You recently published in your Opinion section on Jan. 29 an editorial saying, “The responsibility for what happened to Diamond rest squarely with (Deputy) Weeks.”

I beg to differ with you. The responsibility for the health, safety and security of domestic animals rests squarely on that animal’s owner.

Dogs have to be under the control of their owners at all times.

Had that dog caused damage to the police cruiser, it would have been the responsibility of the dog owner to pay for the repair.

The police cruiser was in a public street. The dog did not belong on the street.

You made the point that if the cruiser struck a mailbox or a house porch the police department would be responsible.

Right you are. Vehicles don’t belong on porches, or damaging property off the road. You are comparing apples to oranges.

I have a comment about another article stating 53 mayors in North Carolina sent Gov. Bev Perdue a letter supporting her proposed sales tax for education.

It used to be if a fellow got a gal pregnant, both would be very ashamed. Today, this is not the case. Both think it is status symbol having a baby. There are three girls in one high school class in a local high school each having had a baby. There is yet another girl who is pregnant with her second child.

My thought is, help the needy, not the greedy. Since when is it the responsibility of the taxpayer to bear the burden of people who want to have status symbols?

How is it a person with expensive hairstyles, expensive fingernails, cell phones and designer clothes, gets to get in a free food line in a public school?

Now we have elected officials wanting to raise our taxes even more. When does this end?

“The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!” – Napoleon.

Ralph Nezas

Rocky Mount