Letters to the Editor 11/01/2006

To the Editor,

This letter is in response to the October 25 letter to the editor regarding the sheriff's ballot measures 9-40 and 9-41. The intent of this letter is not to ask for a yes or no vote but to give accurate information as to the quality of service Tollgate has received from the sheriff's department.

Like many communities, we sometimes have a speeding problem. When contacting the sheriff's department, I have never received a "Sorry…private roads…can't help!" What I have received was a personal call from the sheriff, a deputy dispatched with several types of speed monitoring devices (that were allowed to be used for an extended period of time) and increased patrolling by the deputy.

Our roads are private; therefore speeding citations can not be issued, but citations for careless and reckless driving can and have been issued. Throughout my 20 years in Tollgate, whenever I have called the sheriff for assistance, I have received an efficient response.

We can't expect the department to patrol our roads 24-7; however, they are patrolling more frequently than indicated in the October 25 letter to the editor. During the Black Crater Fire the sheriff's deputies maintained a continuous presence in our community, provided escorts to reenter the evacuation area and worked diligently with other emergency services in securing our community.

Some of the costs to the county for providing one patrol deputy encompasses the following: new recruit training, salary, payroll taxes, benefits, personnel management support, records support, continued training, communications support, technology support and vehicle costs (keep in mind a patrol car only lasts approximately three years).

Is the tax revenue received from the property owners of Tollgate equivalent to the yearly expenses of one patrolling deputy? After researching this, I believe so.

One of the many reasons I moved to Sisters was safety, and I thank the sheriff's department for giving me that sense of security.

Sincerely,

Betty Fadeley

To the Editor:

Imagine my surprise when I answered my cell phone which I thought was a private number for emergency contact with my daughter and son.

Tell me, how scared are the Republicans? To my surprise, the voice on the other end of the receiver said "Hi, this is Senator Gordon Smith." I hung up.

Not only is this an invasion on my privacy, but now I am responsible for paying for this invasion.

Everyone needs to know we no longer have any privacy under the Republicans. It's as if we are now living under new rules. Republican rules. What other information are these people tapping in on?

They buy their way into government, they lie to us and now they take away our privacy.

Carole Goodman

s s s

To the Editor:

This nation seems ready to be practical and logical instead of emotionally driven in political choices. (Oh, how I hope.)

Ted Kulengoski is the governor who fits the bill on these needs, a functional and pragmatic public servant who has done a very decent job in the throes of huge challenges in his years as Oregon's governor.

Esquire magazine (Nov. 2006) says it very well, "Oregon is sharply divided politically, making Kulongoski's record of bipartisan success all the more impressive. He's a details man."

Please remember that we need thinkers like Kulongoski, the kind of leaders who show up, do the work and don't focus on the getting the spotlight. We have enough rock stars.

Bonnie Malone

s s s

To the Editor:

They come! Beginning with the first dust from an early summer rodeo, and keep coming until the uncomplicated fall Harvest Faire. They come like geese drawn to a corn field. With the arrival of the first cold air from the north, they will vanish as geese do, flying to the warmer south.

A line of vehicles moves slowly into Sisters. When the column reaches the end of town the funnel opens and they scatter to the north, to the east and south. It is a parade of vehicles all with their own destination. A parade that travels east on Fridays and then reverses itself and goes west each Sunday.

Some will pass through our town without stopping. But not all. Many will linger awhile and examine closer this original frontier town. Those who walk our streets, it seems, are not like us. They dress in white shorts, white shoes and baseball caps. They carry around cameras, ice cream, and coffee. They lock their cars and talk on cell phones. They are followed around by kids, grandparents and dogs. Their vehicles are piled high with bicycles and often pulling a travel trailer. These visitors are drawn to our town for scores of reasons.

A sign to put away performing stages, street light decor, tents and other summer activity stuff is when the first light snow falls on the Three Sisters. Another successful run has come to the end. Visitors and locals alike were entertained, educated and made welcome.

The cold air from the north brings to our town a quieter time. The geese have flown south and the parade is over. Our town may be ready for a winter nap.

Jerry Mohler

s s s

To the Editor:

Please cast your vote for Sharlene Weed in her election bid for Sisters City Council (curiously not even mentioned as a contender in last week's Nugget endorsements).

Over her several-year tenure, Sharlene has emerged as a strong supporter of issues ranging from housing affordability to preservation of town character and the natural environment. She has also been highly enthusiastic about the Sisters visioning process, a forum open to participation by all Sisters area residents who would like to have a voice in the town's future.

Significantly, Sharlene was the only council member to have attended both meetings, a measure of her commitment and caring. Her amply demonstrated service to the people of this community makes her very deserving of your vote.

Sarah Rahm

s s s

To the Editor:

I wasn't going to write a letter in support of Measure 43 (parental notification) as it seemed like a sure thing to pass. Then I heard Hilary Clinton arguing against parental notification of abortions for minors. So I realized that there may be some out there who fall for her argument which goes like this: Some teenagers might be pregnant as the result of rape or incest, and this is really an attempt to make abortion illegal.

To her first point, rape and incest is already illegal, and there are laws to punish those who commit these types of crimes. Measure 43 provides a legal bypass in these cases so the minor doesn't have to notify the parents. As the law stands now, minors who have an abortion and are from an abusive home life are sent right back to the abusive environment they came from - Measure 43 will actually help these girls.

To the second point about this being a veiled attempt to outlaw abortions - read the language in the measure. It does not require parental permission, just parental notification. Saying this is a step towards outlawing abortion is like the gun lobby claiming that outlawing machine guns is an attempt to make guns illegal. Both arguments fail the "sounds reasonable" test.

Girls between the ages of 15-17 cannot get their ears pierced or even take an aspirin at school without their parent's permission. Yet we allow them to have abortions without their parents knowing about it. So let's join the other 44 states that already require parental notification of a minor requesting an abortion, and vote yes on Measure 43.

Carey Tosello

s s s

To the Editor:

Once again Sisters School District has the attention of state government. This time we owe the people of Oregon $1.2 million. Apparently we were out of compliance with rules concerning the separation of church and state.

Can Sisters schools avoid making restitution by using their favorite defense, which is, "Sisters schools don't understand the rules." As taxpayers we need to know how this turns out.

Meanwhile, those who wish to champion the cause for public rights can find a bumper sticker on the Internet, which reads, "Don't pray in my school and I won't think in your church."

Doug Wood