The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

Recently Nancy Buffinton-Kelm and Adrienne Banks wrote letters critical of my petition for an alternate route. I don't blame them. They think It would be a bad idea to utilize the section of the Brooks-Scanlon road that runs next to Tollgate. I am in complete agreement with them. It was never my intention to use that section of the Brooks-Scanlon road bed and I apologize that the article in The Nugget didn't make that clear.

The petition that I, and many others, are in support of does not specify a route, but rather asks ODOT and the City of Sisters to stop focusing on a couplet, and instead find an alternate route, that will be acceptable to the Sisters community.

The couplet idea has been floating around for at least 10 years. This is the third time it has been studied / proposed by ODOT in slightly different forms. In my opinion, a couplet will destroy the character and livability of Sisters.

I want to encourage everyone to get educated about what is being proposed. Then, if you believe as I do that the couplet is not the answer, let's work together to find an affordable alternate route, one that works for Sisters and the outlying communities. I have maps of the couplet proposals and ideas for the alternate route available to be viewed at Eurosports and would be happy to discuss either of these.

Sincerely,

Brad Boyd

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Letter to the Editor:

The people living in the Tamarack Village Complex are very upset about the six-foot fence and two-story houses being built (just to the north) that take away the beautiful view of the Sisters mountains from them. All of them would like to enjoy the view from their living room.

When I mentioned that to someone, they said, "Well, they can go upstairs to their bedroom and see the mountains." Another said, "Oh, that's a low-cost housing development, probably a bunch of low-lifes live there." Of course that upset me, because I live there.

I can't use the words I felt like saying, but thought, "Yeah!! The low-lifes that serve you breakfast, coffee and donuts, lunch and dinner, fix your pizza. The low-lifes that fix your car, paint your houses, clean your yards, take care of your mom and dad when they're sick and old. Yes, all the low-lifes that wait on you hand and foot every day live there."

You see, I feel that we all should be able to enjoy the beautiful mountains from our living rooms, not have to run up to the bedroom to see them from what we call our homes. What happened to our city planning commission and building inspectors? I really thought you should know and let everyone else know.

Thank you very kindly,

M. John Barreras

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To the Editor:

There is no sense trying to attack your biased article on President Bush ("A storm is coming," by Eric Dolson, the Nugget, March 31, page 2, Opinion). It would take too long and just raise my blood pressure. But I will refute your point on taxes.

I don't consider myself to be in the top few percent (whatever that means), however, my taxes dropped considerably. Many of my friends are enjoying the same treatment thanks to George Bush.

Perhaps you should find a new tax consultant or financial manager to help you out. You obviously are missing out on something.

Sincerely,

James T. Walz

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To the Editor:

I find it hard to believe that Eric Dolson would be on any Republican fund raising list considering his frequent infections with the "I hate GWB virus." If he is a Republican, he could sure fool me, but maybe he is a RINO -- Republican in name only.

So what if the wealthy got most of the recent tax cuts? They pay the great, great majority of the income taxes and as I understood the plan, tax rebates would go to those who PAID taxes.

It wasn't meant to be another income redistribution scheme or "targeted" tax cut, so favored by the Democrats. Democratic tax cuts have usually been so tightly targeted that no average person got a cut. Only the favored so-called oppressed classes favored by liberals, who generally did not pay any income taxes in the first place, were recipients.

I am far from wealthy, but I know I got a tax decrease and welcome it. Maybe Eric can donate his tax rebate back to the government?

Secondly, Oregon's schools were in a fix before GWB ever came to office. I can remember various districts shortening the school year during the 1970s, so the "Leave No Child Behind" program is hardly the reason for this state's predicament.

Local and state funding is ample, but Oregon appears to be notoriously inefficient in using its education dollars, considering the dollars we spend per student versus other states. The people know this and that is one reason they voted down Measure 30.

