Letters to the Editor

Bend's newest store, Powell's Sweet Shoppe on Wall Street, is a delight for kids and grownups alike: a treat for the eyes and the spirit. Yet it hits a sour note with the inclusion of candy cigarettes on its shelves.

I was reading the article that Eric Flowers wrote about the status of the Bend UGB. I do not think that the citizens of Bend want to or should pay for a bridge that just services land owned by Matt Day, Brooks Resources, Millers and Coats.

Sounds like Darwin's' theory was definitely at work there. It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of - cops bring the bomb (or "suspicious device") into the bank and employees are still in the building?
What f***ing idiots! Any 3rd grader knows you don't just pick the (thing) up and carry it somewhere.

Yippee! Gas prices are down! Now we can all dust off our gas-guzzling pick-ups and SUVs and get 'em back on the road.
We sure don't need to use any of those sissy gas-conserving driving habits either.

This week's letter of the week comes from local business owner Christy Nickey whose store was recently burglarized. She reminds us to all be vigilant in policing our local neighborhoods to keep Central Oregon a safe place to live, work, and do business - a great thought as tough economic times tend to bring out the worst in some people. Thanks for the letter Christy, you can stop by to pick up your prize for this week's LOW, a pint glass from the Old Mill and a cold beverage to fill it.
 
My store was broken into last Friday night. Despite a decent amount of shattered glass, a kicked-in door and a most unpleasant phone call at 1:30 in the morning, the Cosmic Depot has survived unscathed, as happy and wonderful a place as it has ever been. My first reaction at the scene of the crime was sheer gratitude that not much was stolen; there was only a mess to clean up and no one was hurt. I love to make things pretty, so rising to the challenge was easy. Sometimes the world gives you lemons. I say make big, badass, beautiful security doors out of them. Don't get mad; get on with it.

I am responding to the very large and long article in the Source with your name on top. (A One Way Trip, tSW Nov. 27)
I see a slanted view and a side-taking which bothers me as the newspaper needs to report, and only report - unless the paper is taking sides - and that could be put up-front in bold letters. It's been voted down three times; its shoddy beginning is an embarrassment. (Jodie Barram said it best in her interview: "transit was a mistake and someone dropped the ball").
Deschutes River Woods was another embarrassment…to include DRW was only to expand the population to a point where more grant money would be available…and the transit system talks to DRW meetings was a sham.

I respectfully submit this letter to the public, hoping that each media outlet that I send this to will show me the same respect they have shown every person who has recently been so willing to publically (sic) criticize a man they have never met. I know some time has passed and that this may be old news, but I wanted to allow this time for everyone to calm down and truly consider what I must express in the hope of returning some of the self-esteem and community standing this falsely accused man has lost.
Much has been said about Dan Hiatt in the past month, and perhaps I was wrong to sit by in silence. I naively believed that at some point someone in the media would contact Mr. Hiatt, and that those who were so willing to jump to conclusions would learn something about this man that might put some of these rumors to rest, or at the very least, quiet some of the furor going on in every media outlet in Central Oregon. As I have since learned, not a single person from the local television stations or newspapers has even attempted to contact him or uncover anything about him as a coach, a person, or what really happened that day between him and the young man he allegedly maligned.

This week's Letter of the Week comes from regular writer Matt Orr who urges fellow citizens to hold Obama accountable even as he stacks his administration with Clinton-era appointees, including his former opponent Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Thanks for the letter Matt, you can pick up your top secret prize at the Source headquarters, 704 NW Georgia.
No doubt if you were stranded beside the road with four flat tires and the vultures circling you would be grateful to the man who came by and offered you a tow and tire change. You might even shed a tear of renewed hope as the kind man tightened down the last lug nut and pocketed your payment. It would be hard, however, not to harbor a certain disappointment-the kind that could easily turn to anger or resentment-when, at the first rest stop, you noticed a suspicious seam encircling the new tires. Retreads!

As a regular reader of The Weekly Source, (sic) I was disappointed with the editor's suggestion (November 20, 2008) that Central Oregon Builder's Association (COBA) and Central Oregon Association of Realtors (COAR) essentially bought the election of the Bend City Council and are therefore expecting payback. While the true reasons voters voted as they did may never be factually known, the major reason may have been the incumbent councilors were incredibly poor stewards of public money.
During the past eight years our city population increased by 55%. During this time the city council increased general fund expenditures 110%, and increased the general fund debt 280%! The city council also authorized borrowing by their newly created urban renewal districts, which would have AGAIN more than doubled the general fund debt, without the vote of the people. Just last spring Mayor Abernethy noted that the council had added or beefed up 23 different programs and Councilor Friedman said he'd known about some of the underlying problems with the city's budget for at least a year. While it seems reasonable, he shared his concern with other councilors, corrective action was not taken.
The most highly visible financial failures of the pre-election city council are:

Hi Mr. Anderson,
Recently during the ideal weather period of mid October I had a visit from long time friends who were actually college buddies and later biology teachers like myself. As we took advantage of the beautiful waterfalls and scenery of the area, we talked about how much of today's teaching of the subject seems to emphasize the microscopic, even the molecular nature of the plant/animal world much to the neglect of the total organisms.
With that comment in mind I shared some of your recent articles from The Source, and a thought occurred to all of us.