Letters to the Editor: Jan. 27, 2022

Owners of pit bulls should be legally responsible for harm their dogs do

We recently had an incident where a man walking two pit-bull-mix dogs could not, or did not, stop them from attacking a small neighborhood dog. When the owner tried to save her dog, she was attacked as well. She required emergency surgery upon arrival at hospital via ambulance and more surgery the following day.

Things like this happen all the time. The owners, seemingly without conscience, defend the dogs and tell the world what kind, loving dogs they are. We don't care. Serial killers likely have kind and loving moments, but they, as well, have no place in our neighborhoods. Nine hundred cities in the United States have banned pit bulls. It's not because most of the time they are not killing or maiming people or other animals. It's because at some times, under some unpredictable circumstances, these dogs go berserk and do incredible harm. In many cases owners don't have insurance or the financial wherewithal to pay for the damages they cause.

Government overreach, in terms of telling us what kind of dogs we can own, is fundamentally wrong. The answer would be to pass legislation which requires owners to be charged criminally for actions of their animals. People tell me it's not the fault of the dog, it's the fault of the owners. Let's make them take responsibility. Let's demand our legislators pass laws to make people criminally responsible for assault and battery to others by their pets. Maybe a month in jail would make people think twice about taking responsibility for the impact their irresponsible decisions have on others.

Lawmakers should also stop people with comfort animals from bringing them into restaurants and putting them in shopping carts. That's just nasty.

Bob Heslop, Fort Pierce

Thanks to the POTUS for the extra money so you can buy, buy, buy

Hey, fellow consumers, are you complaining about higher prices and inflation affecting your finances? Then what are you all doing at the shopping mall? No wonder the shelves are bare.

I drove around for ages on a recent afternoon, looking for a parking space. When I finally got into my favorite clothing and my fave home-goods stores, I had to wait in lines longer than Christmas shopping to get checked out.

Are you experiencing the same thing? Well, thank President Biden for your stimulus check. Thank him for the extra money in your account allowing you to buy, buy, buy. The businesses need you. They are willing to pay the price of your demands in increased wages because they need employees to meet the increased demand for their products and services. The bottom line for businesses is going to be huge. The economy is booming. Look for yourself.

Jim Wiswesser, Stuart

I can tell President Biden what the GOP really wants: Here's just a start

Okay, we all know that Donald Trump is a narcissist, that he actually lost the 2020 election, that his Twitter comments were usually mean and self-serving, and that he is very easy to dislike.

That said, President Biden recently asked what the GOP really wanted. For starters, Joe, how about the following: Control of the disastrous southern border conditions; control of our rampant inflation; regaining the respect that the United States once had among both our allies and our enemies; taking politics out of the COVID-19 pandemic; control of the drastic increase in crime, primarily in Democrat-ruled states and cities; and, once again becoming energy independent instead of pleading with OPEC to produce more oil.

Considering all of the above and also the chaotic and bloody Afghanistan withdrawal in which some have said is as much as $85 billion in military equipment, "donated" to a terrorist regime to be used against us in the future. I just ask, are we better off today than we were one year ago?

Herb Brennan, Fort Pierce

Yes, there were significant attempts at voter fraud in 2020 (but read on)

Well, it turns out Donald Trump was right — there were significant attempts at voter fraud in the 2020 election. Republicans from seven states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, submitted signed documents to Congress stating they represented the slate of electors to verify the votes in their respective states. They all showed Trump as the winner of those states, when in fact Biden was the winner in those states and the electors were already submitted and seated to certify the Biden win.

No need for an unnecessary audit, or fact-finding investigation – the documents are on the Internet for anyone to find and see for themselves. This whole scheme was orchestrated by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Add to this the recent revelation of a draft memo for the military to seize voting machines. It may be only a draft, but it clearly shows the mindset of what the thinking was in the highest levels of the Trump administration. This information comes from the release of presidential documents by the National Archives, the documents Trump strove so hard to keep buried. There's no telling what else may be revealed by these papers.

Yes, Trump got it right when he said there were attempts at voter fraud. He was just wrong as to who the perpetrators were.

Brian Cowan, Port St. Lucie

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Letters to the Editor: Jan. 27, 2022