Vote for DeBone

I have known Tony DeBone for about eight years and have found him one of the most capable people I’ve met.

I am voting for him because he immerses himself in what he does and engages people in very thoughtful discussion of ideas, and as an idea man is very imaginative, the result of which is an innovative approach not seen by others.

The Commissioner College, which DeBone attended, is, in part, a study of resources commissioners can use to make assets available which are generally not known but the use of which can accomplish a great deal efficiently, expediently, and generally at a low cost.

These are just some of the reasons I’m voting for DeBone.

Tom Berhow

La Pine

Walden lost my vote

Greg Walden’s ad in your paper on Tuesday proudly states that he listens to his constituents. Please!

Five months ago I wrote him an urgent letter concerning an international incident, begging him to pressure the Senate and president to take quick action. Four months later, after the incident had resolved, I received a formatted email stating how concerned he was and blah, blah, blah.

It was obvious that he never saw and probably never heard of my letter. It was also obvious to me then that he doesn’t listen, which means he doesn’t care what our concerns are, just his party agenda.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the status quo. Walden has lost my vote.

Nancy Kirkland

La Pine

Coal, climate change and ideologists

When you get three people with their coal mantra on the same day, you know you have a serial write-in campaign. The speculation that “Climate change is man caused” is just that: speculation.

Just last week scientists were able to prove almost all the warming could be explained by wind and sun changes. As we speak, the polar cap is increasing, and for us older folk we can remember the ice age warning in the ’70s. Do Chris Ogden, Clyde Keller and Connie Peterson use electricity only when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing?

There is nothing at this time that can produce 100 percent of our power needs 24 hours a day except what we have now, hydro, nuclear, oil, clean-burning natural gas and coal. The advances in cleaning up coal have slowed the damage. Carbon makes up about 4/10ths of 1 percent of our atmosphere.

If you think that we can control our climate and the oceans with our behavior, you have bees in your bonnet. The first fallacy is that you can change human behavior. We don’t buy oil from the Arabs or goods from China because we like them. Chinese products are cheaper than we can produce.

The government will not give permission to take oil out of the ground on federal land. Get real. Poverty will not help our climate, but killing the coal industry will create poverty and raise energy prices.

Nils Kristiansen

Bend

Like the OJ trial

Watching the Bend City Council hearing regarding the OSU-Cascade site application appeal was reminiscent of the Dream Team teeing it up against Marcia Clark in the OJ trial, right down to the jury, looking for any reason to set him free.

In this case it is not OJ but OSU, and the City Council looking to let OSU loose. The “leather glove” is the site plan application city staff accepted not knowing what else to do with it.

Common sense, let alone intent of land use law, calls for any reasonable individual to know that a four-year university is a major use and requires something more than a “site plan” — architectural drawings and lighting standards — to analyze impacts of a use of this magnitude.

Yet staff not only accepted the application, they received and approved multiple waiver requests from OSU for further reductions to the minimal requirements, thus allowing them to shoe horn into a proposed west-side location.

MyCentralOregon.com polled our community regarding an OSU campus on the 10-acre proposed site, and an overwhelming percentage responded they “do not support” the location. Thanks to Councilors Jim Clinton, Sally Russell and Doug Knight for at least attempting to represent their constituents’ interests and pointing out the obvious issues with this application and future ad hoc development by OSU.

Unfortunately, politicians Jodie Barram and Mark Capell chose political aspirations and agendas over constituent’s interests. Victor Chudowsky was physically present but effectively absent, and Scott Ramsey, the 7th councilor, just absent.

Welcome to the OSU–Bend campus. Taxpayers beware.

Sue Olson

Bend