Letter was flawed

I read with interest the letter “People kill people” from March 11. True, people do kill people, but that is the only logical point in the letter.

Considering the examples of “weapons” (gun, knives, bucket of water), which would be selected by a person doing the killing to accomplish the most harm? What weapon would a person in the room offer an assailant? Logically, in the first case, the gun, and in the second case, a bucket of water. How many fewer lives would have been lost over the years if the weapon “not doing the killing” wasn’t a gun?

The letter’s last paragraph states that the FBI says five times more people were killed last year with knives than guns. That made no sense to me. Checking the records — a Breitbart site makes that claim referencing an FBI site (ucr.fbi.gov, table 12). That table does not support that claim. It cites 15,028 murders; 73 percent (10,970) by firearms, 11 percent (1,604) by knives, 12 percent (1,798) by other weapons, 4 percent (656) by hands, feet, etc.

Being a hunter and gun owner, I believe we have the right to bear arms — arms, not assault weapons! What is the need for a magazine holding more than six rounds? If I need more to successfully get an elk or deer, I need to rethink my hunting and/or shooting skills. We can keep our Second Amendment right, but with logical and much-needed limitations on the sizes of magazines.

Dennis Peters

Bend

Vote for Byrne

Michael Byrne, running against Greg Walden in Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District, has strong populist working man values: $15 minimum wage, affordable housing, ending predatory lending, reforming credit agencies, wise using of federal lands, stopping the wasting of trillions on war and instead, rebuilding THIS country. Our children deserve every resource available to grow and thrive.

He wants a real, sensible approach to causes of illegal immigration rather than to its side effects, beginning with responsible trade policy that protects workers, the environment and increases standards of living on both sides of border.

Serious tax reform is needed. Corporate America makes obscene profits off the backs of hard-working families … It’s time they pay their share.

He supports Bernie Sanders’ College for All Act, eliminating most tuition/fees at public colleges/universities — and paid for by Wall Street speculation taxes. Michael believes these taxes should cover all, rather than just 67 percent, of it.

With decline in manufacturing jobs came decline in union jobs and real wages. Unionization of workforce should be a national mandate.

The future is in renewable energy, and we have wind and solar galore. The design, installation and maintenance of solar arrays and wind turbines are the family wage jobs of the future! The Clean Energy Jobs Bill in 2019 would help train workers everywhere, for these jobs.

By supporting Michael Byrne NOW, you help turn the tide from the destruction coming from D.C. Every dollar helps. Get involved, and make all of our lives better by voting these priorities into office!

Robin Bloomgarden

Medford

Fiscal conservatives?

Here we go again. The party that masquerades as fiscal conservatives has allowed a $1.3 trillion spending bill for the remaining six months of the fiscal year. This comes after the obligatory tax cuts that benefit primarily the wealthiest Americans. Tax cuts and dramatic increases in defense and domestic programs. Sounds familiar; a guy named Bush perhaps?

I don’t see how President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress can call Democrats the big spenders with a straight face. This bill is just more borrow and spend, hardly anything groundbreaking here. Cutting taxes and overspending just keeps trillion-dollar deficits going. We seem to run on threats to shut down government, Band-Aid fixes, more threats, last-minute temporary signings, then coming up with a 2,000-plus page bill with a couple of hours to review it. Business as usual.

The last time the Republicans controlled all three branches of government the economy tanked, but somehow the wealthiest got wealthier. Right now there are some ominous flags waving. Deja vu all over again? Republicans really need to rebrand themselves. Fiscal conservatives just isn’t working anymore, and hasn’t really for some time.

Rob Smith

La Pine