Letters to the Editor

DOG SHOOTING

Most dogs snarl and bark

I used to have the utmost respect for police, because they have to deal with all kinds of situations. But I don't anymore.

According to the news, this trigger-happy cop shot a guy's dog because "he thought his safety was in jeopardy." According to the news article in the Statesman, this cop shot the guy's dog because the dog snarled and barked at him because he saw him in his yard, as his partner was issuing a ticket to the guy for disturbing the peace.

Hello!? Most dogs will snarl and bark if they see someone in their yard. I'm glad this guy's daughter didn't run at the cop to try to defend her daddy. Today, I saw a little puppy in the back of a pickup bark at people who were walking. I'm glad no cops walked by.

This is almost as bad as that coward cop who shot that guy's dog that was tied to a tree and barked at the cop.

Why do these cops even have mace or Tasers if they aren't going to use them? Do these guys have dogs? I sorta doubt it. Maybe his kids can go to school and brag what their dad did.

CHETLEEN HECKATHORN, Boise

Police need to be dog-trained

I am responding to the incident of the police officer shooting the Queensland heeler.

Shame on that police officer! It sounds like the officer was posing the threat on the dog's territory. What dog wouldn't react to that? I am tired of the police defending their officers in the name of "self-defense" every time a dog or person is shot and killed that might have not been a threat. It is time for the police to take another look at sparing the bullet and feeling the bite, if need be.

Lessons can be learned from the UPS workers who deal with dogs every day - and in their territory! This trigger-happy killing has got to stop. Maybe it is time to call on Cesar Millan to work with the police before more dogs are subject to an officer's inability to keep his gun in the holster!

CAROL KENT, Eagle

Owner didn't act responsibly

It is unfortunate that Sadie, the dog, was shot this past weekend. I can sympathize with Mr. Hinckley's anger and loss.

What is more unfortunate is that Mr. Hinckley has not accepted responsibility for why the officers were at his home in the first place. The officers did not show up randomly to target Sadie. They were called to that location for a noisy party that had gotten out of hand. Had Mr. Hinckley taken responsibility for his guests, been aware that officers had been called and realized that strangers (to Sadie) were entering his yard, the shooting would not have happened.

Sadie reacted according to her nature. The officer reacted according to his training. Mr. Hinckley did not react at all, and Sadie lost her life - a sad outcome to circumstances set in motion by Mr. Hinckley's lack of responsibility for his guests and for his pet.

KAREN WOODS, Boise

POLITICS

GOP has no thoughtful plan

Today's economic turmoil has provided the opportunity to make long-overdue, fundamental changes in our economy. The recent series of economic programs advanced by President Obama is designed to infuse liquidity into the financial and housing markets and to provide a fiscal stimulus for growth. Taken together, these programs represent an important step toward the restructuring needed to foster long-term economic sustainability.

The Obama plan is addressing issues of environmental quality, resource scarcity, poverty, education, health care and the widening disparity in income - all of which must be taken into account in guiding a comprehensive economic policy. Opposite this, no economically logical, internally consistent alternative approach has been advanced.

As a result, the Republican Party is at an obvious loss for a defensible position to occupy. Faced with this dilemma, Republicans could emulate the opposition party during the Civil War when many Democrats supported, even fought for, the Lincoln effort.

Today's Republicans, instead, resort to an angry, fragmented barrage of reactionary labels and slogans to cynically manipulate the fears and prejudices of the low-information voter. Their party symbols include a semi-literate wildlife butcher and an unlicensed plumber. Alas, the Party of Lincoln has degenerated into the Party of Limbaugh.

SCOTT A. FREEMAN, Boise

Is Otter on Obama's side or not?

Regarding the piece on the March 7 "Legislature" page where our esteemed guv "breaks with Limbaugh," let me offer this: Either Otter is moving to the center politically (an increasingly popular position), or he's sorrowfully ignorant of the facts.

I heard the original Limbaugh broadcast when he said he wanted Obama to fail, and, true to form, the left-wing media took it out of context. To finish Limbaugh's statement, he said he wanted Obama to fail if his objective was to lead this country into socialism.

