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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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:

My name is Lauren Kallberg and I attend Sisters High School. I am a freshman this year, and I have lived in Sisters all my life.

Mr. (Rob) Kurtz was my teacher all throughout middle school and when I was in the eighth grade it was announced that he was ill with cancer. The school was in shock at first but knew he would beat it. Now almost a year later we find out he's in Hospice care.

The message came in the form of a letter, the teachers read it aloud. I can remember everyone's reaction -- utter disbelief; the room was silent for over two minutes before people spoke in sympathy. The sympathy was however not for Mr. Kurtz, we all knew he would be going to a much greater place, but to all of his family and friends.

So I thought I would let them know what a great impact he had on everyone's life around him. Mr. Kurtz was by far one of the best teachers me or anyone else I know has ever had, his kindness and wit made him dynamic in anything he did, whether it was talk about the Civil War, or just about his grasp on life.

Those who didn't know him really missed out on a great man. He inspires me in everything I do and I hope he always will.

Sincerely,

Lauren Kallberg

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Editor's note:

Rob Kurtz died on Monday morning, April 12. A memorial was to be held at Sisters High School on Tuesday for staff and students to offer remembrances.

A retrospective on this teacher who touched many lives in Sisters will appear in next week's edition of The Nugget.

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To the Editor:

Please allow me to offer some thoughts on your April 7 article regarding the booming real estate market in the Sisters area.

I found the article timely and informative but am concerned about the impression the data providing home and lot values may give to those not familiar with the area. The data provided is accurate but it should be pointed out that it applies to the Sisters area, not to the city alone, and includes, essentially, all homes and land, sold by Realtors, from Cloverdale Road to, and including, Black Butte Ranch.

Because it includes some real high-end real estate, I think that it would be helpful to include the range and median costs as well as the average cost. Let me give an example. In 2002, from the same source used by Ponderosa Properties (Central Oregon Multiple Listing Service), there were 47 total units sold in the city, ranging from $65,000 to $448,000, with an average sales price of $189,864 and a median sales price of $176,440. At the same time, the average in the area was $246,000 with a range of $50,000 to $2.1 million.

The question is: Why should we care? I think if we really care about how this city grows, if we want this to be primarily a first or only home rather than a second home haven, if we really want to attract family-wage jobs so that some have the opportunity to move up from low-wage jobs with few if any benefits and have year-round instead of seasonal work and move up from their affordable housing, then I think we should make sure that we do not scare off those potential employers.

Bill Merrill

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To the Editor:

A woman passed away alone in her motorhome in an alley.

After recently losing her partner in life to a terrible accident and a lifestyle that leaves a body old before its time, she dealt with her loss as best she could. We brought her food and comfort as best we could.

We found ourselves in the same alley in our own little motorhome. And, although there was a future waiting for us on five new acres and our time in the alley was short, being there nonetheless was stressful and humbling.

I am ashamed to say, once we made camp at our new place, I tried my best to forget about that alley. In turn, I forgot about Barbara and her pain. I returned to that alley with some food and a heart to help her -- after all, I feed and nurture all the folks "in the woods." That's where we started here and Sisters has been so kind to us.

When I saw her broke-down motor home taped off and the coroner there, I knew I had failed as a human being. After all, I am my sister's keeper and if anyone needed special care it was her.

I'm sorry, Barbara. Why I left you alone when I pride myself on helping others is a terrible thought I'll have to deal with. I'll remember that we are never doing so well that we can't help others; that this woman should not have died alone in a broken down motorhome with her life partner's belongings piled up outside in an alley.

Go with the angels.

Lady Reynolds

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To the Editor:

In your opinion piece ("A storm is coming," by Eric Dolson, The Nugget, March 31) you pick and choose various statements from sources that seem bolster your opinion. Please allow me to do the same.

