Typewriter

Michael Sipe’s guest column on Dec. 23 was nothing but a campaign ad for 2024. His letter reflects sour grapes at not winning his election.

He rails against Democrats and poor voter turnout.

When looking at his positions before the election, his views were out of step with most of the electorate — anti-choice on abortion, criticism of Measure 114, etc.

Perhaps low voter interest was due to his campaign, rather than his long list of grievances. The bitter divide in our country is partly due to candidates who cite arcane factors as reasons for their loss.

— Alan Pachtman, Bend

Hey Bendites,

When it snows: slow down.

Clean all the snow off your vehicle. I do not see how they can see anything covered with snow.

Keep your distance from the vehicle in front of you.

Put a tube of sand in your back of vehicle. Keeps you from sliding around. Also, use it if you get stuck in snow.

Have your headlights on.

Watch out for those with their big 4-wheelers making it hard on others by speeding up by slower and safe drivers.

Use hazard lights for people when they drive up on your rear end. Capiche?

When parking, park vehicle in a front spot. Keep from having to backup in parking lots.

Take the time to warm up your vehicle. Defrost windows. So important in these hard winter days.

Get up and leave earlier. You won’t have to speed in icy conditions.

Slower drivers, pull over if possible.

This is snow country. Not wintry warm summer country days like that state south of us. The ones north of us should know better.

Do not give people the finger. Keep both hands on the wheel. Please?

— Mike Ziegelmeyer, Bend

This is to endorse Brent Landels’ argument that the home energy score should not be required by statute (column from Dec. 29). Energy cost information is part of a prudent buyer’s decision, but it doesn’t have to be in-depth. Provision of utility bill history is a straightforward and practical way to provide what the buyer needs.

I am not involved in the housing or real estate industry, but I have considerable training and experience in thermal systems and equipment — including calculation of heat loss and gain for homes. Competent calculation requires extensive information on construction, location and climate, not to mention occupancy and use. New homes are subject to codes and building practices that are very good compared to those of a few years ago, when minimal insulation and poor quality windows were typical. Utility bill history provides energy performance information for both newer and older homes.

I have deep concern about our very real climate challenges, but it’s difficult to see how the energy score mandate will have any effect. Home buyers and sellers face daunting market-related challenges. Let’s not make the process more difficult with something that provides little added value while adding complexity and delay to home purchase.

— William F. Raleigh, Bend

In The Bulletin’s Dec. 20 edition’s article about the recent cold snap, it is stated that “Since the year 2000, 87 daily record temperatures have been recorded in Bend. Of those records, only 16 were record lows and 71 were record highs.”

Out of curiosity, I picked another 20-year time span (1920 to 1940) to compare all-time daily record temperatures. Using The Bulletin’s weather almanac that I have personally kept track of, I came up with 115 daily record temperature highs and 54 lows (allowing for personal errors in tabulation). That’s 44 more daily highs than the 2000s records stated by O’Neill and 38 more low records. While the record lows is of concern, it can be at least partially attributed to the urban heat island effect that increases temperatures at weather stations in urban settings over the years. Regardless, the tremendous difference in the daily highs should give us pause to reconsider our assumptions on 21st-century climate change, at least in Bend. This is what science does.

— Tom Clark, Redmond

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