Dear Editor:

How stupid does our Governor and Senate GOP leader, Randy Richardville think the people in Michigan are?

The Detroit-Windsor bridge apparently cannot get enough votes for passage by itself, so the next Houdini bill to be introduced would include the 167 Michigan bridges that need repair with the Windsor bridge “hidden” in the bill.

We have been told that the Detroit-Windsor Bridge would not cost Michigan taxpayers anything because Canada would be loaning Michigan the money to build it.  Doesn’t a loan mean it would have to be repaid at some point?  If so, Michigan taxpayers would be footing the cost.  What about costs for  maintenance and repair of the necessary interchange?

Finally, what financial gain would be realized for our Governor? 

To me this sounds a lot like a plan the President of the United States would concoct.

People need to let their representatives know that a “NO” vote should be cast on this issue.

Russ Lapham
Perrinton

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To the Editor:

STARVING FOR “TRUE LEADERSHIP”

A recent poll found, for the first time, 52 percent of Republicans are now deeply dissatisfied with their own Republican Party and many have lost all confidence with the so-called “Republican” leadership. Far too many self professed Republicans are affiliated with the party in name only and regularly betray the very core principles upon which the Grand Old Party was founded.

True Republicans strongly believe in and live the very principles and values that have made America the envy of the world. We strongly believe in constitutional government, true fiscal responsibility, a non-intrusive government (the smaller the government’s role in our lives the better), individual freedoms and liberties and taking direct responsibility for our own lives and helping the ones we love and care for. We believe in strong family values and that marriage is a union ordained by God between one man and one woman. And we are proud to stand up for every American’s baby’s right to life.

The Republican Party can only survive and regain voter credibility if it once again returns to these same core values that all decent Americans believe in. We absolutely will not survive as a nation if we don’t stand up for these principles and we all know darn well the left wing Democrats sure aren’t going to do it. That leaves us with only one choice. We must only vote in candidates who are truly Republican in every facet of their personal, professional and political lives.

For the sake of our Country, children and grandchildren I pray our Republican leaders will immediately come to the realization that bowing down to the special interest groups and the back room cigar smoking power brokers is not in their best interest nor the long range best interest of our nation.

We are individually better than that, and so our Republican leadership must live up to our ideals and standards as well. It is truly time to start cleaning The House and The Senate

May God forever Bless the GOP and the USA!

Michael Trebesh
St Johns

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To the Editor:

In response to Editor’s Corner on September 1, I would like to share information on Gratiot County Animal Shelter providing cats and dogs for experimentation. I am an attorney from Michigan and have been working for over a decade to end this practice called pound seizure.

In my book “How Shelter Pets are Brokered for Experimentation: Understanding Pound Seizure,” which was published last fall, I expose the practice in Michigan and nationally and raise more questions about the practice than there are answers. One of those questions: Why do governmental entities maintain contracts with individuals who are under federal investigation for chronic violations of federal law?

Gratiot County currently has a contract with a USDA Class B dealer who is under federal investigation for numerous citations of the Animal Welfare Act and its regulations—many of which involve improperly obtaining animals for resale to research. I have been involved in several county campaigns that successfully ended pound seizure, starting with Ingham County in 2003. They were successful because once communities learn of pound seizure, they are outraged that an animal shelter has become the shopping grounds for the research industry.

Pound seizure betrays public trust and the purpose of an animal shelter. It causes people to question whether to bring in stray animals with the hope that they will be reunited with their families (which is Michigan law as to stray dogs), or to call in a complaint of animal cruelty or neglect because they fear the animal, if impounded, may end up suffering an even worse fate: being subjected to laboratory experimentation.

Pound seizure undermines Michigan’s animal protection laws and the shelters that house animal victims. Former family pets who have lost their home or been surrendered due to the down turned economy, or feral animals, do not make good laboratory subjects. They are not accustomed to living in a cage, being handled by strangers, and being experimented upon. Scientists know that when a live animal subject is under stress, that animal is not a good test subject.

So the debate is not whether the shelter should give animals to research rather than euthanize; instead, the question is why an animal shelter is violating the public trust. Lastly, animal advocates are not “unreasonable,” as you say; we simply want to educate people about this practice and let them decide whether pound seizure should be a part of their community. All Michigan shelters but two have rejected pound seizure. We hope that Gratiot and Mecosta counties will soon follow so that passing state legislation will not force the issue.

For more information, please visit www.michigandersforshelterpets.org. Allie PhillipsMichigan AttorneyMichiganders for Shelter AnimalsAlexandria, Va. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or call me at 517-281-3009. Thank you.

Allie Phillips
Author, Attorney, Advocate
Founder, Sheltering Animals &
Families Together (SAF-T)
Alexandria, Va.
 
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Dear Editor:
I lived in Isabella and Gratiot counties all of my life and have learned to appreciate the people in their work. Lately the roads of Lincoln and part of Luce were completely done over for the people of this area.

I live by Luce Road, and every day I would walk up to watch the men work. It’s truly amazing what they had to do even with their heavy equipment. They had to remove all asphalt, remove clay under that, replace with sand and smooth all this down, remove all drains, put in new ones and replace manholes.

They would put in two layers of asphalt, curbing and paint striping and even gave the public the bicycle paths for them to ride down.

The public wants the new roads, but seem to not want to give up traveling down the roads with them torn up.

The workers would put barrels, tape, barricades to keep the public out making it hard for the workers to do their job.

We should truly appreciate the work they do because it’s not easy. Thanks guys for doing a good job and making a beautiful road for us.

Yours truly,

Duane Smalley and
Bobbie Smalley
Alma