Letters to the Editor, Week of March 19

ODOT Funding

Regarding the Opinion in March 5, 2026, that brought forth the political issues of raising taxes on fuel to pay ODOT services, I wish to highlight the statement: “Due to real progress on the climate front, through electric vehicles and efficiency, the state now has fewer dollars for road maintenance.”

First, it should be noted that the proposed tax increases will hit electric vehicle owners with huge licensing fee increases, thus incentivizing fewer EV purchases. But more importantly, the concept of fuel taxes as a “user tax” to fund road maintenance and repair by users of roads is invalid.

We all need and use roads, whether we own a car or not. We need groceries delivered, we need our utilities to function, we need busses and emergency vehicles to get through. Our society functions with roads providing access to food and medical care for all of us. As every citizen of Oregon, and every visitor to Oregon, uses roads both directly and indirectly, a better ODOT funding source would be the General Fund, with perhaps some funds from room taxes or other visitor revenues. Let’s continue to make progress on the climate front, and improve air quality by encouraging electric vehicles, and pay for roads in a more realistic way.

— Mathieu Federspiel

Return to Jazz Roots

What Happened to Jazz at the Oxford? The critical term here is “Jazz.” Jersey Boys is not Jazz. Chicago is not Jazz. The lineup this year was a complete disappointment. Jazz at Joe’s is doing a better job. The venue in the Oxford is very special, and the shows in the past have been great. Why did they switch to rock-n-roll? I’ve been a season subscriber for years. So much so, that I didn’t really pay attention to the lineup, but if they do this again, I’m sorry to say “I’m Out.” I came to Bend from New York City, and I cherished the “Jazz Club” at the Oxford as a reminder of my experiences in the City. This year they failed. I sincerely hope next season they’ll get back to their “jazz roots.”

—Louis Capozzi

War Is a Racket

Since the end of WWII the U.S. has bombed at least 30 different countries around the world, whose populations represent more than a third of all humanity. The CIA has publicly acknowledged involvement in at least seven successful regime changes. During the Cold War, the CIA toppled democratically elected governments, propped up dictators, trained death squads and funded insurgencies across Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, U.S. “Special OPS” forces are active in approximately 150 nations around the world at any given time. The scale of U.S. military intervention during peacetime is unequalled by any other country. Highly decorated (two Medals of Honor) Marine Corp General Smedley Butler considered war a racket. “It always has been. The oldest, easily the most profitable, and surely the most vicious,” Butler said.

He suggested smashing the war racket by removing the profit, letting those who would be fighting decide whether there should be war, and limiting military force to homeland defense.
“Beautiful ideals are given for our troops being sent out to die, “ Butler said, “but no one ever tells them that dollars and cents are the real reasons.” Butler believed there were two reasons for going to war: Defending the homeland, and defending the Bill of Rights.

Now the biggest sleazeball traitor racketeer in American history is working the oldest, most profitable racket on America and the world and getting ready to work his voodoo on the midterms.

Free elections in November? Will bullshit fly?

— Mike Epstein

May 2026 Deschutes County Commission Election

Amanda Page is by far the best candidate for Seat 3 on Deschutes County Commission.
Amanda Page is the one candidate for this seat who will work for inclusion—of Indigenous people, the historical stewards of the forests, rivers, and wildlife of these lands; of family farmers who produce our food; of residents of all cultures; of young people; swing voters, non-affiliated voters; and people of all colors and economic levels. Amanda has shown by her actions that she stands strongly for integrity, building community and democracy, and listening to all voices. She incorporates our ideas and answers our questions. I’ve spoken to Amanda’s Democrat-endorsed opponent and found Amy Sabbadini sadly lacking in these qualities, though she advertises herself as representing integrity and unity.

We all treasure the beautiful rivers, forests and wildlife of Deschutes County. Amanda will work hardest to preserve and protect these treasures. Amanda is the one candidate who is a tribal member (Klamath), with community connections to local Indigenous leaders. Amy Sabbadini told me that she has an “Indigenous background,” merely because she has studied Native American history. This is dishonest and manipulative.

Amanda has the most well-rounded, pertinent work and life experience for this job, including emergency health services, education at local leadership and State levels, and cross-cultural leadership work.

I stand for Amanda Page for Seat 3 on the County Commission, because, as another supporter said to me, “I trust Amanda to always do the right thing, not to go along just to get along,” and I will add “and not just to get ahead.”

—Sandra Fox

International Women’s Day Reflection

In the spirit of International Women’s Day, I wanted to share a small observation that raised a broader question about inclusivity and preparedness in our safety training environments.

Earlier today at the Swim and Fitness Center, I noticed a CPR class taking place. It occurred to me that, throughout my life, the CPR training mannequins I’ve seen almost always appear to represent a male torso. That observation made me wonder whether our training materials adequately reflect the diversity of bodies that responders may encounter in a real emergency.

Cardiac arrest can affect anyone, and when seconds matter, familiarity and confidence can make a critical difference. If CPR training primarily uses male-figured mannequins, it may unintentionally leave trainees less prepared to respond quickly and confidently when assisting someone with a female body. While the fundamentals of CPR are the same, practicing with a range of body types could help ensure that responders are comfortable performing life-saving actions in all situations.

Given the importance of equitable representation in health and safety training, it might be worthwhile to consider whether incorporating female-form CPR mannequins—or other anatomically diverse training tools—could strengthen our community safety programs.

I share this observation respectfully and in the spirit of continuous improvement and inclusion. Thank you for all who put work into providing safety training in our community, and I appreciate you considering this perspective.

—Christopher Coleman

Letter of the Week
An interesting question. Christopher, as letter of the week, you can stop by the Source office for a gift card to Palate coffee. —Managing Editor Nic Moye

This article appears in the Source March 19, 2026.