Help our community by voting no on 91

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, a majority of voters nationwide are in favor of legalizing small amounts of pot for recreational use. Too bad for schools, students and teachers. Legalizing marijuana could result in lower test scores, graduation rates and may raise already poor absentee rates. Today, Oregon ranks as one of the worst states in those last two categories. Even before legalization, our schools continue to have issues with marijuana use among students. It should come as no surprise that these students have trouble being on time, or even coming to school and finishing assignments. If legalized, use will go up and so will these problems. Alaska found this out in 1982 when it legalized pot for 21 and over. Use among teenagers doubled in less than 10 years. Alaskans then recriminalized pot.

The American Medical Association wrote a report last year opposing legalization. Among some of its findings was that prolonged use led to impairments in neurocognitive performance and IQ. Use was also associated with increased rates of anxiety, mood and psychotic thought disorders.

Hard work, self-discipline, commitment and perseverance are some of the customs necessary for a strong society. These character traits don’t happen under a drug-induced haze. Help our communities, teachers and students by voting no on ballot Measure 91.

Kent Wieber

La Pine

Ignore party lines and vote for Wilhelm

As a registered Republican, I’ll be crossing party lines to vote for Craig Wilhelm during the upcoming election. For me, this race boils down to choosing the candidate with the most sincere and selfless public service record — and that’s Wilhelm.

Wilhelm has proven his commitment to his country and I believe he will serve this community with the same discipline and integrity he served with for 14 years as a U.S. Army commander. As a veteran myself, I know what it takes to lead in difficult situations. Wilhelm has the skills to move our community forward in the right ways to overcome our challenges, despite the obstacles he will undoubtedly encounter in Salem.

Bend deserves a representative with the demonstrated leadership to advance the issues we care about most in the state Legislature. We deserve a leader who shares our values and will strive to protect what we have all come to love about our amazing home. I applaud Wilhelm’s efforts in remaining focused on understanding and aligning with our community as a whole.

I urge all voters to consider the candidate and not necessarily the party this election. That’s why this Republican will be voting for Wilhelm in November.

James Warburton

Bend

GMO labeling helps Oregon farmers

Genetic engineering enables multinational corporations to patent and own grain, vegetable and fruit seeds, putting our national genetic heritage in the hands of a few powerful corporations. Passing GMO labeling will lessen their grip on our food supply, and the marketplace will remain more open and viable for Oregon farmers, who produce a variety of crops. GMO labeling will enable Oregon farmers to capitalize on the increasing demand for non-GMO crops and will help sustain a diverse and robust agricultural economy for Oregon. Measure 92 will protect Oregon farmers from lawsuits if their crops are contaminated by pollen drift from surrounding GMO fields. It is up to the states to set the standard for GMO labeling before the federal government implements watered-down legislation that may pre-empt more effective standards. Now is the critical time for our state to pass Measure 92.

Joy Newhart

Bend

Elect Buehler and Wehby

First, do no harm. Seems like common sense. I wonder why more of our elected officials don’t hold that thought as they deliberate over laws and oftentimes onerous regulations imposed on We the People.

Politicians often talk about solving problems, but considering all the problems surrounding us, one wonders if their intent is genuine. After all, the more problems that are solved, the less we need the politicians.

This election cycle, Oregon is fortunate to have two people running for office that, because of their training and experience, will be mindful of the term — first, do no harm.

Dr. Knute Buehler, an orthopedic surgeon, is running to become the next Oregon House District 54 representative, and Dr. Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon, would like to be Oregon’s next U.S. senator. Both are nationally respected specialists who, if elected, will bring their extensive problem-solving skills to the offices they seek, as both are results-oriented in the work they do.

Now more than ever, during these uncertain and fearful times, as Ebola has sadly become a household word, I would take comfort knowing that two extraordinary physicians are in offices where they can make a positive difference in the lives of all Oregonians.

On Nov. 4, I will proudly cast votes for two people I have come to know well and hold in high esteem. Buehler and Wehby are exactly what Oregon needs. Please join me in voting for Buehler for District 54 representative and Wehby for U.S. Senate.

Carroll Dressler

Bend

Choose Roats for Bend council

I write in support of Casey Roats for Bend City Council. I have had the pleasure of working with Roats over the past two years as a volunteer on the city’s Sewer Infrastructure Advisory Group. As a lifetime resident of Bend and owner of a private utility company, Roats understands the impact of growth and the need for necessary and sufficient infrastructure to maintain livability and affordability for all citizens in the community, now and in the future.

Roats supports thoughtful, well-informed and transparent decision-making in meeting the needs of the entire community. He has been an active participant in several civic committees dealing with a host of critical matters related to city infrastructure. Roats offers a keen understanding of the need for a solid foundation upon which the community may be built, and he also has a firm grasp of the need for public involvement and participatory governance in dealing with the important issues of our time.

