Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

We found Mr. Booher's letter to the Editor very insulting to our local schools, parents, teachers and the businesses in our community that so generously support our schools.

The local school system has not failed us. In fact, they are doing a wonderful job teaching our children as noted in the recent state testing score results.

The problems we may have among children, teenagers and young adults cannot be blamed on the school system. These are to be blamed on parent failure. Schools cannot and were not intended to take the place of the parental guidance and teaching of morals to a child.

Mr. Booher was correct on one point: children need guidance, discipline, instruction in the truth and tender loving care. Whether home or public schooled, children can and do have problems if they are not given these things.

I love my children very beyond measure. However, the fact is I'm not qualified in their home scholastic instruction and have placed this part of their education into the hands of the very capable local experts... the schools.

I agree that home schooling is a great option for some parents and would be the only choice in some school districts. I genuinely applaud parents that have made this choice. However, it is not the only good choice in our community. As for my husband and I, we have great respect for the Sisters' schools and are very pleased with our children's progress there.

Sincerely,

Debbie Williams

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To the Editor:

Public education in Sisters is the reason lots of new residents have moved to Sisters over the last 15 years. We have one of the best school districts in the state, thanks to our administration, teaching staff and, not least of all, an intelligent and sacrificing school board.

My greatest wish for Oregon is that we could spread Sisters' enthusiasm for our youth to other districts in the state.

I have felt since I was a college student that the purpose of public education has a lot more to do with socialization than with the rote memorization of facts and formulas. Public school is where we are exposed to other people, other lifestyles, other ideas.

Someone please explain to me how a young person gets exposed to this broad base with a home school education, a broad base which helps a developing human being learn to make his or her own personal choices later in life.

If the goal of home schooling is to avoid exposure to the rest of our culture, then I find that to be a willfully chosen way to limit the extent of what a child has a right to learn. It's a great way of creating a lack of "peripheral vision."

We have problems, but the solution is not found in isolating your family from the rest of the culture and all its warts. It comes with helping work toward changes within your community by being involved in that very community.

We have also created the disaster to all public programs with the tide of Measure 5. We are so spoiled in the U.S. that we now expect public services without paying the bill. Schools have suffered the most. We'd rather not have to drive our big rigs over potholes than make sure education is well funded. Heck, we don't even feel responsible paying for the pot hole repair!

The challenges about which Booher speaks (in last week's Nugget) are not the fault of public education. We have changed as a society. With freedom comes more choices. With choice comes the need for sufficient education in all realms of life to decide what is appropriate and healthy. With more focus on education in our public schools, more youth would be making better choices.

Yes, it is up to a family to instill morality and good choices in children. It is also up to the family to instill in a child a sense of social responsibility, not just to those who are like the child but to all of the family of humanity, no matter how different. Without the education-beyond-"book-larnin" which public schools provide, I do not believe the wealth of human experience can be so fully recognized.

Bonnie Malone

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To the Editor:

Last week the Cato Institute (catoinstitute.com) released its 2002 Governors' Report Card. For the third straight time Gov. Kitzhaber scored an F.

The grade is based on 17 objective measures of fiscal performance through the year 2000. The report states that Kitzhaber's poor performance is mainly due to the rapid rate of budget growth since he assumed office.

In his first term, spending ballooned by a whopping 30 percent. Since 1996, two out of every three surplus tax dollars collected by the state have gone to new spending, while just one of every three surplus tax dollars has been returned to the people that overpaid them in the first place.

During his tenure Gov. Kitzhaber has increased real per capita general spending by an average annual rate of 9.1 percent.

Now that the bill has come due for his fiscal irresponsibility, rather than cut state spending, Gov. Kitzhaber wants to further burden the hard working people of Oregon with even more taxes. In the last two years he has proposed an increase in state income taxes, cigarette taxes, beer and wine taxes and auto fees along with numerous increased fees. He also rolled back $133 million in income tax rebates approved by the voters.

With our state budget in shambles and the fall election fast approaching, voters should carefully consider whom they vote for governor. Which candidate is most likely to continue the failed tax and spend fiscal policies of Gov. Kitzhaber and who is most likely to restore some fiscal restraint to our state budget easing our tax burden? Citizens of central Oregon, the choice is yours.

Tom Harpham

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To the Editor:

My wife and I had a great time participating in the Sisters Bicycle Festival this weekend. We found that it combined many of the best aspects of Sisters: a beautiful natural setting; a community that values its natural riches and engages in outdoor activities; and wonderful people committed to community service.

Many thanks and congratulations to Jerry Norquist, the team from SOAR, and the many other volunteers that helped put on this wonderful event. Especially considering that this was the inaugural year for the Bicycle Festival, this group did an outstanding job pulling off a remarkably complex event.

We were impressed with the scope of the planning that went into such a complicated event, from the scouting and marking of the great trails, to the shuttle buses, the staffed and stocked rest stops, the great food, music, and prizes afterwards.

We hope that others rally behind this wholesome event again next year as a means of having some outdoor fun, introducing people to Sisters and its surroundings, and raising money for SOAR. I look forward to pitching in next year!

Thanks,

Rob Corrigan

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To the Editor:

The very successful return of the Jazz Festival gives reason to recognize many who made it happen: the sponsors, our front line of support; a hard-working board who put together a new look for the festival; many talented musicians; fans who came to the show; and a crew of dedicated, gracious volunteers who tied it all together.

Let there be no mistake. The Jazz Festival is back, and, as advertised, better than ever! If you missed the event this year, get ready for 2003 and even more improvements. Many, many thanks to all involved.

Tom Worcester, Chair