Where is my stimulus? I am a paraplegic married to a senior citizen and we both are living on a fixed income, given a small raise in January.

At the same time we had a 30 percent raise in our coinsurance pay for doctors’ visits and drugs. I take 10 different pills and my wife takes four pills every day.

Our propane went up 100 percent, electricity went up about 10 percent, the house and car insurance went up 25 percent. Being a disabled citizen, I get a discount on my house tax. However, Warren County re-evaluated my house higher, so my taxes remained the same. It is ironic that while tax valuations for houses on my street rose, several have been for sale for over a year and the ones that sold took several thousand dollars less than value.

The only thing in the bill that I see for me is a one-time payment of $250. I still don’t see any relief for me.

Leo Foster

Vicksburg

Dog story incomplete

What has happened to investigative reporting in the Post?

With reference to the Feb. 10 story of the Belgian Malinois guard dogs in which one of the dogs was hurt in the eye by the UPS man, if only the reporter had looked up on a dog breed Web site about these dogs, he may have shed some light on making the story more open-minded as having two sides.

These dogs make excellent police and guard dogs, and if they are not worked and played with, ignored, they will find ways to entertain themselves at the owners’ expense. It is a good thing a child did not wander up in these people’s yard as these dogs have high drive and show herding behavior.

My heart goes out to the dog that was hurt and also to the UPS driver, who was most likely fearful.

I know my dogs get excited to see the big brown truck, because UPS brings the dog food I order. All I can say is this family must have a lot of say in this small town. I do not believe with only knowing part of the whole story that the UPS man should loose his job.  I think these dog owners should look at the situation from the perspective of UPS and other delivery people.

Mickey Loyacono

Vicksburg

Drivers too often in danger

This letter is in response to the article The Vicksburg Post ran regarding the injury to the dog by a UPS driver. I am an avid animal lover who has owned dogs all of my life and am the current owner of two rescue dogs. I am also the wife of a UPS driver who has been bitten more times than we can count, four of which were deep wounds which became infected. 

Despite this fact, not once has my husband ever considered suing a dog’s owner for his injuries. 

The possibility of being attacked by a dog is a daily threat to my husband. Each time he has been bitten it has been by a dog he had been familiar with for years while delivering packages on the same route. No one can predict when a dog will attack someone. Therefore, each UPS driver has to be constantly alert to animals each time they make a delivery and it sometimes becomes necessary for them to defend themselves. 

After seeing the video Mr. Storey so graciously provided to the media, it is evident one of the dogs was in a crouching and sneaking position from behind, which is commonly known as an attack position. The UPS driver, in attempting to perform his job duties, had no alternative but to defend himself from the pending attack and was justified in his actions. His actions against the dog were not performed in a manner as to indicate the driver intended to maliciously harm the animal, but only to deter being attacked.

It is a shame Mr. Storey has decided take the actions he has taken. Now the driver and his family are being harassed by people and the media and that is just wrong.

Shannon Hoben

Vicksburg

Drop dog-abuse charges

This is about the dog struck by the UPS driver. According to the article, the dogs were there to “protect his property,” their owner said.

It seems to me the driver was doing what he was hired to do; that is, delivering packages to the doors of those who ordered things. That is what made that company one of the biggest in the world. UPS delivers packages to the door because that is what is expected of them, Stenson Road is no different.

I do not know the driver or the dog’s owner. I do know that dogs are protective of their territory and that is why they were there. I know dogs cannot be expected to know friend from foe when both are unknown to them. I know the dog had to be quite close to have been struck by the rod or whatever it was. I know dogs can sense fear in someone who is close and that can cause dogs to become aggressive.

I also know dog owners are responsible for their dogs. It doesn’t make sense that a delivery man should have to let a dog bite him when he is not trespassing and is there because he is expected to be there.

I also know that had the dog bitten the driver, it would be the complete opposite of what it is now. It would have or could have been Mr. Storey in serious trouble, and with the right lawyer, the delivery man could become the one living in that house with the circular driveway.

It seems Mr. Storey should count his blessings and drop the charges. I also feel UPS should stand behind its drivers and give them proper support when things like this happen. There’s no telling how many dogs these drivers come into contact with every day while doing their jobs.

R.G. Hollowell

Vicksburg

Old ideas shouldn’t prevail

I was disappointed that our senators, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, did not support President Obama’s economic stimulus plan. They stood united with the entire Republican Party which is refusing to give support to any other ideas but their own.

I wrote to them about this vote and Wicker responded he could only support the alternative solutions for the economic problems caused by President Bush’s economic politics — solutions proposed by the ultra-right-wing Heritage Foundation and his losing presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain. These ideas were discarded by America when we voted in President Obama and the Democrats gained control of the House and Senate. Why did this happen? Because we have lived through eight years of these ideas, and we see where they got us. We tried them. They worked wonderfully for the top 1 percent of the wealthiest, and hurt everyone else. Old ideas and old politics have to give way to reality.

These “conservatives”  who are our representatives (and who certainly weren’t “conservative” about the vast increases in federal spending during the Bush years, and who never even counted the incredible spending increases of a unnecessary war in Iraq) are playing politics for political power over the needs of the country. Why not represent all of our state, and not just the wealthy or the misled.

Urge your senators and representatives to support the ideas of President Obama, and give them a chance to work. The Democrats did it for Bush when he took office. Ask them to prove they care more about all Americans enough to try other ideas, when their past ideas have proved a failure.

Leah Johnson

Vicksburg