Sidewalk Bikers

In H. Bruce Miller's recent article “Shrinkage Might Not Always be a Bad Thing,” he states, “Is a little shrinkage necessarily a bad thing? Certainly not for the schools. The overcrowding problem will be eased. Teacher/student ratios will improve and there'll be more of everything from library books to pencils to go around.”
Hmm. Well, some schools in the Bend-LaPine district are actually experiencing greater-than-projected enrollments this year, while others are indeed shrinking. Due to an equally diminished budget, hiring additional teachers is not an option for schools with expanding populations. Where do the needed teachers and administrators come from? They come from the schools that are shrinking, resulting in larger class sizes. As a specialist teacher at a school that has experienced a significant drop in enrollment and a few staff rearrangements, I can attest to the fact that in most grades, our classroom sizes have increased and our student/teacher ratios have gotten worse.

I have the perfect solution to Bend's overpopulation of geese (I call them flying rats) Shoot them, clean them, and donate them to the hungry. Geese taste pretty good and with all the homeless people we have, and people needing food from the food banks, why not? This would help solve two problems, an overabundance of geese and unsanitary goose sh*t, and lack of meat for our needy.

Imagine telling someone their disease is too uncommon to invest in research for treatments and cures. Somehow, that just doesn't add up. Every life counts.
Bend-area residents who believe no cancer is too rare to care came out in full force last Saturday for the 2nd Annual Oregon Walk for a Cure. The event at La Pine State Park raised funds for a rare abdominal and digestive track cancer, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST), which annual affects approximately 10,0000 adults and children nationwide.
This event was just one of many planned around the United States by the GIST Cancer Research Fund. Founded in 2001, the GIST Cancer Research Fund raises funds to support continued research to expand the development and access of important life-saving therapies for GIST patients. The non-profit organization holds annual walks, galas and cycle tours as its primary fundraising events. One hundred percent of the money raised from each event goes to research.

I try to look at your publication on a weekly basis. I can't recall reading about an avowed Communist, Van Jones, from Oakland, Calif., whom President BO tabbed as his “green” czar. It's also known that Jones signed a document holding the United States government responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Fortunately, guys like Bill O'Reilly and Glen Beck exposed this person and he has since resigned his post.
Also, because of Beck and O'Reilly, ACORN has been exposed. This was a case of a 25-year-old male posing as a pimp for his 20-year-old prostitute. They videoed four ACORN offices in which they were seeking assistance in opening a brothel and were considering importing underage girls from El Salvador to work in them. And, lo and behold, the ACORN personnel were very sympathetic to their cause and gave the prospective young business people tips on how to beat the system and the federal government.