Protect animals from being dyed

February 13, 2013

Wednesday's letters to the editor

I was excited to read the Feb. 11 Sun Sentinel story that newly-elected Sen. Maria Sachs is sponsoring a bill that reinstates a law protecting baby chicks, ducks and rabbits from being dyed different colors and sold when they're only a few days old.

A similar law had been in effect for 45 years when then-Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff irresponsibly pushed to have it repealed to satisfy a dog groomer in her district who wanted to dye poodles for a show.

Without doing any research whatsoever, the law was rescinded, lifting the ban on selling tiny, defenseless animals. This is the main reason I refused to support the senator in the last election.

This law is needed to stop people from buying — on a whim — baby chicks and rabbits at Easter time, only to have them end up in shelters a few weeks later.

I applaud Sen. Sachs. And I suggest that parents buy their kids stuffed animals for the upcoming holiday.

Buying live animals such as these, especially baby animals, only serves to promote cruelty and apathy in children at a time when they should be learning compassion and responsibility.

Staci-lee Sherwood, Deerfield Beach

Florida teachers deserve raises

It is difficult to establish the wisdom of granting raises to teachers, when the employee groups cited in the Feb. 9 Sun Sentinel story "Big pay hike on way for teachers?" work for different numbers of days and have jobs with different educational requirements.

Although a teacher's average daily compensation of $235 is about the same as policemen, firemen and nurses, teachers are only employed for 196 days a year.

Police, firemen and nurses — on the other hand — work year-round, are paid for each hour they work and receive overtime for any additional work.

Finally, despite what the group "Taxpayers of America" might believe, teachers contribute a full 7.65 percent of their pay to FICA. The facts are that adjusted for educational attainment, teachers are the lowest paid profession in the nation. Florida's compensation levels are among the lowest. Obviously teachers deserve a raise and it's high time they got one.

Steven M. Urdegar, Plantation

Rick Scott's budget

I got a chuckle from Bill Cotterell's Feb. 8 column defending Gov. Rick Scott's budget.

First: Cotterell summed up part of Scott's position to say that "the corporate income-tax exemption should rise from $50,000 to $75,000 because money employers save will mean more employees." This is economic heresy. Businesses hire when there is more demand for the stuff they sell, not when the governor hands them a $25,000 tax break.

Second: The austerity budgets of the last two years were extolled as one reason for the surplus and the improving economy. Yet Gov. Scott is going from austerity to spending increases, which "aren't really spending increases. They are 'targeted investments' that will pay dividends for years to come." Only in a magical kingdom are austerity and stimulus expected to produce the same results.

It's ironic that Gov. Scott's spending increases are called targeted investments, but when done on a federal level they are called spending increases.

Larry Kaiser, Pompano Beach

Show concern for your city by voting

I'm sure my comments are not just true for Oakland Park.

There are over 25,000 registered voters in Oakland Park. Less than 2,500 regularly vote in municipal elections. I don't understand this. These are the things that impact our everyday life:

How many police officers we have and where they are placed.

How many firefighters we have and what equipment they have.

How much our water, wastewater and stormwater services cost.

How much our garbage, recycling and bulk pick-up cost, and how often pick-up is provided.

How many parks we have, how they are kept up and how safe they are.

How much our municipal taxes are and how they're spent.

What kind of development will be allowed next to your neighborhood.

What ordinances are passed controlling where you put your garbage cans.

How many boats or RVs can be parked in your driveway.

How high your home fence can be.

These and many more decisions that directly affect us every day are determined by five people: the Oakland Park City Commission.

This is why I can't understand why every eligible voter doesn't participate in choosing them. It's important to each of us who they are and what they stand for.

If your quality of life, the value of your home and the safety of your neighborhood are important to you, vote on March 12 for the candidates you believe will best serve the residents of Oakland Park or your own city.

Voting is a free service to you, paid for by every soldier since the U.S. Revolutionary War.

Diane Wendt, Oakland Park

Horse rescue organizations located in tri-county areas

On Feb. 7, there was a very good Sun Sentinel story about neglected horses that have been rescued. I am very glad that there is a new horse rescue service in Broward County.

There are certainly too many horses that need help. I wish the article would have mentioned that prior to Peaceful Ridge Rescue's start, there was only one horse rescue service in Broward County.

FRIENDS Horse Rescue in Pembroke Pines has been helping abandoned and abused horses since 1987. It, too, is a non-profit organization. The article mentioned a rescue in Palm Beach County, but not FRIENDS.

I want Broward County to know that FRIENDS Horse Rescue is here and is continuing to help horses in need.

Regina Finley, Dania Beach

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