Break down immigration issue

It would seem to me that if the government really wanted to address the issue of illegal immigration it would do it one step at a time. This would create the transparency of where each of our representatives stands. Thus first discuss and agree on what would constitute a secure border that assures the sovereignty of our country. Then vote on the type of border that would assure this sovereignty. Then discuss and agree on who can legally enter the country. Then vote on the process that will implement this. Each point would be discussed and understood, then voted on. This way the electorate can witness exactly where their representatives stand. No logical person tries to resolve a complex problem until it is broken down into understandable and manageable parts. Why should our government do otherwise other than for political reasons? We elected our government officials to do what is best for our country in a transparent way. It takes integrity to do this. If many have given their lives for maintaining our freedom with integrity, is integrity asking too much of our politicians?

Charlie Young

Bend

Consider a Republican

At last count, our Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) liability was in the neighborhood of $25 billion. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to fund new schools, quality teachers and new educational programs. Closely correlated with this unmanageable PERS liability is our abysmal national ranking in education (38th) based on state financial support per year. Oregon citizens, whether Democrat or Republican, should be appalled by these numbers. After all, we all pay taxes and we all send our kids to public schools.

The state of Oregon has been governed unilaterally by Democrats since 1987. It logically follows that the lion’s share of our current financial problems is the responsibility of the party in power. Maybe the time has come to consider a Republican for governor.

Bill Eddie

Bend

Get a passport card

In his June 29 Guest Column, Louis Capozzi relates the concerns his “brown” U.S. citizen nephew has about having his citizenship challenged because of his skin color. Mr. Capozzi says that the possibility of this happening has made him “ashamed of our country” and blames the “policies of our president” for allowing this to happen. He further blames voters for electing “these people to represent our views.”

Unfortunately, Mr. Capozzi seems to have failed to pass on to his nephew the simple piece of advice that would permanently prevent any possibility of this being a problem for him — get a U.S. passport and carry it with you at all times. An even better alternative would be a U.S. passport card which costs less and is the size of a credit card. Either of these would completely eliminate the need to carry other documents or worry about your citizenship being challenged.

I hope Mr. Capozzi will pass this information on to his nephew instead of blaming others for causing his concerns.

Jeff Keller

Bend