Locally, the recent loss of a million dollars by the Sisters School Board surely doesn't make me feel they know what they are doing. If I had my way, there were be less and less federal funding of schools and maybe we would get less and less federal meddling in local schools. Vouchers anyone?

So, Eric please do not donate to a Republican Election Fund. But I think it's time for me to send in another donation to the Bush effort to help make up for the one he won't be getting from you.

Carl Yee

Eric Dolson replies:

We would not want to raise Mr. Walz' blood pressure. Perhaps he will find it soothing to learn he may be wealthier than he thinks.

According to billionaire investor Warren Buffett, "If class warfare is being waged in America, my class is clearly winning." Buffett made this statement in the recent annual report of his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. He points out that except for 1983, the percentage of federal tax receipts from corporate income taxes last year was the lowest since data was first published in 1934.

He accuses the Bush administration ... "of pursuing tax cuts that favor large corporations and wealthy individuals."

The result of the Bush tax cuts actually was to slide more of the taxes onto the middle class. As pointed out by the Brookings Institution, the top 20 percent of tax payers received 71.2 percent of the tax cut. The average taxpayer in the top one percent saw a tax cut of $45,715, more than the lower 60 percent actually makes in a year, and the rich now shoulder a smaller percentage of the total tax burden than they did before. Bush actually redistributed wealth to the wealthy through the structure of his tax cuts.

But the real kicker is what happens later in this decade. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, By 2010, "The $477 billion in tax breaks the Bush administration has targeted to (the wealthy) will average $342,000 each over the decade ... when (and if) the Bush tax reductions are fully in place, an astonishing 52 percent of the total tax cuts will go to the richest one percent--whose average 2010 income will be $1.5 million. Their tax-cut windfall in that year alone will average $85,000 each."

The way the cuts are structured was very clever, politically. Whereas the wealthy will receive most of their cuts after the election, according to ACT, "the vast majority of (voters) have already received most of their tax cuts from the 2001 legislation. For the four out of five families and individuals making less than $73,000 this year, three-quarters of the tax cuts--averaging about $350 this year--are already in place."

Perhaps that is why Mr. Walz saw his taxes go down. Taxes did decrease, as well as shift away from the wealthy. However, the sky-rocketing cost of medical insurance, housing, rising gas prices, and deteriorating educational systems also hit the lower and middle classes much harder than the rich. Which is one reason we have a progressive tax code to begin with: those who have benefitted most from the system are expected to give the most back to help others become successful.

Bush is a rich man doing favors for rich friends. He supports monopolies for those friends, they reward him with power. Had his tax cuts gone to the middle class, or small business people like we have in Sisters, or had the money been used instead to build roads and bridges and schools, then he would have done more to accomplish what he said he set out to do.

But what the Bush Administration tells the American People, and what it really intends to do, are rarely the same thing.

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To the Editor:

All parents in this area should be aware that advertisements for adult material are being shown on Bend Cable between 5 and 6 a.m. on the Comedy Channel 20, and VH1 Channel 46.

I urge you to set your VCR and tape this time period to decide if this is the type of material you would like your children to see.

Bend Cable Communications advised me that they have no control over the advertising being shown as it is part of their National Advertising Program and that the FCC allows this type of material to be shown at this time spot.

If you agree with me, please call Bend Cable Communications at 388-5820 and tell them how you feel.

You can also write Senator Gordon Smith, 121 SW Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon 97204, and ask him to intervene with the FCC.

You can also ask that Bend Cable block these two channels which may be the most appropriate action.

Ken Ehlers

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To the Editor:

Drew Corrigan also earned over $200 for the American Heart Association event Jump Rope for Heart at Sisters Elementary School. Sorry about omitting him last week.

Kathy Kemper-Green

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To the Editor:

WOW! What a night. Huge kudos to all those who worked so hard, fellow artists and especially the patrons of an incredible community for a fantastic event "My Own Two Hands."

Through all her transformations Sisters has kept a true spirit of community and dedication to its youth. To see so much excitement in support of the community was as inspiring as the art.

Steve Frandsen