In Defense of Bear Hunting in New Jersey | letters

Since Gov. Phil Murphy reinstated limited and highly regulated bear hunting in New Jersey, many environmentalists have complained that it is harmful to the ecosystem. Although they have noble intentions, bear hunting is actually like this Good for the environment, and I would say extremely important.

One reason bear hunting is a necessity is that dangerous interactions between people and bears have increased by 232% in New Jersey. This is due to an increasingly oversized black bear population. Avoiding these dangerous situations is an important reason to hunt alone, but controlling the oversized bear population is also important for the ecosystem.

In 1971, bear hunting was halted in New Jersey due to a worryingly low bear population after many years of overhunting. After that, the black bear population grew and the hunting season only opened a few more times. The bears have spread throughout New Jersey and by 2027 their population in the state is expected to reach 4,000. When one species is present in excess, it often affects the well-being of other species in the same ecosystem.

Take bears as an example: too many of them can lead to an underpopulation of their prey, a cycle of imbalance that continues until many different species are harmed. The sensible solution is the type of regulated bear hunting that Murphy approved. In this way, a balance can be achieved in the bear population, bringing it to a healthy level.

To offset the harmful human interference with wildlife that began in the past, we must engage in healthy activities in the present.

Jack Night, Chatham

Trump’s plate is too full of promises

Donald Trump made many promises if elected. Now that he has won the presidency, he has a lot of work ahead of him.

Trump didn’t give himself much leeway in Russia’s war against Ukraine; He said he would end it on the first day of his term. Peace in the Middle East, he claimed, would not be long in coming.

Let’s not forget that Trump said in 2016 that he would end the federal budget deficit by the end of his second term. Talking is cheap, doing is hard work.

In his previous term, Trump posted one of the largest deficits of any president in four years. He never presented a comprehensive infrastructure spending bill, although he talked about it constantly.

The World’s Greatest Health Plan, which was supposed to replace Obamacare, never got off the ground.

This time, Trump made even bigger promises. As I said: talk is cheap.

Joseph Marra, Coastal Park

It was the Democrats who put the government on a diet

Cal Thomas failed to mention in his recent column, “It’s Time to Put Government on a Diet,” that a new administration has done just that, “put big government on a diet.”

This has not been achieved by a Republican administration that always promises smaller government but has recently never kept that promise. President Bill Clinton’s Democratic administration actually managed to reduce the size of government in its final years, ending in 2001, by improving efficiency and reducing regulatory burdens.

The result was not just a balanced budget. Clinton and Vice President Al Gore left President George W. Bush’s administration with a budget surplus that was soon wiped out by Bush’s tax cuts without any actual spending cuts.

Robert A. Graham, Hamilton

eye of the beholder

On political division:

Those who divide us are those who claim that the other side is ruining our country – regardless of which side you or they are on. Fascism or vigilantism, one side demonizing the other.

So it’s a fascinating study in hypocrisy when a letter to the editor argues against division by claiming that one side of the political spectrum is dividing us, and of course it’s the side the letter writer isn’t on.

Zachary Goldstein, Newton

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