Catch nutria with carrots

I sympathize with Shirley Hiebert (Mailbag, Dec. 15). The surreptitious nutria invasion infects many of us. I have a garden and leave carrots in the ground for winter harvesting. Those succulent orange units are nutria candy and are as attractive in the soil of my garden as they are in the bait zone of my “have-a-heart” live trap.

There is a man-made pond nearby where, trap encased, none have shown promise as swimmers. Unfortunately, the parade of applicants continues unabated.

You, Shirley, may prefer to “catch and release.”

Paul E. Davis, Albany

China and Scandinavia

For the folks who wrote in about my last letter, on financial help from China:

1. I didn’t “praise” China. I said they are a brutal police state. I don’t praise brutal police states. I stated some facts about their economy. Period. There are lots of negatives that can be stated as well.

2. I did praise the Scandinavian countries for their health services, education systems, low crime, and high happiness quotients. They consistently lead the world in the latter, according to Wikipedia. Finland however, while high on happiness, does have a significantly higher suicide rate than we do. It is alone in that regard.

John Goodwin, Lebanon

A million for everyone

Trying to jump start the economy and bail out Wall Street with $360 billion to create jobs and steady the economy is ridiculous. That’s the way to help the rich get richer and citizens pay more taxes and higher prices. Then these big companies turn around and pay professional ballplayers $160 million for seven years.

That is more that anyone person deserves. Why didn’t President Bush just give each person $500,000 to $1 million dollars. This would help everyone and our country’s future. It would also keep prices reasonable for everybody. This gives everyone a piece of the American Dream!

Patricia Brown, Albany

Getting along with ‘nuts’?

Bill O’Reilly on one hand says “Why can’t we all get along at Christmas?” But on the other hand, he calls other human beings “a few nuts” and essentially refuses to get along with them unless they remove a sign they surely have the Constitutional right to display.

So why can’t Bill O’Reilly get along with the atheists? I’m a Christian and I still believe atheists have the right to display their opinion, a right equal to the Christians’ right to display their Nativity.

O’Reilly seems to have the attitude that “it’s my way or the highway.” Open, friendly discussion is not something he is known for. Come on, Bill, let’s “all get along at Christmas”!

June Forsyth Kenagy, Albany

Teach in our language

I am just outraged by your article stating that my tax money that goes to the school district is going to be used to help finance a new program to help Spanish-speaking children continue to learn in their native language and English speaking children to learn Spanish.

Just the thought of this is absurd, and I hope I am not the only one to express their views on this topic. Why are we responsible for this language barrier anyway when these kids’ parents probably don’t belong here in the first place?

Teach these children our language. If I had children in Mexico or any other foreign country, would that government pay for me to learn their language? I think not, so why should we waste money time and resources to.

If they want to live in America, they need to be able to speak our native language, English. Save foreign language for high school when students have the choice of which language to learn.

Jay Wright, Albany

How to fix the economy

It has been many years back that I studied economics, so let’s look at common sense today to solve our problems we face.

Let’s go back to 1937, when FHA financing of homes was established. Then after WWII we had the GI Bill that let us veterans finance our homes. Both are government programs that worked for many years with both being regulated by the government. This also stimulated the construction industry and the economy.

We can solve the problem of the banks and loan companies’ failures with common sense. The government regulating and requiring the banks and loan companies to issue new loans with a fixed rate (the open end of interest is what caused the problem) to the families that are facing foreclosure that can qualify. This would take most of the foreclosure homes off the loan companies books and the market, as this would reduce the number of homes on the market and the construction of new homes would begin again, creating jobs.

By starting at the bottom instead of the top we have removed most of the foreclosures from the lending institutions, stabilized the home values and stimulated the economy by saving and creating jobs. This is not rewarding those that got us into this mess. Good old common sense again.

Elden B. Huntling, Lebanon

Fight for our gun rights

Lately I have been hearing rumors that our new president-elect is planning on eliminating guns to civilians. Wether or not these are true no one truly knows, however, it is a possibility, therefore I wish to place my “two cents” if you will.

A wise man once said that if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns, and I truly believe this. A man with enough cash in hand can get any weapon he wants. It comes down to one question: “Would you rather the man filling out all the legal paperwork, and doing all the proper steps, have a gun, or the man with enough money, and the right contact?”

I fully agree with gun control, but removing firearms from people who use them responsibly is asinine.

I will say there is a difference between using your rights and abusing your rights. Perhaps there is a better way than removing guns altogether. Call me crazy, but to me “homeland security” is allowing every American citizen the right to own a gun. If you abuse that right, you lose it.

In the end it all boils down to one resonating and unmoving point, shared by many like myself. I am willing to die for my Second Amendment right. Are you willing to die to take it from me?

Travis L. Tacy, Lebanon