Letters to the Editor for May 22

California resident concerned about wild horses

I am writing to express my opinion about AB329, introduced by Nevada lawmakers.

The bill is designed to redefine the word wildlife in an attempt to strip protections for wild horses and burros, and emanate any mandate that allows them water. However, wild horses and burros are wildlife, by any intelligent and recognizable definition.

The livestock industry would have us believe that there are too many wild horses, but the fact is, cattle ranches usurp land and water to support more than 20 times as many cattle as there are wild horses. The public is informed.

Why is Nevada employing such despicable techniques to get rid of wild horses and protect the profits of cattle ranching? Wild horses have been fenced out of water sources, rounded up via helicopter, killed and sterilized, and the new plan will allow ranchers to legally "thirst" the horses out.

I, and many others, are posting on every major social network, informing friends and family to boycott the state of Nevada if this atrocious piece of legislation passes.

Constance Franklin

Los Angeles, Calif.

Lone Mountain Veterinary helps family through tough time

Out of all the years that I have grown up with and owned family pets, I have never come across such a devastating disease that has wiped out our animal companion family. Since January of 2011, it has been a battle trying to get rid of ringworm, and because of this, we have had to euthanize our young and vibrant family pets.

I am writing this letter to the people of Carson City to express my gratitude and thanks to the veterinarians and personnel at Lone Mountain Veterinary Hospital. From the day we brought our cats in to have cultures for ringworm, to the last days when all efforts were exhausted to save our family pets, they took great care toward our heartache of having to put each of our friends to sleep.

I would like to thank Dr. Matt McSweeney, Dr. Pam Jahn, Lori, and all the assistants who helped us get through this horrible and painful time.

I feel that Lone Mountain Veterinary Hospital has exceeded their mission statement and should be recognized by the great state of Nevada and the City of Carson for the efforts they have put forth toward not only me, but all of their clients.

Patty Eder

Carson City

Wealthy people have no regard for middle class

Note to the GOP:

Jesus would not have destroyed the middle class. The Republican party has been hijacked by ultra-conservative plutocrats whose sole purpose is to amass all the wealth. Their appetite for riches is insatiable, somewhat of an addiction. They have devolved from fiscally irresponsible to morally reprehensible.

Over the past 30 years, the rich have gotten overwhelmingly richer while the lower classes, poorer. The top 1 percent possess more than 50 percent of America's wealth & resources. To this end, the ultra-wealthy continue to press for more tax cuts while calling for budget cuts to government programs that provide for the common folk, the very people that built this country into a great nation, as well as America's infrastructure, environment, educational system, and more. Their scheme is actually unsustainable in the long run, and would bring the middle class to death by a thousand cuts.

Worse still is the utter hypocrisy of these greedy, unpatriotic merchants of despair. They wrap themselves in the flag, yet send jobs overseas. They preach family values, yet are quite unfaithful. They want tough law enforcement, yet cry for pardon when guilty themselves - not to mention the budget cuts to police departments which enforce the law. Duh!

The party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower has debased itself to the point that those titans of leadership are rolling in their graves muttering, "What Balderdash!"

Vincent Agamennone

Carson City

Reader warns of rattlesnake on trail

Hiked the Railroad Grade Road off Combs Canyon Road and Murphy Drive on May 16 with two dogs and two friends.

Above the hospital, we went up to the top of the hill and then took the trail back down to Murphy Drive. About 250-300 yards from the bottom, we encountered a five-foot-long rattlesnake directly on the trail. It never rattled - we got within about 10 feet before we saw it - but did hiss. It was overcast and about 50 F-55 F.

It's still up there killing varmints. Be careful.

Mike Bennert

Carson City