Per the Cato Institute:

1. Recessions are a result of government policy mistakes.

2. We now know the economy was in a recession the first quarter Mr. Bush took office. During that period, the economy was still operating under the taxing, spending and regulatory policies of the Clinton-Gore administration. Obviously, the Clinton-Gore folks made policy mistakes that led to the recession.

3. Marginal taxes stifle economic growth. Each 1 percent rise in federal tax burden leads to a 1.8 percent reduction in economic growth. Each 1 percent rise in federal tax burden leads to 1.14 percent decline in national employment.

4. Taxes have a negative effect because they deprive the private sector of resources to expand growth.

5. Most American corporations actually pay the government huge amounts of tax. Indeed, there is growing concern that because corporations must pay so much in taxes, American companies are at a competitive disadvantage in world markets. Consider that the combined federal and average state corporate tax rate is 40 percent (2002). That's much higher than the 31 percent average for the 30 top industrial countries.

6. Remember that the corporate income tax is simply a smoke-screen that hides $200 billion in taxes from the workers, consumers, and shareholders who implicitly pay it. Corporations simply pass the tax through in the form of lower wages, higher prices and lower shareholder returns.

Mr. Dolson, you summarily attack the Bush administration and their policies and I wholeheartedly support your right to do so. However, I must remind you sir that reasonable and honest men can disagree about how to fix a system, but it is neither reasonable nor honest to attack and opponent's solution without presenting an alternative solution.

There is more than enough blame to go around. Until we decide to dispense with partisan politics and work together to find a solution we are doomed to failure.

Phil Frye

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To the Editor:

I wish to thank The Nugget publisher Eric Dolson for the editorials "Passion and Bigotry" (March 24,), and "A Storm is Coming" (March 31).

Anyone reading them, regardless of his or her religious or political persuasion, should take what Eric said into their heart and put the elements of understanding to work, not only in a personal way, but also in a very public way.

As Eric pointed out in his editorial on passion and bigotry, Jesus Christ taught and lived forgiveness, but unfortunately that is the one element that is sadly lacking -- not just in America, but throughout today's world. We see the results of hate in Sisters and in Iraq and the horrifying ways in which the people of Morocco, Spain, The Philippines, Palestine and Israel kill one another.

The age-old attitude, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" will be the undoing of the human race.

What I fear and see coming is the endless hole of death President Bush has led us into with his private war on Iraq.

Thanks to George Bush and his associates, America has lost her creditability in the rest of the world.

I have two sons in the U.S. Air Force who are obliged (commanded) to do what their Commander in Chief tells them to do. The thought of the both of them, as well as all the other men and women in the military, going off to fight and die in the war with Iraq -- which has turned into Muslims against the West -- is not something that any parent wants to think about.

Think twice, Americans, when you vote this November; the man that is our present Commander in Chief is not the person we need leading America. He is pushing us further and further into disaster -- financially, morally, and politically.

Jim Anderson

Jim Anderson writes a freelance nature column for The Nugget.

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To the Editor:

I was saddened to see that Neil Thompson had "left his post" as city planner for the City of Sisters (The Nugget, April 7, page 3).

On the occasions I had dealings with Neil (both personal and professional), I found him to be fair, informed, understanding and conciliatory.

I will miss Neil and I fear that the City of Sisters will miss him more than it might realize. I suspect he will be difficult to replace, not just as a department head, but as a person who was genuinely interested in his job and his profession.

Tom Anderson

General Manager, The Comfort Inn at Sisters and Mountain Shadow RV Park

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To the Editor:

The annual Easter Egg Hunt was held under gorgeous skies within the Three Sisters Overnight and Creekside Parks on Easter for hundreds of local children seeking the 4,500 eggs on Easter Sunday.

For all in attendance it was spectacular.

We wish to thank the agencies and businesses that made this event a success -- and, of course, our Easter Bunny Spurge Cochran.

Thanks to all!

To all of the children and their families that came and participated this Easter we look forward to welcoming you to the 2005 Easter Egg Hunt next year.

Sincerely,

Stephen Fisher, Easter Egg Hunt Chair