Either Otter is aligned with Obama or he's not. Which is it, sir? By the way, where was your press secretary in all this? Seems you and your people need to be a little better informed.

JACK R. KINDALL, Kuna

So much for Risch and change

When I was campaigning against Jim Risch last year, every time he got up to speak he said "When I get to Washington I'm going to give them change; they just won't like the change I'm going to bring." Well, Jim, so much for that. You seem to have just fallen in line with the rest of them.

Change would have meant pulling the earmarks that Craig had in place already, not asking for any more and encouraging your counterparts to follow suit, and continuing to co-sponsor the bill banning earmarks. You can't shout change and then do what has always been done. Have some courage and stand up against the way it's done or the system that is in place.

You then vote against all this and yet take the money anyway. Our governor says he doesn't like it but takes the money anyway.

Shame on all of you. As a state, let's start putting people with courage and integrity in office. It begins with us to change this nation and not with the professional politicians. Keep doing what you've always done, and you'll get what you've always got.

NEAL THOMPSON, McCall,former U.S. Senate candidate

Obama is pushing socialism

The Obamanation - pure, raw socialism coming at us like a freight train!

I've never seen anything like it! Taxes in the trillions, unsupportable spending in the name of "stimulus" - a program that will never work long-term. Socialized health care is sure to bankrupt us and destroy our current health care system. Government controls are attached to every dollar.

This is an unprecedented power grab - so planned, so orchestrated.

An abomination!

BRENDA L. YOUNG, Meridian

Otter's view is hypocritical

Gov. Otter, the maverick libertarian, has dumped Roget's Thesaurus in lieu of his soon-to-be published Otter's Thesaurus - The You-Could-Be-Too-Someday-The-Only-Governor-To-Not-Attend-A-D.C.-Meeting-Guide-For-Effective-Public-Servant-Communication. (Set up your personal rainy-day book-purchasing fund to ensure that when this book is released you can get it without delay.)

Gov. Otter's Reader's View (this third-person narrative points to Otter not being the author) rationalizes stockpiling education stimulus funds (a position contested by some in his own party) and closes with: "our vision and our public policies must be focused instead on the next generation."

Otter's Thesaurus: maverick, synonymous with hypocrite.

RICH KAUFMAN, Boise

10TH AMENDMENT

Congress has broader powers

The 10th Amendment, Wayne Hoffman opines (March 22, B10), "gives the states and the people those powers not expressly delegated to the federal government." He misconceives this amendment.

First, it did not "give" powers; it "reserved" them, making them residual. Second, "not ... expressly delegated" was in the Articles of Confederation, which expired when supplanted by our present Constitution in 1788. The amendment, omitting "expressly," says "not delegated." This omission was consistent with an expansive view of the national government's delegated powers; they could include, besides powers expressed (explicitly) in the Constitution, others inferred from broad, express grants of power.

The Supreme Court confirmed this view in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) in upholding congressional creation of a bank (unmentioned in the Constitution) as an appropriate furtherance of several fiscal powers expressly assigned Congress. The court relied on broad power expressly assigned Congress, "To make all Laws ... necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing (express) Powers, and all other powers vested ... in the Government of the United States."

This view permits, for example, national regulation of airline and nuclear safety and funding of NASA - actions unmentioned in the Constitution and precluded by Mr. Hoffman's straitened view.

HAROLD E. SWEENEY JR., Boise

LAUNDRY ARTICLE

Clotheslines are relaxing? Huh?

Little did I realize that during the late '60s in rural Nevada I was pursuing "pastoral relaxation" by using a clothesline. My husband was a telephone installer, and he made my lines from old telephone poles topped with glass insulators. I was the envy of my neighborhood.

I'm wondering if Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune and Nora Haller of St. Paul, Minn., have done everyday laundry with kids playing in the sheets, dogs tugging on drying pant legs, "pastoral" sights of birds flying overhead and/or temperatures that freeze laundry. If they really want to save money and extend the "pastoral relaxation," they should try a wringer washer - with one tub of water you can do two loads.

