH in serving the healthcare needs of Marin residents once the lease with Sutter Health terminates. Charles Auerbach, Belvedere |