Animal companions are beautiful

Re "World's Ugliest Dog is a prized pet" (Our Region, June 29): There is a ray of sunlight amid the gloomy news of job losses and political stalemates. His name is Pabst.

The boxer with a serious underbite was named the World's Ugliest Dog, and your story about him and his owner illustrates how much comfort animals bring to our lives. It is well-documented that pets can have a therapeutic influence. Being with them can reduce our blood pressure, relieve stress and help us bounce back more quickly from illness and injury. Pets give us an excuse to exercise, a way to meet neighbors and a reason to get out of bed.

Anyone who has ever been greeted at the door by a wiggling, smiling dog, as Pabst's owner described, knows how much happiness pets can bring to our lives. When you have a pet, you are never alone.

In this poor economy, many people have given up their pets for lack of financial resources or pet-friendly housing. Our animal shelters are brimming with them. If you haven't already, read Pabst's story. It might inspire you to visit a shelter and adopt your own pet. That would bring a ray of sunlight to his life, and to yours.

– Alexis Raymond, Sacramento

Less bang for more bucks?

As I was driving around today, I saw all the fireworks displays. I recalled in the past watching families spend hundreds of dollars getting their own supplies of fireworks.

I wonder how many families cannot afford such a thing this year, and I wonder if our local cities, counties, park districts, etc., have canceled their Fourth of July fireworks displays.

It was nice watching these displays during the good times, but right now, during this terrible economic recession, it seems that within a half-hour, they can easily send up into the sky enough wasted money to pay for a lot of jobs for people who may get a layoff notice in the next few weeks.

I am certainly very patriotic, but I hope most people watch the fireworks on TV or at one of the very few displays that we should have. It will be interesting to see if all the fireworks go off as usual, or if there will be some common sense this year about spending that kind of money on fireworks. I believe our leaders are still in a fog about the concept that every little bit of savings helps.

– Patricia Erickson, Lincoln

Columnist steers from the truth

Re "Try social pressure to smooth out urban life's irritations" (Forum, June 28): Contrary to Howard Weaver's belief, riding your bike on the sidewalk is not illegal, though it is often frowned upon when the bike rider is an adult rather than a child.

However, while it may be inconvenient to have to share the sidewalk, I sometimes find it necessary to ride on the sidewalk for safety reasons. For example, if there is no bike lane and the shoulder is in very bad condition. (Folsom Boulevard from around Alhambra Boulevard to California State University, Sacramento, would be an example.) Or if it's night and the road is poorly lit. Or if you would be riding against traffic.

As someone who commutes from Land Park to CSUS on my big, purple beach cruiser, I can tell you that no one likes to share the road with bike riders. Cars don't like to share the road, people don't like to share the sidewalks, and commuters on busy light-rail trains don't like bikes that take up precious room.

Many people may wish it were so, but it is not illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. We all need to share the road, sidewalks included.

– Melissa Whaley, Sacramento

Illegal's the issue in immigration

Re "Immigrants are not a fiscal drain" (Forum, June 28): As usual, the illegal immigrant advocacy people blur the line between legal and illegal immigration and its associated costs to justify their agenda.

It is an insult for Walter Ewing to lump the economic contributions of legal immigrants with the economic drain of the illegal immigrant community. There are numerous objective studies that have clearly shown that illegal immigrants and their families drain the economy of California by a far greater extent than they contribute.