Good luck, ladies! I'd love to hear about kids, dogs, birds, windy days, freezing rain, clothes you'll need to iron (but that's another letter) and laundry you forgot to take in before all or any of the previous happened.

Many thanks to the inventors and makers of the washer and dryer. Those people are a blessing to womenkind!

ROSE-MARIE BEARDEN, Boise

GOVERNOR'S MANSION

Turn mansion into rehab center

Kenneth Bauer (letter, March 4) has an excellent idea to use this property for addicts to get rehabilitated. It would solve the problem of neighborhoods not wanting addicts close by, benefit addicts by providing the help they need, and solve the problem of overcrowding in our prison system. Let's get it done!

NANCY SHEETS, Boise

Just sell it, piece by piece

If, after reading this letter, you feel I am ungrateful - you are right.

I am not grateful to Jack Simplot for so very "generously" dumping the mansion on the hill on the people of Idaho. What did we get? A $5,000-a-month expense for something that, in its present form, is worse than useless to us. What did he get? A huge tax write-off and freedom from the expense of maintaining something he did not want. There is something seriously wrong with this scenario.

An answer to this problem might be to carefully tear down the present structure and sell it item by item: siding, windows, doors, bricks, light fixtures, etc.

After clearing the property, subdivide it and build houses with an incredible view - the Simplot Subdivision or Hilltop Subdivision. Think about it.

ELVA M. BASS, Boise

Simplots deserve our thanks

Years ago, we watched as they built Simplot's house and struggled to get the lawn and trees growing.

What a beautiful site and what a landmark it has become, with the American flag waving above the city. Visitors to our city always admire it and comment on it.

It is one of the favorite spots in Boise. We watch hundreds of youth and adults ice block in the summer and snowtube in the winter. They also walk their dogs and fly kites. It seems to us to have more users than many of our small parks.

We realize our current governor has issues with living in this home (which thousands of Idahoans would love to live in rent-free with the best view in the state), but since Gov. Andrus decided not to live in the beautiful older governor's house in the North End, the governors have chosen to live where they want, with the taxpayers paying the bill.

Surely this lovely home could be rented for wedding receptions and formal parties and pay its own way until we have a governor that appreciates its great beauty.

Thank you, Simplots, for this great gift.

VELMA LANEY, Boise

CAPITOL RENOVATION

Use materials made in U.S.

Recently on KTVB's evening news, there was a story regarding the Capitol renovation project. The story focused on the delay in completion due to receiving the wrong marble from Italy. I was appalled, given the current state of our economy. Idaho currently has one of the largest unemployment rates in the country, state workers are being laid off and we are worried about imported Italian marble for our state building.

I do understand the historical significance of the building and the importance of aesthetics, but what kind of message does this send to Idaho citizens? Why wouldn't we support local products and purchase material that can support Idaho businesses? In the very least, shouldn't we purchase material made in our own country? In my opinion, it is a degrading message to send to our citizens and local business owners.

MINDY WOLVERTON, Boise

TRAPPING

Tighten rules for checking traps

The Statesman's March 8 front-page story on animal trapping and the picture of a dog with a trap brought attention to the cruel animal trapping problems that still exist in Idaho. That poor dog was lucky his owner quickly found him and got him to a vet.

But wild animals in Idaho can lie in pain for three days because our state's outdated trapping rules require trappers to check their traps only every 72 hours. All but two other states require much shorter times. Idaho Fish and Game estimated that in the 2006-2007 season, 40,481 animals were trapped - not including pets.

In 2007, I formed the Association For More Humane Animal Trapping. At our first meeting, I showed a realistic film on trapping. Many couldn't bear to watch it. I have found trapped animals with their legs partially chewed off. These gruesome images stay in your mind forever.

In the last three years, at our suggestion, two good senators tried hard but failed to get a bill passed requiring trappers to check their traps within 24 hours.

Trapping animals for their skins is the cruelest act humans inflict on animals, and we need to make more people aware of this shameful problem.

Our association now has 232 members. We have a lot to do - we won't give up.

JOHN BARRINGER, Boise, president, Association For More Humane Animal Trapping