Letters to the Editor 08/29/2018

To the Editor:

Regarding Letter #2 in the August 22 issue: By the time I'd finished the second paragraph I knew I was reading a letter from Susan Prince. Her words, pregnant with meaning, are always true, researched, and thought through. Here she even provides a solution!

Sisters might have the world's biggest outdoor quilt show and the greatest little rodeo, but it simply will not do for the protectors of our forests to move too slow.

Anita Kirkaldy

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To the Editor:

I agree with Susan Prince's letter last week about putting more restrictions on open fires in forest lands, even in campgrounds.

I, too, have witnessed giant bonfires at Three Creek Campground, the top of the flames licking at the tall tree branches and firebrands blowing off the fire. Really scary. There is no reason for these, not even when the weather conditions indicate low fire danger.

She points out that humans are at the root of many of the big wildfires. The statistics that I am aware of show that at least 85 percent of the wildfires in California and 75 percent of the wildfires in Oregon are caused by humans, usually campfires.

Because of the devastation of the wildfires of the last few years, the unhealthy smoke that we all have to breath for months and the fact that they are more prevalent, getting larger and more intense every year, the Forest Service MUST adopt new regulations.  

No open campfires should be allowed at any time of the year in the National Forest or BLM lands unless specifically approved by the authorities. Fires should only be allowed in designated containers in campgrounds and should be closely monitored by the camp host. Fireworks should be banned year-round, too.

Since most people and politicians are not taking Global Warming seriously, this situation will only get worse, until the smoke is choking us almost year-round and homes are threatened every year. Our primary defense and prevention tactic is to regulate the main cause of these wildfires: people behaving irresponsibly.

Steve Nugent

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To the Editor:

Thank you for your articles "Firefighters need a fighting chance" and "Being prepared for evacuation." As a resident of the area affected by recent fires I found your articles to be timely and informative.

As our fire officials have noted, the importance of maintaining defensible space and property access is a property-owner responsibility and key to safety for residents and emergency responders. I found the link firefree.org to be a great resource for property owners to do their part to protect their families and property from fire.

Additionally, it makes very good sense to be prepared for evacuation each summer with the information outlined in the article. We've been evacuated twice in the past few years and some pre-planning and simple precautions will help all residents evacuate safely. 

A special thanks to all the emergency responders for their efforts in this recent fire and great follow-up on informing the public regarding these measures to help keep us all safe. 

Greg Vandehey

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To the Editor:

It's time for Representative Greg Walden to step down.  

I received a letter from the office of Greg Walden in which he assures me he remains fully committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare.  

As chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Walden led the efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Trumpcare, which would have eliminated healthcare for 640,000 Oregonians with preexisting conditions and remove another 380,000 people enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program. 

At the same time, in the fall of 2017, Congress was considering how to extend the popular 20-year-old Children's Health Insurance Program that was due to expire. In Oregon, the CHIP program provides insurance coverage for 120,700 children and pregnant women whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Walden led the efforts to restore and fund the CHIP program, but he doesn't tell you that he argued it might be necessary to make cuts to Medicare in order to pay for the $8 billion that was needed to keep the program running. 

Walden also voted to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit in order to give tax breaks for the wealthy. And in order to pay for it, GOP has made it clear they'll go after social programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In May 2018, just a few months after the passing of the tax bill, the Trump administration sent to Congress a request to cut $7 billion from the CHIP program in order to "rein in out-of-control federal spending."  

Instead of standing up to Trump and his disastrous trade tariffs, Walden says, "people . . . are willing to give the president an opportunity to put new leverage on our trading partners and get a better deal." Meanwhile, another $12 billion is to be added to the deficit in the form of welfare checks to farmers as they wait for a better deal, a deal that shows no sign of happening.

It's time for Representative Walden to go. Maybe he can retire beside a nice pond somewhere. 

Terry Weygandt

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To the Editor:

The "city" of Sisters is still a small town, arguably too small to justify maintaining a police department since we have good coverage by Deschutes County. I believe that from a cost standpoint and from an operational (backup, personnel and expertise) standpoint we are wiser to contract with DCSO.

And we should not need a multi-thousand dollar feasibility study to clarify the matter. It would seem that an examination of the operational costs of the Black Butte Ranch Police Department would be interesting. If we absolutely feel a need for a police department maybe combining resources in a joint police department with BBR merits consideration.

Donald Harner