Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

In some of the letters written supporting SOAR, the inference left by the writer is that SOAR will cease to exist if the tax increase is not voted in the positive. I’m sure that would not happen and to imply it would is propaganda.

In fact the voter’s pamphlet says the increase in taxes will go to funding new programs and new facilities as well as the current programs. I question the need to expand programs with a new tax increase when gasoline costs are increasing, Medicare costs are rising, and according to Central Electric Cooperative electricity costs are expected to rise starting next year. The amount per month that has been given as the tax increase for SOAR is more than my Social Security increases per month.

Rather than looking to have it all, I think SOAR should be looking to reduce some offerings or at the most just maintain a good basic program.

Sincerely,

B. Graham

s s s

To the editor;

Could there be a better way to help the children of Sisters than to get involved and support SOAR? Just a little over ten years ago there were ZERO programs for kids except for school and whatever they happened to think up for themselves. Now every child in Sisters can look forward to an almost unending list of activities that are fun, safe, supervised and affordable.

SOAR is truly a “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” type of organization. One of the primary principles of S.O.A.R. is to ensure that scholarships are available to so that no child is excluded because he can’t pay the minimal user fees. Inclusion in good healthy supervised fun is the goal that is never sacrificed.

The Sisters community, Kiwanis, Rotary and the School District have been very supportive of SOAR since its inception. Also, the SOAR Board of Directors has worked tirelessly to raise funds to expand and improve the program to a level at which Sisters has a cost effective organization and staff that would be the envy of much larger communities.

It is for these reasons that it makes perfect sense to vote in favor of the SOAR Local Option. Approval of this measure will provide much needed funds for the next five years at a bargain basement cost of only 35 cents per $1,000 in assessed valuation. Even with these additional funds much of the SOAR budget must still be met through donations and grants. Nobody wants to pay more taxes but in my opinion this is the best dollar for dollar investment that we could possibly make in our youth and SOAR deserves your support.

Colin Adams

s s s

To the Editor:

I was shocked and bewildered to read in The Nugget that the Sisters school board has decided to deviate from the traditional school calendar and start school the week before Labor Day for the next two years.

As the owner of two businesses in Sisters I am aware how much the community relies on high school students during the busy summer months and that the students rely on us for employment.

Z21 recently did a series on tourism and on May 2 stated that tourism is the number one “employer” in Central Oregon. It is incredibly insensitive of the school board to disregard that our community needs these students to support our businesses.

As a parent there are many other options I would prefer before I would give up the “last week of summer” when the weather is typically in the 80s. My first choice would be to have less days off during the year, my second choice would be to go longer in June when the weather is less “predictable” and my third choice would be to have only one week at spring break rather than two.

As a family we already had plans this summer for the end of August, first part of September that will now have to be cancelled. Unfortunately since I work 12 to 16 hours a day I was unable to attend the school board meeting where this change took place but would have somehow found time if I had realized that this was an issue.

I urge the incoming school board members to readdress the school calendar for the next two years and get input from their “customers” (parents/community members) to see if this is what the community wants.

Barb Wilson

s s s

To the Editor:

My thoughts based on the article from May 4, “Candidates take stands on ‘creationism’:

Lets start this with a “bang.”

It is a weak man that can not look at truth with open eyes; to fear something so much that they can no longer see the forest for the trees. This is the man (or woman) who fears placing Intelligent Design (the science of design detection — how to recognize patterns arranged by an intelligent cause for a purpose) in the same game as evolution in a public school.

There is not a single shred of evidence that supports evolution as anything more than a theory. The evolution theory itself fails to even hold its own weight. Funny thing is…you can’t prove Intelligent Design (ID) either. It is weak argument that sets creation (or Intelligent Design) as religion only (see http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org).

My gosh! It takes incredible faith to believe in something (evolution) that is mathematically impossible.

So I ask this to Mr. Corrigan and all of us backseat scientists, “Why is evolution not considered religion as well?” Mr. Corrigan, the point of your argument isn’t “the scientific methods.” If that were true, then both Intelligent Design and evolution would be taught as theories next to each other… no the issue is, what if ID is correct? Then what?

Any person who can’t look at both theories with open eyes (and mind)… is this the kind of person that we want helping control the direction of education in our community? Mr. Corrigan’s eager willingness to dismiss ID off-handedly when there is not any more “proof” for evolution than Intelligent Design shows a lack of the openness that we need.

Lance Piatt

s s s

To the Editor:

My vote will go to Rob Corrigan in the Sisters School Board election.

Rob has spent many hours working with the school board on the issues that affect us most. He has given time and expertise to my students by challenging them to stretch their thinking.

His experience in business will be a helpful addition in making budget decisions.

He is the candidate with greater understanding of what is needed to make schools successful. Rob is already an effective leader on complex school issues, and will be ready to take on the vital work facing our district.

Kelly Powell

s s s

To the Editor:

Rob Corrigan has received a great deal of support for his School Board Candidacy through previous Letters to the Editor and endorsements by local officials.

The comments made about Rob thus far have focused on his distinguished formal education, professional successes and proven support of our local schools.

I would like to extend the praise by highlighting Rob’s values as an individual. Honesty, integrity, and resolve are common values of our proven leaders and Rob has them in spades.

These values afford an individual the ability to make choices that are well thought out, appropriate and in the best in interest of those affected.

When it comes to choices made for a public education system that my children will be a part of, I want an individual making them with the right values. Join me in voting for Rob.

