To the editor:

Remember when we would say “Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite” as a nod to the mid 20th century quote? Well, bedbugs have literally raised their ugly heads again.

Why? Probably because a single politician didn’t like the smell and now pest control companies cannot spray near your headboard or mattress. This is just how easy it is to get stupid legislation passed that ultimately contains more negative consequences than beneficial.

Here we go again. For a few months now a few local residents have continued to petition our commissioners to “do something” about a barking dog in their neighborhood. What ever happened to neighbors talking to neighbors and resolving their differences between them?

Too many people have forgotten how to be neighborly. We have become a self-centered, instant gratification society where communication with another human being has been reduced to an e-mail or a tweet. It is time to return to the philosophy of “love thy neighbor.”

For instance, if there is a barking dog in your neighborhood, maybe the owner has a medical condition that precludes them from being able to exercise their dog on a regular basis. Instead of spending countless hours preparing speeches borrowed from cheap ambulance chaser commercials about ‘emotional distress’ you could have offered your neighbor your dog walking services. Certainly a measure that would benefit both you and the canine.

If you are not inclined towards that as a solution, realize other options that do not perpetuate a negative environment between neighbors. The “super-gadget” Hammacher catalog contains a ultrasonic barking dog deterrent that looks like a birdhouse for only $50 bucks.

Compare that cost to establishing county ordinances. In order to enforce that, the planning department said it would take seven new employees, plus facilities. The county will spend endless dollars a year to deal with a problem they’ll never solve. Macon and Transylvania both have barking dog ordinances, but have stopped enforcing them because they’re unenforceable. But guess what? The PERSONNEL hired to deal with the problem are still on the county payroll!

For our county commissioners to pass an ordinance to address the concerns of a few, they must realize it would contain for the many a greater number of negative consequences. Thanks but no thanks. I have no need for increased property taxes or a further erosion of my personal property rights.

Instead, I suggest they thumb the pages of their favorite super-gadget catalog for that bark deterrent. I bet they can even get it gift-wrapped for an extra $7.

Ginny Jahrmarkt

Sapphire