Typewriter

In a recent Business section column in The Bulletin, Katy Brooks, the executive director of the Bend Chamber of Commerce, wrote about the challenges women face to reach top positions in business. Ms. Brooks makes excellent points that businesses would be well advised to follow.

Yet early in her column, Ms. Brooks refers to an 18% pay gap in salaries between men and women, which has remained static over recent years. Without any further clarification, anyone reading Ms. Brooks’ column would be left with the impression that this 18% disparity is the result of systemic discrimination.

This pay gap, however, is a gross distortion. The 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report (Payscale.com) indicated that although the pay gap between men and women was in fact about 18%, it was based on uncontrolled, raw data and reflected wages/salaries paid to men versus wages/salaries paid to women regardless of job, industry, or experience. Once the data was controlled for education, experience, industry, and job level the pay variance had shrunk to 1%.

This is a huge, extraordinary difference. It completely disabuses any notion of pay discrimination. The Pay Scale report further explains that the “raw” 18% gap is more a reflection of underrepresentation of women in higher paying fields rather than pay discrimination.

While Ms. Brooks’ column speaks to actions for businesses to take to address underrepresentation, the pay gap based on controlled data is by far a better reflection of pay equity for men and women performing the same job.

— Bill Rich, Bend

In her April 4 letter to the editor, Linda Melton argued for banning AR-15 rifles.

Ms. Melton states “These weapons are not used for personal protection nor are they considered hunting rifles.” She goes on to quote a commentator “the blast effect from an AR-15 would obliterate any meat making it inedible.”

Simply not true. In fact, the .223 round fired by an AR-15 is the smallest caliber allowed for deer hunting in Oregon. In many states, including Washington and Colorado, a .223 round is illegal to hunt deer with because it is too small.

I understand the emotions surrounding AR-15s and the recent atrocious school shootings. However, we must consider facts. According to Federal Bureau of Investigations data, in the years 2007-17, there was an average of 439 homicides by all rifles. Yes, too many. During that same period, homicides by “knife or sharp object” accounted for almost 1,700 per year, nearly four times as many deaths by all rifles. In fact, “homicide by fists or hands” account for more deaths than by all rifles.

As we extrapolate FBI data, it appears that AR-15s account for about 1/10 of 1% of all homicides in the United States per year. Too many.

The regulations enacted in the 1938 Federal Firearms Act were repealed in the 1968 Gun Control Act. In the 1968 act, many of those repealed regulations from the 1938 Act were reenacted. The 1994 firearms act was endorsed by a bipartisan group of former presidents, including Carter and Reagan. However, data illuminates that the act had little impact on violence in America.

The real issue is mental health. Why have we turned our backs on the mental health challenges and needs of our fellow citizens?

— George Bretz, Terrebonne

Despite the recent heavy snowfall, drought and water availability is still the talk of the town. In the last few weeks, the Bulletin has published several articles on the topic, and Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in Deschutes County. Given that groundwater takes years to replenish, it’s going to take a lot more snow to fix the long-term drought challenges.

While there is no one silver bullet to solve drought issues, one meaningful step we can take is to protect headwater streams that feed our rivers that in turn feed our farms, our homes, and provide key fish and wildlife habitat. Research shows that protecting forests and watersheds helps recharge groundwater stores, leads to more stable stream levels throughout the summer, and helps prevent downstream flooding.

Sen. Wyden’s River Democracy Act is a great opportunity for Oregon to protect both headwater streams and adjacent forests on public lands across the state. By designating Wild and Scenic Rivers, it protects a half mile-wide corridor on either side. This allows the forest to perform its natural functions of conserving, storing, and filtering water to ensure long-term clean and plentiful water supplies for all of us people and fish downstream.

We can and need to do better if we are to have sustainable water supplies over the long term in central Oregon. Passing the River Democracy Act is one tangible way to take an important step in that direction. Please encourage Sen. Wyden to pass this bill asap.

— Erik Fernandez is the wilderness program manager for Oregon Wild in Bend.

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