Stanislaus County has a crisis: Underfunded animal shelter needs help | Opinion

Animal shelter needs funding

“Stanislaus County’s overcrowded animal shelter strains rescue network,” (modbee.com, March 26)

Stanislaus County has a crisis on our hands. Though there may be other serious issues begging for county reform or resolve, most do not result in the death of an innocent animal.

The Stanislaus Animal Services Agency is legally mandated to care for animals as a municipal shelter. Dramatically underfunded and under-resourced on every level, the facility and its staff are drowning, with no life-line in sight. As a result, healthy, adoptable companion animals are losing their lives due to a critical lack of resources. This is unacceptable.

The agency needs adequate funding.

Celia Angel

Modesto

Who is an American?

“Man shot by ICE in Stanislaus moved at least five times in four days,” (modbee.com, April 23)

Everywhere I go, I see people decorating their homes and businesses for our nation’s 250th birthday. We celebrate our privilege to be an American, and our pride to live in the greatest country in the world.

But at the same time, we have also seen thousands of people in our streets being rounded up and deported — many of them with families and jobs, just trying to live the American dream. Individuals who are deported lose everything.

So what is an American? What makes us American? Is it where you were born? Where your parents were born? Whether you speak English?

Never before in this great nation have we seen so many Americans in the streets of America have to prove they are Americans.

Steven Trevino Jr

Clovis

Fossil fuel industry

“California physicians: Fossil fuel companies must pay for climate damages | Opinion,” (modbee.com, April 24)

Emissions from burning fossil fuels are rapidly warming our world at a rate that has never occurred in the history of our planet. So why do we continue to burn fossil fuels?

The fossil fuel industry has tremendous control over our government. The industry spends over $100 million per year lobbying elected officials. This lobbying serves as a highly effective financial instrument, yielding unparalleled returns on investments by securing multi-billion-dollar taxpayer subsidies, rolling back environmental regulations and stalling clean energy competition.

We cannot expect meaningful climate action as long as our representatives are financially beholden to the industry driving this crisis. Voters must demand transparency and reject candidates who prioritize fossil fuel payouts over our planet’s future.

Ron Sadler

Fresno