Yes on Measure 101

Vote “yes” on Ballot Measure 101 so 350,000 low-income, hard-working Oregonians don’t lose their health insurance coverage. These people should not be punished because the short-term legislative funding is not as broad-based as it could be. The federal government matches every dollar Oregon spends on the Oregon Health Plan, and so the state will lose billions in federal funding if this measure fails. Additionally, enrollment in the Oregon Health Plan will decline making it difficult to maintain the infrastructure of our Coordinated Care Organizations. Oregon’s CCOs lead the nation in reducing the cost of health care while maintaining quality and outcomes including Oregon’s recent reduced opioid use. Not passing Measure 101 would be detrimental to current OHP patients; it would compromise our unique health care delivery model offering the best chance to reduce the long-term cost of health care for both public and private employees.

Passage of Ballot Measure 101 will avoid a fiscal crisis, less than eight months into the state’s two-year budget and avoid rebalancing the current budget as the top legislative priority diverting energy away from the process of developing sound bipartisan solutions we need. Although opponents of Ballot Measure 101 claim to have “alternative funding proposals,” the details are nowhere to be found — nor the political strategy necessary to enact them. Jeopardizing health insurance coverage for 350,000 Oregonians is unnecessary; vote “yes” on Ballot Measure 101

Vern Saboe Jr.

Albany

Prepare for snow

State and local public officials need to take a look at the adequacy of building codes in relation to the snow loads we experienced last January that I believe exceeded the current 20 pounds per square foot building code for Bend. Then I had more than 2 1⁄2feet of compacted snow on my roof. Snow load requirements need to be based on a 100-year risk assessment rather the current 50 years to reflect how long buildings last. State officials and engineers would like more data to support changes. I suggest county and city staff develop and implement standardized procedures to measure snow densities when snow depth on roofs exceeds one or 1½ feet. Meanwhile, local officials can also upgrade local building codes for better safety.

Building codes for new homes should require the use of additional products under shingles at the bottom 4 feet of a roof and in eaves to reduce vulnerability to leaks from ice dams. Many of my neighbors had expensive leaks from ice dams.

We should not wait for somebody to be killed or injured from a collapsed roof as could have easily happened at the Kenwood school gym or Ray’s Supermarket last January in Bend. I urge public officials to discuss now possible changes to make our buildings safer in the future and enable residents and owners to have fewer insurance claims. The Oregon Building Codes Division is currently accepting suggestions online from the public for changes for the 2019 Oregon Structural Specialty Code update.

Robin Vora

Bend

No on Measure 101

Health care as a “right?” Health is an individual responsibility.

Some have unavoidable health issues. Some overweights are obese.

Health depends on exercise, diet and nutrition. I won’t pay for “health care” when careless habits ruined your vitality.

Let doctors and drug companies treat the unavoidably ill “pro bono,” and get a write-off at tax time.

“No” to measure 101. Citizens live on a budget. Government badly needs to.

Tom Fosdick

La Pine

Dump Trump

For those few that said President Trump should be given a chance, well one year is too much of a chance, and he has failed over and over again. He lied over 103 times his first year, and now our juvenile president is tweeting, like a 13-year-old, that he has a big nuclear button. It’s time that everyone sign the petitions to impeach Mr. Trump before he gets us into a nuclear war. Go to impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org. Now the popular vote can act and get him out of the highest office in our country!

Impeach Trump and make America Great Again!

Sue Ooten

Madras