Roats listens well, and he makes decisions based on the best information available. He supports thoughtful long-range planning. Roats also backs policies which support more affordable housing for the workforce, and he is concerned with the growing economic disparity within our community. Roats is a fourth-generation Bend resident, and he and his wife, Stacie, are raising a fifth generation in their two daughters. Roats cares for their future, as well as ours. Please vote Roats for Bend City Council.

John Rexford

Bend

DeBone deserves second term

Recently The Bulletin endorsed the wrong candidate for Deschutes County commissioner. They claimed this other individual had a better track record of pushing things through. I think The Bulletin should have endorsed Tony DeBone. Not because he can push his own agenda, but because he has proven he can work with others to get results.

DeBone was instrumental in reaching across the political aisle and securing public land for La Pine. He led county efforts in helping the city of La Pine reorganize industrial and economic development to be more effective. He has helped leverage lottery dollars for economic development to assist the cities of Bend, Redmond, Sisters and La Pine. Fiscally, he has helped expand the jail without a tax increase, secured 911 funding at a property tax decrease and scrutinized county internal services charges for efficient operation.

DeBone is not just effective, he is intelligent. At a recent visit to his house I saw that he and his son had created a solar charger for some of their household items. Tony is now using that knowledge of innovation to help the landfill utilize the gas that is currently floating off into the atmosphere into a $20,000-a-month profit.

Please join me in supporting the candidate we should all endorse: DeBone. He has produced for Deschutes County the last four years and will continue to do so in his second term.

Tobias Wilson

La Pine

Elect Brown to Jefferson commission

I have known and worked with Tom Brown in multiple capacities for over 20 years, and I am voting for him as our next Jefferson County commissioner. It is not often we can have a candidate for a public office that can bring as many tools in his tool box and with laser focus as Brown can: longevity, experience, problem solver, vision and temperament.

Brown’s long-term commitment to the public good is amazing. Youth development, education, community planning and economic development, all with their own complexities and Brown has been successful. Brown’s sustained work with the Madras City Council, Planning Commission, Airport-Industrial Committee and Urban Forestry Commission, all incredibly diverse with multiple layers of public (local, state and federal) and private interests, is indicative of Brown’s strong capacity for problem solving and reasoned progress. Brown is a perceptive and good listener. He can see the broader picture and see opportunity for growth where others may not. Brown’s participatory decisions from years ago are coming to fruition today and onward. We have been fortunate to have Brown’s reasoned thoughtfulness in the mix. Many are not aware of Brown’s strong commitment and 15-year effort to build the Airshow of the Cascades into not only the premier event in Jefferson County, but a recognized statewide event. An event that not only has positive economic benefit to our direct community but also Central Oregon. Brown truly has been instrumental in the airshow’s success.

I wholeheartedly endorse Brown for county commissioner. He is the experienced, problem-solving visionary Jefferson County needs to take us into the future. Elect Brown.

Mack Gardner

Madras

GOP opposes choice, marriage equality

Campaign workers and newspaper letter writers supporting Republican Knute Buehler often note how he is extremely supportive of women and marriage equality.

The Republican Oregon gubernatorial candidate and the person Republican voters overwhelming selected in the May 2014 primary, Dennis Richardson, has said “a woman relinquishes her unfettered right to control her own body when her actions cause the conception of a baby.”

Richardson’s anti-gay and marriage-equality comments are well-published, and often highly offensive.

The Republican Party is opposed to choice and is opposed to marriage equality; Buehler cannot get elected without gaining the votes of many who agree with these views. Maybe someone should ask Buehler who he supports for governor.

Bob Almquist

Bend

Bulletin supports Republicans

In your rather tortured endorsement of Monica Wehby, you cite very few examples of why she would be a good U.S. Senator. You have almost always in the past endorsed the Republican candidate for statewide and national elections. Needless to say, your track record hasn’t been too great.

That being said, you might consider saving newsprint by just writing “we support (name) because he/she has an “R” after his/her name.

Alan Pachtman

Bend

Support Wilhelm for Oregon House

If you have a television that works, then you are aware of the fact that Knute Buehler is a “doctor not a politician.” The main reason that Buehler is not a politician is because the voters of Oregon voted against him the last time he ran for public office. Buehler has been a politician for almost three years, dating back to his November 2011 announcement in his failed bid for secretary of state. That is a long time to campaign and vie for office and still believe that you are not a politician.

Buehler does many things that make him look like a politician. He files paperwork to run for office, raises money to fund his campaigns (as well as his own money), maintains campaign websites and speaks to groups about his political ambitions. It’s hard to hear his ad and trust Buehler or take him seriously.

On the other hand, Craig Wilhelm actively wants to be your candidate for House District 54. Wilhelm wants to represent the city he loves. He has a long record of service, both in the military as an Army commander as well as in the local community. This is evident in the Bulletin letters from those he served with as well as his work with Bethlehem Inn and Crook County Foundation. So, why don’t we take Buehler’s advice and let him keep being a doctor and not a politician by voting for Wilhelm for House District 54 when your ballot arrives in the mail.

Jason Burge

Bend