For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has taken a leadership role in preventing animal attacks because letter carriers are the third most likely group to be bitten or attacked by a dog. Children and the elderly rank number one and two respectively. Spring is here and more people and dogs will be on the streets and in the yards. Last year, 6,244 letter carriers were attacked while delivering the mail. While that number is huge, it pales in comparison to the more than 4.5 million people who are bitten by dogs each year.

Your pet is a member of your family and may react aggressively when delivery people stop on your road and approach you or your property; they may feel the need to protect their 'family'. If your pet does attack a letter carrier, you could be held liable for all medical expenses and other costs, which can run into thousands of dollars. Don't think your fence is the only protection you need-especially if a letter carrier or delivery person must enter your yard. The Postal Service is not anti-dog, but rather pro-responsibility. Responsible pet ownership includes making sure your pet is properly restrained.

I started my career as a city carrier in Binghamton, NY. I was bitten once and attacked many times. German shepard, beagle, three scotties, pit bull (family sat on the porch), mixed mutts, and yes, a very mad rottweiler (isn't he cute!). Please don't tell the carrier that your dog won't attack or bite; dogs, like people, have bad days as well. I have a dog (and two cats-for the cat lovers), and while she loves us, I keep her restrained when we have deliveries.

If the regular is comfortable with your dog, don't think that the substitute will react the same way. Additionally, carriers should not be feeding your dog 'biscuits' or treats. Several years ago, I had to do an accident investigation on a dog attack where a carrier was bitten by a blind, three-legged dog. The carrier walked onto the property and did not see the dog lying next to a privacy fence; the dog was startled and reacted aggressively. While it sounds funny, it wasn't to the carrier or the postal service.

Postal policy states: "Delivery service may be suspended when there is an immediate threat (threats due to loose animals) to the delivery employee, mail security, or postal property. Suspension of service should be limited to an area necessary to avoid the immediate threat. Postmasters should request corrective action from responsible parties and restore normal service as soon as appropriate." (POM 623.3).

Please help us ensure our carriers get to go home safely.

Sincerely,

Roger H. Stonier, Postmaster, New Milford, PA

Can smart people do stupid things? You bet they can and in spades.

To wit: Trump signed the $1.3 trillion, six-month spending bill that guts the very agenda that got him elected. Stupid? That's putting the best face on it. Incomprehensible, outrageous, a political death wish fits better.

January 19, 2017 was a remarkable date. A political outsider, a man who never held an elected office, who had a scattered history of being affiliated with three political parties (Independent, Reform, and Democrat) became the Republican President of the United States.

The pundits said he didn't have a chance. The polls predicted his presidential run would end in second place. Nevertheless, he won. Why? In three words: immigration, jobs and the wall. Now, those same three words presage a defeat in 2020.

But first, why did the president sign the spending bill and sell out his base? His 30 pieces of silver were for a $700-billion increase for the military budget, about half of the $1.3 trillion stop-gap budget.

The Defense Department has the most bloated cabinet budget. Last year it lost track of $800 million. Just plain lost. No one has any idea of how it happened, or where it is.

Now the generals and admirals sound the klaxon. They're in dire need of funds. Even though they spend more on defense than China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Kingdom, India, France and Japan combined. That's not enough.

Now the Navy gets 14 more ships, the Army 28 attack helicopters, and the Marines 56 vertical landing F-35Bs. Don't you feel so much safer?

If money was the problem, the Defense Department should have asked, "Do we need 737 military bases pock-marked around the globe?" Hundreds should be cut. And, "Do we need a 1.3 million active duty army?" Why not cut a few hundred thousand and not add the 26,000 more called for in the budget?

So much for why he signed the bill. Let's discuss how the budget affects his campaign promises of controlled immigration, increased jobs and building a wall.

Controlled immigration has become an open, walk-right-in welcome mat. No added border patrol agents, ICE is down-sized, catch-and-release is reactivated, and significantly, retention facilities are reduced. This means that when there is no more room to detain border violators, they walk, presumably North.

It's everything that big business and the Democrats wanted. They're still pinching themselves.

What about jobs?

The US labor market will continue to be depressed by the flood of a million-plus legal and illegal immigrants. This will hit the black and Hispanic citizens disproportionaly hard. It's not more jobs for Americans; it's less.

And the wall? Forget it.

Fact check. The bill does grant billions for border walls, but not for the US. It's for Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

Trump is not going to get the $1.6 billion for a steel and concrete barrier. The bill explicitly forbids the construction of any of the prototype walls Trump recently inspected.

Instead, he's graciously granted $640 million to repair a 90-mile section of wire fence along the 2,000-mile US/Mexican border. There are hundreds of holes cut into it. Illegals use metal shears to fashion their doorway. One wonders, Why bother to repair it?

So sad. Nine billion for scholarships for students from Afghanistan and Egypt, but only a pittance for border security.

Next year the bill will lead to a $1 trillion increase in deficit spending, upping the total deficit to $22 trillion. This is unsustainable. It will not end well.

Taxes will rise to pay for the increased cost of borrowing, along with higher interest rates to entice those still willing to purchase Uncle Sam's IOUs or treasury notes.

It's a fun ride on the way down that stops abruptly when we hit bottom, and it's coming up fast.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins, New Milford, PA