I see this as the foothold in the door! Doesn't seem all that bad on the surface, and won't affect my little kennel of dogs directly but allowing it won't be good in the long run.
Yes, I understand the slippery slope argument in regards doing whatever you please with your dogs. But this bill attempts to prevent an issue that reflects poorly on everyone who has ever bred or owned an unaltered dog. I worry that by vehemently fighting reasonable legislation, we will erode the credibility of our cause. We certainly should not support puppy mills and abusive breeders in any way. But what happens when we do and waste our influence on such a bill? Will they still listen when we protest a bill that actually does hurt us?
I differ in opinion here. This is much like statements I have heard politicians make regarding gun control. That statement being: "We must give up some of our individual rights for the greater good/safety of the majority."
My Opinion: If you give an inch, they'll take a mile. Stand united. Politicians and the radical organizations sponsoring these bills are not interested in credibility(most have none themselves), they are interested in votes. A united front of sportsmen is a large sum of voters that will draw notice. Reasonable and legislation are an oxymoron in this day and age.--John
John, you understand politics, some others....not so much. I have family and/or family ties involved in politics on the local, state, and national levels. Heck I even had a cousin make a run at US Congress not to long ago. I was a double major in finance and politcal science and spent several years working the Austin political scene. My moral fabric is wound a little to tight for politics so I have persued a path in the pricate sector.
The saying if you give them an inch they try to take a mile applies almost 100% of the time in politics. Period end of story. If you can't end stand that, you don't understand how things have worked for a very long time. Politicans understand they can't just go for the big power grab so they methodically chip away at your rights in creative less intrusive ways.
Think of it this way.....imagine a pyramid. How do you build it? You start at the base with small blocks. Keep putting these blocks together and soon you have a base. Then you build the next level and so on. Substitute the blocks for bills like this and you can see how this could just be another step to ultimately building something big and nasty.
Stop trusting politicans and see the big picture. Your rights are much easier to take than they are to get back.
