By Pets are not property

I am writing in concern about an article written to you on Oct. 24 titled, “Los Altos is a paradise for pets” by Aiko and Jim Hill. In reference to the above mentioned article, we are stewards for the animals and not their owners.

Owners is mentioned four times pertaining to pets. Pets are not property but living, breathing things. People own cars, bicycles, clothing, boats. You get the idea, don’t you?

I love my dog. As far as I’m concerned, my dog Bear is just like having a child. My dog will never stab me in the back, wreck my car and she is always glad to see me. She doesn’t crticize me and loves me unconditionally as I do her. She is not property.

Please give some thought to the aforementioned.

Nancie L. SailorLos Altos

Cities need to take initiative

The recent closing of the St. Joseph the Worker Center on El Camino Real is a serious backward step for the neighboring communities of Los Altos, Mountain View and Los Altos Hills.

The center has brought employer and employee together in a safe, productive and businesslike atmosphere, which benefits both.

The day workers eagerly took the additional opportunity to learn English. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul ran the center with a low overhead and encouraged support from local churches and volunteers.

All this progress could now be lost.

It seems to us that the three city goverments must cooperate actively and persistently until a suitable, permanent and affordable location for the center is found.

All three cities are clearly involved, since most employers live in Los Altos or Los Altos Hills, while most employees live in Mountain View.

Judging from the discussion at Mountain View City Council on Oct. 30, no one city wants to take the initiative. Surely it is not too much to ask for three neighboring cities to accept joint responsibility and to work together to solve the problem for the benefit of all.

In spite of wishful thinking, this issue will not go away, and it will not be solved by churches and volunteers alone while city governments look the other way.

Roy and Janet HayterMountain View

Combat anthrax scare by banning junk mail

On the current list of people exposed to anthrax, the list includes 9 meida, 28 postal workers and processing facilities, 15 government people and facilities, plus a minor number not related to the above listed.

The question is, how can all this phase of terrorism be stopped?

One way to eliminate a good portion that would affect all Americans would be to halt junk mail at this time.

This would decrease the profit made by the post office. However, it would be a lot less expensive for Medicare, insurance companies and the public, many of whom can’t afford to pay health care.

We are in the midst of a depression/recession and it would only get worse.

If we don’t do something, the whole country will go down like the dot-com industry.

Just banning the delivery of junk mail alone could save thousands of postal deliverers as well as the public from possibly being exposed to this awful plague.

J. Surtees

Monta Vista