To the editor:

Mr. Leahy, in his latest letter to the editor, is guilty of unfair comparisons of apples and oranges.

In his letter, he comments that the Whidbey General Hospital District tax burden is more than that of Skagit or Island hospitals. To make this assertion, he includes the EMS levy as part of the WGH total levy, which it is.

What he fails to mention is that the EMS services in those two locations are NOT covered by the hospital districts. Their EMS services are covered by the city and/or the fire districts.

Naturally, those hospital tax burdens appear to be less, because they don’t include EMS coverage.

I respect that some may not support the WGH levy, but to accuse Trish Rose of “withholding information,” while blatantly using false comparisons himself, makes Mr. Leahy’s letter a pathetic joke that unfortunately may sway those not willing to learn the real facts.

Lee W. Roof

Coupeville