Letters to the Editor - 11/25/2020

To the Editor:

We are heartbroken that all of the Sisters community events have been canceled this year. The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce has spent many thousands of dollars on our shop-local advertising campaign, given out thousands of pieces of PPE and tens of thousand of dollars in grant funding to our business community.

We appreciate the community support and your willingness to step up and support our local businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

As you may know, the Chamber has canceled our community events. Again, we are heartbroken not to be able to have our community trick or treating, tree lighting, parade and visit with Santa where we have 200 children fill our chamber and give their Christmas wishes to our very own Sisters Santa Claus.

Given that, we request our community members resist the urge to organize events on their own. We understand the need to help our local business by organizing events. Our concern is if there is an outbreak in Sisters, we will not be able to reopen and that will have long-term economic consequences for our local businesses.

Everywhere I go the community has really stepped up to the plate and is following all the rules laid out by the state government. Whether we agree or not with mandates, most of us are following the restrictions. I also do not agree with some of the mandates. As an example, the gyms have purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of sanitizing equipment, the equipment is sanitized by every person using the facilities’ equipment, face masks are being used, social distancing is in place and guards have been put up to separate gym employees from the public. Also, due to the safety requirements, restaurants are also some of the safest places, as well.

So, while we don’t agree with all of the mandates, we do agree we must follow the protocols in place so we can stay open and stay safe. We are in this for the long haul and we need your support now more than ever.

This year we will be doing a virtual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony that can be seen on our Facebook page on Friday. November 27 at 5:30 p.m. Please gather round with your family this holiday season. Celebrate each other, love each other, shop local this season, and please help us stay open.

Our very best to our community during this time!

Judy Trego

CEO, Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce

To the Editor:

This is what we hear over and over from the special interest groups in Sisters: “We need affordable housing for the workforce of Sisters, and we also need good local jobs for the people of Sisters.”

While this tugs at the heartstrings and sounds quite virtuous, the logic is circular and, thus, totally illogical. Unfortunately, it’s so far proven effective at clearing the way for the transformation of our little town.

Following Bend’s lead into a perpetual build-tax-build-tax model is fundamentally unsustainable and an example of the “tragedy of the commons.” Meaning, a recurring historical pattern observed in “a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action.”

Josh Groves

To the Editor:

Several letters last week set me to thinking about my experience as a mother of three. As such, it was my responsibility to try to correct bad or destructive behavior when I saw it. My children are now responsible, healthy, and happy adults. None of us would consider endangering another with close conduct during this pandemic. We have seen each other outside only, wearing masks when in near contact.

We have always worn masks when out in public, respecting ours and others’ rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I do not like to compare the actions of adults with those of children, but what I see going on in this country are the egotistical actions of irresponsible adults who were not taught or choose to ignore the lessons of communal safety and concern. There are adults in this country who have been given the responsibility of protecting their constituents. It is their duty to impose restrictions when common sense rules are ignored. It is not an impingement on our rights, it is a reminder of our responsibility to each other. It is such a simple thing — wear a mask when in public. Limit contact, especially indoors.

With the holidays on our doorstep, it will be different, but not impossible, to continue these precautions. Make a traditional meal and share it with your household family. Connect with other loved ones via the internet. Sing songs together, tell stories. The life you save may be your own or that of someone you love. It’s a small price to pay.

Carolyn Hammond

To the Editor:

I grew up in a Republican family, where your word was your bond. Honesty, integrity and the telling of truth based on actual verifiable facts were the cornerstone of citizenship. In the past four years we have watched a continuous stream of falsehoods, outright lies, debunked conspiracy theories and the discounting of science spewed by the Trump administration and multitudes of supporters.

Enough, Trump lost the election. Get over it. Get back to honesty, integrity and truthful behavior. Stop following social and network media and make an honest assessment of what the truth is.

David Hiller