Typewriter

Don’t vote in a president who may kill Head Start

I was privileged this week to begin my third year as a traveling storytime volunteer with the Deschutes Public Library. Volunteers receive literacy training and are assigned to local NeighborImpact Head Start classrooms with the goal of developing an awareness and interest in the preschoolers for books and reading.

It came to my attention recently that as part of the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a Republican president, Project 2025, Head Start will be eliminated. Begun by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration in 1965 as part of his War on Poverty, Head Start gave lower income children access to early childhood education to promote school readiness. Bipartisan legislation was passed by Congress in 2007 that “included policies to strengthen Head Start and improve coordination between Head Start and other early childhood programs.”

I am outraged that families who rely on the Head Start program will have no alternatives for their children. I hope voters who have been unaware of this cruel plan will think twice before casting a vote for Donald Trump. He very clearly has no regard for families.

— Barbara Craig, Redmond

Don’t vote William Bailey for sheriff

My wife and I moved to Deschutes County in 2020. We left a county in which the sheriff’s department was embroiled in what some called “corruption.”

There were multiple financial questions/abuses/discrepancies, without believable explanations. There were multiple personnel issues, firings and lawsuits and labor disputes. The county had paid out many times to settle lawsuits against the sheriff.

The sheriff had a hand-picked successor to run for office at the next election.

I’m struck by the similarities found here in Deschutes County.

The community where we last lived did not vote for the sheriff’s chosen successor. The opposing candidate became sheriff and he began to clean up the sheriff’s office. All reports from friends in that community are consistent: finances, public relations, staff satisfaction, crime rates: are all in a far healthier place.

My conclusion? Don’t vote for Mr. Bailey.

— Steve Trotter, Redmond

Vote for immigration reformers

Immigration reform used to include a carrot and a stick — a path to legal residency for longtime undocumented residents plus stronger border enforcement. The last time that happened was in 1986, when 2.7 million people became lawful residents.

Today, immigration “reform” means trying to stem the flow of dangerous drugs and desperate people seeking safety at our southern border.

We must intercept hidden drug shipments that come through our ports of entry. But humans who claim asylum are rarely connected with the drug trade. They should be assessed on their own merits.

Neither political party is talking about the 11 million-plus undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. whose labor sustains agriculture, construction, and the hospitality industry. They want to become legal residents. Most live in families that include lawful residents and U.S-citizen children.

They pay income taxes with a number assigned by the IRS. Most immigrant parents encourage their kids to study and earn scholarships for college.

Donald Trump pledges to round up all immigrants without legal status and house them in camps pending deportation. What will happen to our food production system if he uproots even a million workers? U.S. citizens will not stoop to tend and harvest crops, or clean animal pens, or work in canneries or slaughterhouses. With less food arriving at our stores, Americans will pay even more for groceries.

Only Congress can pass laws to fix our broken immigration system.

Please vote for members who will work for reform that benefits all of us.

— Denise Holley, Redmond

Editor’s Note

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