Winter Lewis

s s s

To the Editor:

Our daughter is autistic. She may look normal, but her behavior is far from it at times. Strangers make rude comments criticizing our parenting skills; have verbally disciplined our daughter with us standing right there. Rarely is there a day that goes by that we do not hear negative whispers in the background.

The solution is acceptance and education of the facts in understanding the complexities. Autism is at epidemic highs: one in 150 children in the United States is afflicted. Everyone reading this either knows someone or will know someone whom is affected. Be part of the solution: http://www.generationrescue.org.

If you are a family who is suffering, my number is in the book.

Andrea Schleufer

s s s

To the Editor:

Our little town is very popular. Changes are happening very rapidly. It is time for those who wish to preserve the aesthetic quality of life in our town to speak.

I attended the last two planning commission meetings regarding the ordinance proposal that limits additional corporate franchise fast-food restaurants in Sisters.

In both meetings the time was dominated by developers and owners of existing franchise fast-food restaurants. These property owners generally did not like our proposal. It seemed to me that their interests often were focused more on their personal gains than about the interests of people who live here and travel here, or concern for the quality of our environment.

But also present were citizens who represented interests in the quality and preservation of livability in Sisters. Melissa Ward spoke eloquently to our concerns and our desire to conserve the special, slower-paced, friendly quality of Sisters for the community and our visitors.

However, I observed that the developers’ voices were often louder and more emphatic, occasionally planting seeds of fear in those present, even mentioning possible litigation against the City of Sisters if we were to proceed with the ordinance as written.

Please join with me, with community members who do not wish to live with and see the effects of generic American fast-food franchises. We may limit the number of these businesses if we choose, and/or we can dictate adherence to increased aesthetic guidelines and spacing.

If you are in favor of the ordinance proposal, please tell the city. Join me at the next planning commission workshop or meeting; or write, or call, or email City Hall.

Otherwise the developers, far louder and more blustery than their numbers, may wear down our planning commission and city council, thereby dictating their vision for us, for our home. You can direct your future. Speak now.

With Super-Sized concern,

John Simpkins

s s s

To the Editor:

I support the City of Sisters’ adoption of an ordinance to prevent any additional formula food restaurants from locating in Sisters.

The attraction of Sisters lies in its livability, unique character, small town atmosphere and feeling of community. This draws tourism, a major force in the local economy, as well as new residents. We can’t let the city shoot itself in the foot by caving into the same type of monotonous, homogenous commercial development that is the plague of urban areas nationwide, and increasingly, of rural America.

Local communities have to stand up and fight for the future they desire and say ‘no’ to large corporations that are taking over our society and our communities! Saying yes to this ordinance is a first major step to taking control of our destiny!

Linda L. Davis

s s s

To the Editor:

The Bush Administration may be the most adept in history at the art of lying. Most disquieting is that they are very successful at getting American voters to believe them.

In justifying the Iraq War the Administration perfected the arcane skill of “designer truth.” They selected only the intelligence that suggested Saddam had WMDs and ignored evidence that he didn’t.

When no WMDs were found they could argue that they weren’t really lying because they acted on what they believed to be true. And the majority of Americans bought it.

They were so successful at pumping out “designer truth” that by one poll 60 percent of people who watched Fox News believed the lie that Saddam was behind or implicated in 9/11.

Worse, those Fox News watchers believed this connection had been proven despite at least three investigations by various commissions that have proved conclusively that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11.

Imagine 60 percent of viewers of Fox News believing not only that the earth was flat, but it’s been proven that the earth is flat.

Republican Senators lie with ease even when their lies are disputed by the public record.

Holy Bill Frist self-righteously demands an end to filibustering of judicial appointments because it is “unprecedented.”

This is one lie easily refuted. In 1968 Lyndon Johnson tried to elevate Justice Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Republican senators and conservative (racist) southern Democrats, angry at Johnson’s Civil Rights legislation, filibustered the Fortas nomination. Johnson was forced to withdraw the nomination.

Now I expect that if watchers of Fox News were polled 60 percent would agree with Holy Bill Frist. I guess the lesson is that people will believe what they want to believe and all truth is really “designer truth.”

R.T.Tihista

s s s

To the Editor:

The entire community of Camp Sherman would like to once again extend a heart felt thank you to the many generous Sisters merchants who have always donated to our annual fund-raising efforts.

This last weekend was our Spaghetti Feed and Bingo Fund-raiser.

The selfless giving by so many merchants and community members helped tremendously in raising needed funds to support a broad range of educational needs for the Black Butte School students.

The merchants, along with a myriad of supporters and contributors, are helping to create opportunities in a time of shrinking resources for a most valuable and worthy cause — our future, our children.

Rochelle Curtis

Event Coordinator

s s s

To the Editor:

Last weekend Together For Children had their third annual auction at the Black Butte Big Meadow Clubhouse west of Sisters.

Thanks to the skills of Chef David Berger and the Clubhouse’s able staff, the evening was a wonderful fiesta, celebrating Cinco de Mayo and raising money to allow the continuation of the program that serves families with children from birth through three years old.

The success of the evening would not have been possible without the wonderful support of the many people who donated items for the auction, sent in cash donations, volunteered to help and attended the event.

The Sisters merchants were extremely generous, especially in view of the many fund raising “opportunities” they have been invited to join in the past few weeks. The staff, Board of Directors and families enrolled in the program thank everyone who had a part in this event.

Edie Jones

Together For Children Director