• Exterminating cats is not the answer • Re-think legalizing marijuana • Support a fair tax rate Exterminating cats is not the answer Let’s be clear: the real threats to birds and other wildlife populations is deforestation, climate change and
• Exterminating cats is not the answer • Re-think legalizing marijuana • Support a fair tax rate
Exterminating cats is not the answer
Let’s be clear: the real threats to birds and other wildlife populations is deforestation, climate change and habitat destruction that are being ignored in these articles by scapegoating cats.
The study Mr. Patterson refers to perpetuates a bogus debate. It was authored by researchers with an anti-cat track record, who arrived at their chosen conclusion by cherry-picking data. They cite a discredited researcher, a colleague who was convicted and then fired for trying to poison cats. Despite their claims, this has very little to do with science or conservation.
Cats are part of the ecosystem and have been for thousands of years. Cats don’t kill 75 percent of the entire bird population every year as the study suggests, nor do they kill 750,000 birds per year on Kaua‘i, which is what it predicts, based on the study numbers. They do help control rats and mice.
The authors also neglect to mention that their proposed “solution” really endorses continuing the same failed policies of the last century, which call for the mass killing of cats. Tens of millions of healthy cats have already been killed in animal pounds and shelters, at great taxpayer expense, without achieving anything.
“A policy of just more killing can never be the right answer,” said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies.
It is morally wrong, publicly insupportable and practically impossible to catch and euthanize the feral cats in our communities. There is no labor force large enough, or willing, to conduct such activities. Managing “fixed” feral cats in colonies is the only effective way to the reduce population of feral cats. Feral cats in TNR colonies are fed every day and therefore hunt less. Let’s start with a campaign to get as many cats neutered as possible.
Sue Scott
Wailua
Re-think legalizing marijuana
For those of you who are pounding the drum to legalize marijuana, I ask that you take a step back and rethink what you are asking for.
If it is used as a prescription drug for cancer pain alleviation I certainly have no problem with that. But wanting to legalize a substance that is mind altering to get a feeling of “vigor” or “high spirits” is insanity.
Aren’t there enough idiots driving vehicles under the influence of the worst “depressant drug” (alcohol) ever concocted by man to now ask for another hallucinogen drug to exacerbate the slaughter on our highways?
Our dedicated police officers have enough problems stopping DUI, speeders and traffic violators without adding spaced-out pot users to their mix.
The age old rationale for legalizing pot since alcohol is legal and even a worse drug is crazy. Compounding a wrong problem certainly doesn’t improve the other one.
We have spent billions of dollars to educate our children against using tobacco, alcohol, ice and all other drugs. What message would this give them if we were to legalize yet another drug?
Many good studies have shown that pot is just another gateway drug to the more dangerous ones like cocaine and even powerful prescription medications so why even thing about doing this?
Our law enforcement people are overwhelmingly opposed to this legalization and federal laws still list it as a criminal activity. To say that our laws are futile in fighting those who are arrested for using and selling it is like saying that all laws against murder and other violent crime is useless. By legalizing any criminal act would only accelerate its activity.
Keep teaching our children the value of staying healthy and leaving drugs, all of them, alone.
Glenn Mickens
Kapa‘a
Support a fair tax rate
The Fair Tax Act proposes a tax on all new merchandise and services in place of all income taxes, payroll taxes, corporation taxes and taxes on dividends, interest and capital gains. Critics of the Act, which proposes a 23 percent inclusive tax, have confused the issue by saying that this law is in reality a 30 percent tax. To clear up this misinformation, consider the following explanation.
The 23 percent tax is included in the stated price of each item or service. Thus for a $100 item, $23 goes for taxes, and the remaining $77 pays the cost of the item.
This is the same as saying that if you are in the 25 percent income tax bracket, for every $100 you earn, $25 goes for taxes and you keep $75.
On the other hand if you divide $23 by $77 you come up with a 30 percent tax; but to be fair, your income tax rate by this same method would be calculated by dividing $25 by $75, which is 33 percent.
And if you add in your $7.65 payroll tax for Social Security, you now pay $32.65 and keep $67.35, which is really a 48.5 percent tax.
Thus the 30 percent Fair Tax rate looks good.
Patrick R. Burkett
Bend, Ore.
