Spring brings new life to Hays as the first eaglet emerges from it’s shell. Pittsburghers are jubilant as we pray for his health and await the hatching of his two siblings.

Plant milkweed; save the monarch. Monarch butterflies have one food source: milkweed. American farmers are destroying milkweed in their rush to plant genetically modified corn and soybeans. First through the use of herbicides that kill all plant life (save the modified corn and soybeans) and second by increased planting of corn and soybeans on acreage that historically grew milkweed. The winter migrations of monarch butterflies used to blanket over 16 acres of forests in western Mexico. This year they were recorded on only 1.7 acres; a 90% decrease. Our elected officials must take the lead in restoring milkweed. One easy to implement recommendation is to plant milkweed on the sides and medians of US roads along the butterflies’ migratory route. In the meantime each of us can act by planting milkweed around our homes and neighborhoods. Seeds are available for the cost of postage (copy/paste URL in your browser) https://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds... The disappearance of the monarch would be an ecological tragedy and we can prevent it. Act now.

Drought emergency in California - declared by Governor Brown. This is the driest year on record and we support the conservation efforts proposed by Brown; not only in California but in all areas that face water shortages. Conservation will be easy once we recognize the condition and take responsibility for minimizing waste in our households. Examples include: - Take “navy showers:” get wet, turn off the water, soap up, turn on the water and rinse. - The same method applies for washing your hands: wet your hands, turn off the water, soap up then rinse. - Do not let water run down the drain as you rinse your dishes - rinse over a sink basin then transfer the water to a bucket where it can be used to flush toilets or water plants. - Replace grass lawns with drought tolerant native plants. The single most important thing we can do is to decide to do something about water waste. Once that is done the solutions will follow.

Patient dumping is disgusting. We believe few actions are more despicable than a hospital discharging indigent and/or mentally ill patients by dumping them on city streets; usually skid row. If this is how hospitals treat the helpless what can we expect from Wall Street, banks and other institutions? History shows that corporate corruption goes on for years before the justice system takes action. And what are the penalties? A financial fine, i.e. a slap on the wrist. We want these criminals brought to trial, the way the rest of us are. And the guilty should be imprisoned, the way the rest of us are. Financial fines are no deterrent for the wealthy, perhaps the prospect of ten years hard-time would nudge them towards decency.