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Oregon is known by natives and transplants for the beauty of the state and abundance of recreational opportunities. The health of our shared ecosystems is a priority to maintain and manage.

While the impacts of drought have intensified in the last two years, agriculture in Central Oregon is suffering a crippling blow. Reservoirs are barren and shortages abound. Everyone loves a quick fix and thus the practice of cloud seeding holds hope to some.

Yet the consequences of this practice greatly outweigh any perceived benefit. The introduction of chemicals, including silver iodide, into the air allegedly promotes the formation of ice crystals- resulting in precipitation. This solution sounds simple; however, weather manipulation may have unintended consequences from pollutant loading to precipitation displacement. Further, local experts cite a maximum potential precipitation increase of 10% as a best-case scenario.

Instead of artificially generating precipitation with unknown outcomes, there are more concrete solutions. Over 50% of water applied in irrigation systems is lost due to inefficiencies. This water loss is completely preventable. Instead of allocating funds for a potential 10% increase in water, let’s invest in the known 50% waste reduction.

Before launching into the sky, let’s look to the ground and examine our existing practices. I appreciate the desire for our legislators to be part of a solution and irrigation efficiency is a solid place to start.

— Melissa Fatland, Bend

The price of medicine

I read with a smile Dr. Harley Kelley’s guest column over the weekend about how the cost of medicine has skyrocketed over the last 60 years. It brought back fond memories of my father who was a general practitioner (now called family medicine) in San Francisco beginning in the 1940s.

When my dad started his practice, I believe he charged $3.50 for an office visit in a small office in the Mission district with a rickety elevator. He eventually raised his fee to $5.00. One summer when I was in high school, I worked as his receptionist for two weeks while his secretary/receptionist was on vacation. An elderly Italian woman came in and when she left, she put $3.50 on the counter. After the office closed, I asked my dad what I should do. “Oh,” he said, “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I raised my rates and besides, she is the lady who brings us those delicious cookies every Christmas!”

And yes, Dad had a little black bag and made house calls, even in the middle of the night.

— Eileen Katz, Bend

Don’t blame Biden for bank failures

I take great exception to the cartoon published on the Editorial page of the Bulletin on Friday, March 24th of this year, blaming the recent bank failures on President Biden. Biden did not create this boondoggle, Trump did.

In 2010, The Dodd-Frank (Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act) was passed and signed into law by then President Obama. This law was passed in response to the “Great Recession” and the disastrous Bank failures of 2007/2008. Among other things, Dodd-Frank ensured greater oversight of community banks and credit unions by the Federal Reserve. For those who don’t know; the Dodd-Frank Act created the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Orderly Liquidation Authority to monitor the financial stability of major financial institutions.

Enter Trump (2017) who pledged to “dismantle” Dodd-Frank. On May 24th, 2018, Donald Trump signed a bill passed by the Republican majority (and a few helpful Democrats) House of Representative, rolling back significant oversight of banks by the Federal Reserve. Although Trump had pledged to “dismantle” Dodd-Frank, fortunately, the Republican backed “Financial Choice Act ‘’ did not become law, but enough impact was placed on Dodd-Frank to significantly weaken it.

Now, here we are, a mere 6 years later, with another financial crisis. There is a lot of blame to go around, I’m pretty sure, but don’t blame it on Biden. He had no part in it.

— Diana Hopson, Redmond

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