(Joe Kline/Bulletin photo)

To voters in the Republican primary: Your best bet is to cast your vote for Knute Buehler. I’ve known and worked with Knute for many years, starting from when I served on the Bend City Council in 2012. He shares my aversion to higher taxes and more regulation. He has been highly consistent about opposing tax increases, including the gross receipts taxes hurting Central Oregon businesses. He also opposes a variety of nitpicking regulations, such as the new registration fee for your stand-up paddle board. We need a commonsense voice representing us in the U.S. Congress, not carpetbaggers from outside our district. U.S. Representative Greg Walden did a great job representing us, and Knute is the best person to follow in Greg’s footsteps.

— Victor Chudowsky, Bend

I recently read the editorial in the Bend Bulletin concerning the city’s plans for homeless camps. Before considering this, I would strongly suggest the council contact the city of Ontario, California. This idea was tried there years ago, and it did not go well. It was established in an open area in the city limits where older condemned houses had been torn down. First, homeless people from all over the country somehow found out about it and descended on the city with old campers, trailers, motorhomes and tents. It was then decided to limit the population to those who could prove they had once lived in the city. A fence was put up with one entrance/exit. There was still a several blocks long line of trailers, etc outside the fence. That and the crime rate within the camp eventually led to the camp being closed. I know homelessness is a huge problem and acknowledge the need for something to be done, but not sure this is the answer. The other issue brought up in the article is the Veterans Village. I would urge the City Council and the county to find another location for this since it borders directly on a neighborhood of single-family homes.

— Diane Mount, Bend

Here’s an idea for handling COVID-19 patients who got the virus by taking part in the Redmond rallies to “open” Oregon: tattoo “DNR” on their foreheads. Instead of “Do Not Resuscitate,” it will mean “Do Not Risk,” telling medical workers that they should not risk their lives to help these people who go to rallies, share microphones and stand tightly packed together. This goes double for Phil Henderson, who is one of our elected “leaders.”

— Meredith Shadrach, Bend

I’ve been seeing Knute Buehler’s ads bragging about casting a vote against a pro-abortion bill in an attempt to prove his pro-life bona fides. The fact that Knute has only pointed to one vote in all his years in the Oregon Legislature should be cause for some skepticism. Even worse is that he cast his vote for the wrong reason.

Knute says he voted against taxpayer-funded abortions because they cost too much. He was quick to stress in his speech on the floor of the Legislature that he is “pro-choice” and believes “that abortion in this country is mostly settled as a legal matter.” He says he voted against the bill because he didn’t want to make a new spending program for new beneficiaries, especially without matching federal funds.

Nothing about the life of the child. Nothing about the pain a baby feels because of late-term abortions. Nothing about a young life snuffed out before she can take her first breath. Nothing about the sanctity of human life.

Knute needs to tell the truth about his real position on abortion.

— Irene Vora, Bend

In response to the May 5 letter to the editor titled “Change the system,” I disagree with Ms. Boever’s statement “people are realizing that maybe capitalism isn’t working or is in our best interest.” Today’s economic downturn is the fault of the COVID-19 virus spreading to our shores and the decisions made to combat it.

Her letter goes on to mention how quickly our economy broke down when we were “asked” to stay home and shut down businesses. This was not a “request,” it was an “order” made by politicians who did not have to face any consequences — they continue to be paid through it all. Did these elitists give any thought to how tens of millions of hardworking, laid -off individuals and small business owners were going to make their mortgages, pay rent and put food on the table for their families?

In retrospect, the decision for hospitals to stop doing elective surgeries in order to free up hospital beds for an anticipated influx of COVID-19 patients was not thoroughly explored. With no money coming in from these procedures, hospitals had to lay off medical staff and some facilities were forced to close. This was a policy failure, not a failure of capitalism.

Our current dire, economic situation is a direct result of the strict lockdown policy put in place by so-called experts. The economic boom we have enjoyed and flourished under for the past three years is because of the proven and successful system of capitalism.

— Natalie Fehlberg, Bend

Do you have a point you’d like to make or an issue you feel strongly about? Submit a letter to the editor.