Letters to the Editor 10/17/2018

To the Editor:

Some comments from Greg Walden's debate:

Does Walden respond to people in his district who have a problem? Why did he not answer a voter of his in Eastern Oregon who wrote him asking for help with a problem with invasive grass made by Scott Seeds which was harming his crops? (High Country News source)

If a large number of people in his district live near the poverty line why is it that most of the fence signs I see in Central Oregon are on farms? Do they get special consideration in some way?

Walden has a VTV ad portraying him as a veterans champion, but in the debate it was brought out he had voted no on veterans bills for at least a decade.

He is big on any bill for the timber industry, understandable as the industry is good to him with contributions.

Where is Walden on conservation? I don't remember hearing that from him in the debate or any other time. Maybe it is in his newsletter, which I have asked for four times in the last three years and have never seen an issue. The request seems to have reached the Republican headquarters though as they keep writing asking for money. I am not a registered Republican.

Climate Change: nothing said. One cannot buck the party approach.

By Walden's demeanor as the debate ran along it seemed to me that he was very uncomfortable any time he was asked something which he couldn't respond to with the party line. I guess that is why Walden does not have open town halls.

Was he willing for another debate before November? He wouldn't answer that, even though it was asked three times. Instead he finished with how perfectly Oregonian he is, with a compilation of his background, which I suspect will be in the voters pamphlet. Was that an instance of tribalism to try to convince the population to vote for the good local?

B. Graham

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To the Editor:

I appreciated the column by Steve Nugent (Who's at fault for our immigration situation?), published in the October 10 issue of this newspaper. The column ends with words: "We need to start valuing immigrants more; after all that's who built this country."

The same day I read the article, I saw a sign in downtown Bend which reinforces the truth of those words, while adding some local context. The sign is on the O'Kane building, located at the corner of Bond and Oregon streets, and part of the National Register of Historic Places.

The sign begins with these words: "Hugh O'Kane, an illegal immigrant from Ireland, built the magnificent O'Kane Building. Regarded as the finest example of the Chicago Mercantile Style in Bend, it is still the largest commercial structure in downtown Bend."

Let's all remember how we got here and who built this place we are fortunate enough to call home.

Chris Harker

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To the Editor:

We've all seen the billboards with the looming photo and words, "Greg Walden working for us." Perhaps Rep. Walden refers to the royal "us" meaning he is working for himself and his corporate contributor Big Pharma (pharmaceutical industries). According to the website http://www.opensecrets.com, he is the No. 1 recipient of Big Pharma campaign contributions in the House - over $500,000 this cycle alone.

While only eight percent of his campaign contributions come from our district, 63 percent come from PACs like Big Pharma. So, we might ask, who are his constituents?

In contrast, Jamie Mcleod-Skinner has refused to take PAC money. She is committed to a bi-partisan approach for assuring accessible and affordable healthcare in our district and that includes managing costs. A recent survey in Healthcare Finance reported 87 percent of doctors feel Big Pharma is the main cause of our health costs sky rocketing. As a nurse, I agree with them and perhaps you do, too.

Please join me in supporting Jamie Mcleod-Skinner for congress. She will work for US, the people of District 2 unlike her opponent who will work for U$, Big Pharma.

Maggi Machala, MPH, RN

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To the Editor:

Right on the heels of utter devastation wrought by hurricanes Florence and Michael, comes an alarming report in the prestigious journal Nature that mitigation of global climate change will require a massive switch to plant-based eating.

The report concludes that global warming threatens the world's very food supply, in addition to generating scorching heat, raging wildfires, devastating hurricanes, massive flooding, and rising sea levels. It was compiled by an international panel of 23 climate experts and follows the latest warning about rising temperatures by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

A 2010 United Nations report blamed animal agriculture for 19 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, 70 percent of freshwater use, and 38 percent of land use. Carbon dioxide is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures and by operating factory farms. The more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are released from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste cesspools, respectively.

In an environmentally sustainable world, just as we replace fossil fuels by wind, solar, and other pollution-free energy sources, we must also replace meat and dairy products in our diet by vegetables, fruits, and grains.

Our next supermarket visit offers a superb opportunity to get started.

Skyler Nash

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To the Editor:

Lack of adequate transportation contributes to isolation and depression. What is often found, even now, is that seniors are so isolated, independent-minded, depressed or needy that they do not reach out to get the assistance they desperately need. Their families often do not know the resources. The hope is that a neighbor or friend aware of them and services will help them.

Council on Aging provides an Information and Resource Specialist, Toni Landis. She is available on first and third Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sisters Community Church. She can find the service needed. Call COCA or Toni at 541-678-5483.

Council on Aging recently published a new DIRECTIONS, the resource guide for Older Adults in Central Oregon. Get one at the Community Church on a Tuesday, see Toni, and also eat a home-made luncheon for seniors prepared by Lisa Fetrow of COCA. There are fun activities and informative speakers, too.

Perhaps, too, Sisters' final goals will include support by city officials to designate the city of Sisters to be one of the world's many age-friendly communities to guide and direct and reward Sisters with that official name through WHO (World Health Organization). According to AARP Sisters is age-friendly already, easily meets the criteria and with the beautiful Lodge (residential and assisted living) finished soon, Sisters attracts families and friends of seniors. It gives jobs to many and is good business in a tourist town.

