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Letters to the Editor, Jan. 28 Saturday Jan 28, 2017 at 2:00 AM Jan 30, 2017 at 3:49 PM Change trap check rule In 2017 Oregonians can once again be proud that for 2016 both the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Humane Society of the United States ranked our state second in the nation for the strength of our legal protections against animal cruelty. Nonetheless, Oregon's wild animals can still legally be left to suffer in agony, fear, hunger and thirst for a full 48 hours until the trapper returns to check the traps, while it's also not uncommon for pets to accidentally suffer the same fate. The success of 37 other states that have already moved from a 48-hour trap-check to a mandatory limit of not more than 24 between checks has proven that less suffering for animals has not created more hardship for trappers. I'm very happy that Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney has moved decisively with Senate Bill 6 to change our state's trapping laws from 48-hour checks to a mandatory 24-hour maximum lapse between checks, which an overwhelming number of Oregonians support. Debbie Catalina Williams Respect is earned After the heartening and inspiring expression of unity and thoughtful protest shown around our country and worldwide last weekend, I am struck at how we got here. Some folks would say that it was disrespectful to protest Trump right after he was inaugurated, that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. You don’t give someone the benefit of the doubt when they have painted so many people and issues in such a gross manner as this man has done. I’m certainly going to try and keep an open mind. If  Trump and his administration put forth actions that seem reasonable and helpful to our nation then I will try to acknowledge it. Trump has not shown himself to be a thoughtful, sympathetic person to deserve the “let’s give him a chance” attitude. As a citizen I feel responsible to engage in civic discourse and make my ideas and concerns known to my community and our elected representatives. My role is to be active and helpful in my community not sit back and be a cheerleader. No elected representative deserves the trust and support of a nation. Those are earned through truthful words and good deeds. Manny De Aquino Ashland Sign the petition If you want Donald Trump to release his tax returns, you can inform the White House directly by going to https://petitions.whitehouse.gov. To the right, click Sign a Petition. You will see one that begins with "Immediately release Donald Trump's full tax returns ... ". You will need to provide your name and email address. You will receive an email to confirm that you signed the petition electronically. Please share this information through your social media. J. Jackson Jacksonville No right to health care There is a misconception that we have a right to health care in this country. I find no such right in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights or other amendments. Although it is not the law, I examined the Declaration of Independence, and there I found established in our bedrock the declaration that Americans have certain inalienable rights, that our creator has endowed us with them, and that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No right to health care, and certainly no mechanism whereby the government can or should provide it to the people or manage how it is to be delivered to private individuals. To do otherwise would be socialized medicine, but we are not a socialist country. Oscar Zuniga Medford Trump doesn't respect us Our new liar-in-chief declared, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary, that his was the biggest inauguration crowd ever and millions of illegal voters lost him the popular election. Our new ego-in-chief declared his inauguration a “National Day of Patriotic Devotion,” strangely echoing North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Our new groper-in-chief is eliminating the Justice Department’s Violence Against Women program, which funded hundreds of rape crisis centers, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and response training for many thousands of law enforcement officials. Our new censor-in-chief put a gag order on the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department, Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will effectively keep the public in the dark and inhibit coordinated response to epidemics or natural disasters. Our new puppet-in-chief may lift economic sanctions against Russia, allowing a $500 billion payday for Exxon and Putin’s oil company. Our new science denier-in-chief is making fossil fuels a priority while China invests $360 billion in renewable energy and expects to create 13 million jobs in doing so. This man has no respect for truth, transparency, democracy, or — ultimately — the American people. Betsy Shanafelt Ashland