The Hawthorne Overcrossing is planned to give pedestrians and cyclists safe passage over U.S. Highway 97. 

Under Measure 113, which passed with 68% of the vote last November, the nine Republican state senators (including Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp) and one independent who surpassed the limit on unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session won’t be able to seek reelection. They claim the measure was a violation of federal and state freedom of speech protections. The secretary of state directed the Oregon Elections Division to implement Measure 113, and said the decision was backed up by legal advice from the office of Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Regardless, Knopp said the Republicans would challenge the ruling in the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The arrogance of these people is mind-blowing. I couldn’t help but wonder how long I would last with a company, say a sporting goods store that sold guns, if I started not showing up for work due to my anti-gun stance. And what if, due to my absence, the store would cease to be able to operate? I’d be fired in five minutes. My First Amendment right to oppose guns and express that view would still be intact, but I wouldn’t be able to impose that view at the expense of my employer’s right to do business.

Politicians work for us, at least they’re supposed to. And as their employer, the voters have the right to set the terms of their employment, which is what we did with the passage of Measure 113. It’s called democracy.

Oh, I forgot, Republicans no longer believe in that.

— Pam Berreyesa, Bend

Speed bumps not a bridge

The Bend City Council has proposed a pedestrian bridge over the parkway. This city plans to spend $12 million. This money is to come from the $190 million bond issue. This bond issue meant was to improve transportation and safety on the city roads.

I haven’t seen any projections about how many walkers or bicyclists will be using the bridge daily. I don’t think that people will quit using Franklin or Greenwood. I haven’t met anyone that plans on using this bridge. The money should be used to improve safety on our streets. The city can’t or won’t enforce traffic laws. We have continual speeding on our street.

Two well-placed speed bumps would help slow this traffic and improve safety. Several of our schools also need speed bumps to slow down traffic. If the city can’t control traffic violations through policing, the they need to use speed bumps. I think that $12 million will buy several speed bumps. The bridge would look good, but we don’t need it. We need safety on our streets.

— Don Wooley, Bend

Hunter and Trump

Mr. Larry Nelson is conflating various events in his Aug. 10 letter complaining about front-page coverage of Trump indictment No. 3. This was and is front page news, and The Bulletin would have been remiss to ignore it.

Crimes against the Biden “family” do not involve anyone but Hunter and the information was alleged to have come from Hunter’s laptop. Currently, it has not been demonstrated that Hunter’s laptop was the source of the emails in question. The reason the crimes of influence peddling were ignored, was due to a profound lack of evidence, a staple of the right.

Hunter Biden is not the president of the U.S. Looks like Hunter’s in trouble. Good thing he isn’t president or a former president with multiple indictments, because that would be front page news. The hinted at conspiracy theory that the judicial system is giving Hunter a pass, should note that the judge denied his plea deal on the only charges (two tax crimes) and is a Trump appointee. The GOP is pitifully desperate to distract from the clown car of disaster that is Trump world.

— Molly Malone, Bend

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