Letters to the Editor
Readers write about curbing greenhouse-gas emissions through the use of nuclear energy, and how you can help homeless pets.
Nuclear power is theway to curb carbon emissions
Regarding the Oct. 2 editorial, "States lead on scrubbing carbon": Your enthusiasm for state carbon emission controls and the actions of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was disappointing.
These local efforts to control global warming miserably fail any serious cost-benefit analysis.
The calculated carbon reductions obtained by taxing and trading carbon dioxide releases are minimal. They will produce zero benefit in offsetting the global increases, and greatly increase the cost to local energy users.
Why must we start taxing carbon when there is a viable alternative?
"Nuclear" is the one word everyone seems to avoid. Only nuclear power can supply the benefit of carbon-free energy, and at no additional local cost.
Unfortunately, nuclear power has been demonized and frozen out for a half century by overblown fears of radiation and nuclear holocaust. That must be corrected.
Global warming will not be solved by costly carbon taxes and regulations that make consumers feel good but accomplish nothing.
Richard M. Peekema
San Jose, Calif.
Spaying and neutering pets will decrease the number of homeless
Regarding the July 31 article, "A sanctuary that's 600 cats' meows": Thank you for Doug Fox's wonderful article on Lynea Lattanzio and her sanctuary, The Cat House on the Kings.
I have been blessed to be a volunteer with this wonderful facility for nearly eight years. Lynea takes her work extremely seriously, working to provide for the daily needs of all the cats on the property. I feel it's important for readers to know and understand how hard Lynea has worked to create a safe and secure environment for them. For example, she's enclosed the entire 12 acres with a cat-proof cyclone fence, and installed multiple feeding and housing stations throughout the property.
The most important message, however, has to be that we humans created this situation by failing to spay and neuter our animals, whether they're our pets or just outdoor neighborhood animals. Animals will do what nature and instinct drive them to do, which is procreate indiscriminately until they die. We have to do more than we are currently doing.
Euthanasia as a primary means of population control must become unacceptable to all citizens, not just in certain areas around the country. More of us need to speak for the animals who cannot. More of us need to stop pretending that all animals surrendered to most publicly funded shelters are being placed into loving homes. Millions of animals – dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs – are killed each year in this country because there are more animals being born than there are homes to place them into.
Please, people, do what's best for the animals: spay and neuter!
Kathy Carbaugh
Fresno, Calif.
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