Predatory dogs

A word of warning to everybody who lives in the Southridge area.

Last Thursday, my cat, who was in my backyard, was brutally and viciously attacked and killed by two dogs who were charging about the neighborhood.

One of the dogs, a yellow Lab, weighed around 50-60 pounds, and the other dog, brindle in color, weighed around 40 pounds. The two dogs, who seemed to be wild, almost rabid, charged up my driveway.

I have never seen dogs behave like this, wildly tearing up shrubbery and landscape lighting while trying to jump a 4-foot high retaining wall. It took two days to find the badly torn-up body of my cat.

I called Denton Animal Control only to be told that since my cat was not on a leash, there was nothing that it could do. Draw your own conclusion there.

My assumption is that if there are rabid dogs running around in your neighborhood, you will receive no help from this department.

While the officer was at my door, I also informed him about a coyote that I had seen running on Fairfax after dark, and the animal control officer said that they were extremely tricky to catch and that, once again, he could do nothing.

The conclusion that I have drawn is to be very aware and carry protection when walking your small pet or child in this neighborhood because you are essentially on your own.

S.L. Hall,

Denton

Corporate responsibility

Mr. Kokalis [Letters, June 16] wrote a letter concerning the difficulties of Ireland’s loss of jobs to places with lower labor costs such as Poland or the Czech Republic due to the relocation of multi-national companies. Hard on the Irish, but good for the shareholders.

While all large organizations (bureaucracies) share certain characteristics: hierarchy, formal rules, etc., they differ in their purposes, or in what Peter Blau and W. Richard Scott describe in terms of the cui bono, “who benefits?”

Every such organization has many constituencies to which it must answer: its membership, the public at large, the public in contact (clients), the owners, etc., but there is always a primary beneficiary.

For example, a mutual-benefit organization such as a labor or credit union is answerable primarily to its membership; a business enterprise, to its owners (shareholders).

The Dell Corp. is fulfilling its primary function by reducing labor costs and maximizing profit by moving to a country with a cheaper labor force.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but General Electric is not there to “bring good things to life;” it’s there to make a profit.

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that this is one of the big problems with for-profit hospitals whose primary beneficiaries are supposedly the clients (patients) but are really there primarily to make a profit for the owners.

Elinor Johansen,

Denton

Adding insult to injury

A while back a truck drove through my back fence, leaving a bumper, license plate and a lot of damage. They made it about five blocks down the road and abandoned the truck. They were in such a hurry they forgot to take their driver’s licenses with them.

The police knew who was responsible. I was told, however, that Denton did not have sufficient resources to pursue charges. I was given the address and phone number of the registered owner and told to pursue it myself.

The kicker is that a week later, code enforcement ticketed me for having a damaged fence. I was given 10 days to clean up the damage and put up a new fence or I would be fined $500.

Several months later, another driver ran through my neighbor’s fence. The neighbor received the same threat from the city that I did.

The ironic thing is that a Verizon box that sat on their easement was totaled, leaving bare wires coming from the ground. I called code enforcement to ask when the Verizon box would be fixed and was told that workers would probably get around to it when they could.

The city doesn’t have the resources to prosecute someone who damages my property, but it does have the resources to fine me $500 if I cannot afford to fix said damages within 10 days.

It also seems that there is no problem with businesses leaving damaged and potentially dangerous equipment unfixed for as long as they like.

Jodi Nuesse,

Denton

Ode to Carl Young

As per the featured story on the front page of the paper on June 11, “Panel votes for term-limit proposal; Members could serve up to 12 years without a break.”

One of the writer’s favorite council members was Carl Young. Carl Young was a disabled veteran who served his country.

Councilman Young wanted to pay the council people for their time, which is only fair. Young’s point was that you get what you pay for.

Council people with a personal agenda more than likely cost our city a lot more than what their pay would be. Term limits wouldn’t be a problem, as desirable people (professionals) would be seeking the job.

May you rest in peace, friend Carl.

Tillman E. Uland,

Denton

A day-brightener

Good morning and thank you for brightening my day. I woke with a chip on my shoulder, thinking, “OK, I will read all the bad news in the paper and then go start my day.” Naturally the headlines read “doom and gloom.”

I flipped through the headlines and found Susan Estrich’s column [Opinion Page, June 13]. How gratified I was to read her honest, heartfelt experience about a difficult time in her life, i.e., graduation.

I could relate having been there, done that. Moreover, she came out of the experience sharing a new perspective and positive outlook.

How refreshing! It opened my eyes to looking at the day anew. Thank you; she made my day!

Paula Davis,

Denton

Axis of evil

Some people and some media made fun of President Bush for calling Iraq, Iran and North Korea the “Axis of Evil.”

In light of recent developments, I wonder what you all think now? Does it require you to adjust your opinion any?

John Green,

Hickory Creek