An exciting proposal by Claudia Bisso-Fetzer, PhD is to launch an all-inclusive gala event probably at the high school in the spring 2019. It will be a culmination of activities shared by young and old throughout the year. Claudia, a visionary with much experience working with people of all ages, plans this will be an annual event and a model for Oregon towns and beyond.

Joann Power

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To the Editor:

I have known Patti Adair for several years and have worked alongside her during her time at DCRP and Central Oregon Federation of Republican Women.

Anyone who knows her will agree with me that she is brilliant, honest, tireless, a problem-solver, and she cares deeply about preserving our lovely Central Oregon.

What an asset we have in Patti. Add her to Phil Henderson and Tony DeBone for a complimentary trio of greatness for our county. Join me in voting Patti Adair for Deschutes County Commissioner.

Joyce Waring

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To the Editor:

Good schools, superb outdoor recreation, shops, galleries and restaurants, Sisters is a rare gem, a distinctive and special place to live and visit. So, what do we gain by adding the sale of marijuana to a winning list of favorables?

We are not and do not have to be like other towns and cities in Oregon that offer marijuana for sale. We can stand apart. We can continue to be distinct. We can learn from others and not make the same mistakes.

In Colorado's first two years, hospitalizations related to marijuana tripled from 803 per 100,000 to 2,413, and calls to poison centers rose sharply. A Newsweek article mentioned the, "drip, drip, drip of unintended consequences such as increased use among teenagers resulting in education problems in middle and high school, a spike in edible-related emergency room visits and consumption by children and pets. And (what Oregon is now experiencing) regulation confusion surrounding public consumption and law enforcement." Mentioning youth, there have always been adults who buy alcohol for kids. The same will happen with marijuana.

There will be those who see a value of offering marijuana for sale in Sisters for tax revenue. But like Colorado, which was the first state to have retail marijuana stores, the cost of increased law enforcement, drugged driving incidents, fatal crashes and loss of employee productivity may well use up the increased tax revenue.

Many who call Sisters home won't be allowed to vote on whether to allow marijuana sales in the district because that decision rests with those who make up the city population. Hopefully, these citizens will want to keep Sisters unique and avoid negative marijuana headlines. Why jump off the cliff just because other towns and cities are making the marijuana leap?

Fred Boyd

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To the Editor:

Since the most popular and compelling argument in support of legalizing marijuana sales in Sisters is the tax revenue it would generate, regardless of whether or not you are in favor of allowing pot shops in town, it seems prudent to maximize the potential tax revenue and vote in favor of Measure 9-123.

Greg Werts

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To the Editor:

On a recent road trip through four western states, I was struck by the pristine beauty of the designated public lands sites abounding, knowing that the west holds over 90 percent of such lands for all Americans.

Greg Walden has supported not only the occupiers at Malheur, but the administration's efforts to sell these lands to private investors for development, i.e. oil drilling. He has repeatedly voted to remove healthcare for thousands, remove safety protections for toxic emissions from factories, mining, autos and has advocated NRA ideas on gun usage!

His efforts to curb our wildfire issues have been minimal and worst of all, he stands with the Trump climate change denials, regardless of global agreement.

His appearances in his largest constituency have been rare and limited in allowed attendees, unlike Jamie McCleod-Skinner's visits to the vast reaches of this district to listen!

Meanwhile, Jamie McCleod-Skinner promotes actual ideas for renewed healthcare; fervently believes in climate change as a priority; opts for gun-safety measures, not removal; and wants to re-examine regulations meant to protect us on all levels! Her experience in water issues hits us at the core in Central Oregon and her working in international, urban, and rural areas offers a wide perspective. She is also supporting public school needs over mass charter-school funding.

Why has Walden supported a president who is documented as lying well over 3,000 times? We need a fresh voice who will gently ruffle some feathers!

Come meet her at The Belfry, October 23, 5 to 6 p.m.

Wendie Vermillion

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To the Editor:

Deschutes County voters will soon be making their choices for County Commissioner. With this vote we will have the opportunity to elect an individual who will make decisions based on what best serves the needs of our county's residents, not what is politically correct or less controversial.

Patti Adair's opponent believes our current marijuana regulations "have achieved a middle ground as they have not been challenged by an appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals or the courts." The apparent concern here being that to put forth any additional regulations addressing issues such as water usage, odors or other concerns could result in the courts overturning or weakening existing regulations.

Deschutes County residents deserve a commissioner who will make decisions based on what best serves the needs of the county. "Reasonable" and "middle ground" can be acceptable in many instances but not when they fall short of meeting safety, welfare and quality-of-life standards.

Patti Adair is a person with the skills, courage and experience to do this difficult job. As a former Certified Public Accountant she served as financial advisor to individuals and businesses both large and small. This extensive financial background gives her a wealth of experience making her uniquely qualified to serve as our next Deschutes County Commissioner. The demands on municipal budgets to do more with less have never been more acute. Fiscal restraint and spending prioritization are imperatives. We cannot continue to see taxes increase at double the rate of population

growth.

A recent columnist in The Bend Bulletin described Patti Adair as a far-right Republican and her opponent as a moderate Democrat. As is typical of so many political writers, Democrats seem to be moderate and Republicans are always far right. If being opposed to unrestricted municipal budget growth, believing the sanctuary state law may not be in our best interest then the far right label can be applied to voters of all parties. Forget the derogatory labels and look at the candidate's skills and goals for our county.

Please join me in voting for Patti Adair for County Commissioner Position 3.

Andy Sichler