Letters to the Editor | Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018

Denham did much to protect pets

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, deserves praise for his leadership on behalf of animals. In addition to the many issues he championed throughout his years in the House, Denham secured two wins in this year’s farm bill package.

During House Agriculture Committee consideration, he offered an amendment to include the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act, prohibiting the slaughter and trade of dogs and cats for human consumption. He also sought to stop an effort to include an amendment which threatened to undermine countless duly-enacted state and local laws such as recently passed Proposition 12 in California. For months, Denham worked persistently and across party lines to negotiate a final package, ultimately retaining the dog and cat meat provision and defeating the harmful amendment.

These victories will protect our dogs and cats, encourage other nations to do the same and safeguard the ability of states to set agricultural standards – all thanks to leaders like Rep. Denham.

A climate plan all can embrace

The article regarding the rulebook for the Paris climate deal (“Rules aim to make climate deal reality,” Page 6A, Dec. 17) reiterated policymakers concerns over the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and the need for countries to begin adopting solutions that can cut carbon emissions quickly and efficiently.

While most of us missed the opportunity to discuss the impacts stated in the NCA at Thanksgiving, we still have the opportunity to bring up solutions at the rest of our holiday get togethers. One such solution is a bipartisan bill recently introduced in the House: the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2018 (HR 7173). This bill will establish a revenue neutral carbon tax that could reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2020.

All the money collected from the carbon tax will go back to households in monthly checks.

HR 7173 cuts carbon quickly, gives money back to households and creates a cleaner, safer and more economically secure future. It’s a topic that is safe to bring up at the table this season.

$5 billion a bargain for a wall

Is it not ironic how America sends billions of dollars to other countries, provides free phones to everyone, has investigation after investigation going on costing millions, spending so much time on investigating and no time actually working to solve struggling middle class and other American issues? Yet protecting our borders for $5 billion cannot proceed? More caravans, drugs on the way. What is happening to America?