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Wednesday's letters: Protect wildlife habitat

 
Published Jan. 12, 2016

Habitat Restoration Act

Support bill to protect bear habitat

Clean water and fresh air are important to everyone, and any action that protects wildlife habitat also improves the health and wellbeing of humans. A bill has been introduced by state Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, called the Florida Black Bear Habitat Restoration Act (SB 1096). The House version, HB 1055, was introduced by Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.

The act would help preserve the habitat of the Florida black bear and the primary sources of the bears' diet, including the saw palmetto and acorn-producing trees. Saw palmetto harvesting on state lands in bear habitat would no longer be permitted, and neither would the destruction of acorn-producing oak trees.

Protection of the bear's food supply coupled with the distribution of bear-resistant trash cans in bear country would drastically decrease human-bear conflicts, making it safer for bear and human alike. Humans leaving trash out or otherwise feeding bears is the primary reason for human-bear conflicts. Destroying the bear's food supply and leaving trash out in residential areas makes for a bad combination and leads to most human-bear encounters.

This bill is good for humans and bears. Preserving the bears' environment and forest homes also protects our environment. We should urge our senators and representatives to support this bill.

Alexis Foxx, Weeki Wachee

Veterans deserve better from VA | Jan. 11, editorial

Personnel shakeup needed

One of the major issues in the presidential campaign will be the outrage expressed by military veterans over extended wait times for disability claims filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A primary cause of the lengthy wait times is evidently a company that was hired by the VA: CACI International, an "information and services" company that is charging millions of dollars.

In reviewing this contractor's recent actions, the inspector general discovered that a significant backlog of veterans' records was the result of "inefficient preparation and handling of veteran-provided documentation" at CACI's Georgia office.

The VA's search for a solution has been almost futile. Even with the hiring of a successful former Procter & Gamble CEO, Bob McDonald, the VA's problems have found the new secretary admitting on 60 Minutes that he had never encountered an organization like the VA where it is next to impossible to fire an unproductive employee.

The VA needs to be run like a tight, well-oiled ship, and those on the team who are not up to the task of treating our wounded veterans with respect, professionalism and integrity need to be shipped out and replaced with those who can succeed.

As a potential solution to this ongoing fiasco, it may be time to shutter the doors of the old ways of treating our veterans and replace the existing, unsuccessful old guard with tough, experienced, seasoned and responsible military leaders.

Mike Merino, Tampa

Gun fee must shoot down legal challenges Jan. 8, Daniel Ruth column

Poor need protection, too

In a display of progressive solidarity, Daniel Ruth has enthusiastically endorsed a proposal by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman for a tax on guns and ammunition. Their thinking is that more expensive ordnance will keep the guns and bullets out of the hands of violent criminals. This is predicated on the assumption that the killers of seven teenagers in south St. Petersburg strolled into Walmart and purchased their tools of destruction and ammo across the counter.

Call it a fee if you like, but this a regressive tax that will hit the folks hardest who are the least able to afford it. Most domestic gun violence occurs in poverty-stricken urban areas. Increasing the cost of guns and ammunition will make it even more difficult for the law-abiding citizens who live and work in these communities to defend themselves. Evidently, Ruth wants only the rich folks to have guns.

Violent criminals who use their guns to intimidate and terrorize will find a way to arm themselves, regardless of the cost. This has been abundantly demonstrated in gun-unfriendly cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Paris.

T.S. "Mac" McDonnell, St. Petersburg

Gold in gun shares | Jan. 9

Poor safety example

In this article about booming gun shares (no pun intended) you show a photo of Brandon Wexler breaking the cardinal rule of gun handling. Namely: never, ever put your finger on the trigger of a weapon until you're ready to fire.

I learned to shoot 60 years ago, and this is the first lesson I learned. People are killed accidentally every day by improperly handled "unloaded" guns. Even in movies and television cop shows, you'll notice the actors keep their fingers off the trigger.

If this guy works for the gun shop, he's setting a rotten example for potential customers. What's even scarier, he probably has a concealed weapon permit.

Bob Dalzell, St. Petersburg