Letters to the Editor

Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much I appreciate Jim Anderson's nature columns.

Yes, there are exceptions. I also understand that you want to have
some kind of stopgap so as not to have undesirables proliferating. But
isn't it time for the people owning/leasing the commercial real estate,
especially on the westside/downtown area of Bend, to take the cold
shower of reality?

Take a look at the rates these people are
still shooting for in the offices and stores, especially in the
downtown area of Bend. If your property is not in the top couple
percent of desirability you need to drop your initial asking prices
dramatically. The proliferation of 'For Lease' signs is exploding and
for good reason.

There has been much impassioned public agonizing over the crisis in
the housing market, much of it strongly expressed but not deeply
thought. It is clear that something must be done to reverse the
declines in housing. No domestic sector is as crucial to US economic
health. But there is a hue and cry over "moral hazard" - the apparent
aim being to paralyze public action so as to leave outcomes to the
private markets that have (in the view of objectors, it seems) managed
economic affairs so masterfully in the last months. We must let nature
take its course, it is affirmed.

There are two problems with this
approach. First, it renders policy moot. There is little point in
electing or appointing a President or Fed chief if their main role is
simply to stand aside and let things happen. Second, the damage to the
economy is too dire. In any emergency, remediative action is the moral
responsibility of all involved, even if there is a good chance of
disaster remaining unaverted. And in this case, there is a good chance
corrective action can be effective - if it is correct.
Objectors
decry the rescue of the guilty at the expense of the innocent. They
declare there is no way to halt the collapse of the housing market
except to reward the bad behavior of irresponsible borrowers. But must
we punish every property holder to ensure that the market punishes the
guilty? Because that is the effect of the "let nature take its course"
option. Leaving aside questions of culpability on the part of lenders
who invented such ingenious instrumentalities as the "option ARM" and
the CDO, perhaps we should investigate the issue of saving the economy
instead of chastising the wicked. The matter is simple: how do we
intervene to halt the freefall of housing at least cost to the body
politic?

Editor's note: Last week we ran Pt. 1 of this great Old Timey letter. We are proud to bring you the exciting conclusion of this rare serialized series.
[ring, ring…]
"Hello?"
"Speckman? This is Benny Facter, I'm calling on behalf of O.W.E.D. Me and the boys have been talking, and while we appreciate what you did at the meeting last night, we've got a new plan. Now I know we originally wanted y'all to force an election for us, but it turns out this economy has hit some of my friends pretty hard. Jack Pott has spent a lot of dough getting his land into the UGB, and Owen Monie has a 70 home subdivision just sitting there vacant. So we all met out at Pronghorn this morning and Phil Mabank suggested we forget about this damn election and focus our energy on flipping one of the 3 holdouts on the council."

This week's letter comes from Tania Enoch who relays a well-earned thank you to a nameless stranger who may have saved her son's life. Thanks to Tania for the letter and thanks to the mystery man who, in a world of watchers, chose to stop and do something when it mattered.

Tania we've got a pound of Strictly Organic coffee for your winning letter, which you can scoop at our offices, 704 NW Georgia. We'll let Karma take care of the Good Samaritan.
My husband and I were driving home from the library last Friday with our two little boys when we decided to stop at a business on Franklin Street that we had never seen before. While we were looking around the employees propped open the door, no doubt because of the beautiful weather that day.

It has been interesting following bio-identical hormone therapy in the news media lately. There have been at a minimum three Oprah shows, and an article
in the February issue of O magazine. Suzanne Somers has been writing about this for years, and one of her latest books focuses on this topic primarily. Having graduated 20 years ago this summer from naturopathic medical school and prescribing these medicines for almost as long, it has been fascinating to see how this treatment modality is reaching a fever pitch pace. From clinical experience there is much more to this than simply "Hormone replacement therapy."

So President Obama has signed the Stimulus Bill to start us on the road to recovery. What I would like to know is, 'How this is going to help people who didn't do dumb stuff like take out a loan on a house that was overpriced and over(ly) large, spend to the limit on too many credit cards, and generally live beyond their means?'

The way I read it is that I now own a couple of banks, and part of a couple of car companies.

I feel compelled to respond, albeit indirectly, to last week's letter/tirade by Anonymous. I wish to describe my own, recent personal experience with the Bend Police Department.

Why are there no arguments in favor of measure 9-70 in the voters' pamphlet? It seems like a responsible action to require homes to be connected to a sanitary sewer system or to upgrade existing septic systems. Long-term protection of the quality of our groundwater is essential, and unless we take action, the quality of water available for our children and grandchildren will be affected.

This week's letter comes from Edward Schmidt who urges President Obama (wow, it still feels good to write that) to stick to his policy guns and avoid pandering to the middle. Thanks for the letter, Edward.