Monday, October 5, 2009

Vote yes on Issue 2


Matt A adds these comments: No matter what laws, amendments, or sanctions that are put on livestock to improve the quality that they are being raised, you'll always have that small percentage that does a poor job of raising that animal. It is the person and not the system. If you take 100 farmers, 99 do a fantastic, humane job of caring for the livestock but that one person that neglects their livestock shines a poor light onto the rest of the agriculture base.

This is not our grandfather's agriculture. We raise animals in builings under confinement for their own safety against weather, disease and preditory animals. People of this local community need to understand that agriculture makes up almost half of the total gross dollar flowing economically through this county. The schools, tax base, local businesses, and even local programs benifit from this economic movement. We will not know what we are missing as a community until its gone.

Please consider all the points carefully before deciding the fate of our county and of Ohio. This may not solve all the problems, but issue 2 will help postpone bigger problems from affecting us adversely.

[This website supports Issue 2. No money was paid for this posting.]

17 comments:

  1. Oh common, there is only one reason the big ag groups would support animal care standards: They will be more lenient than the alternative.

    This is nothing like California's issue 2. This is a change to Ohio's constitution for a power grab. The motivation is to PREVENT outside interests from trying to impose animal care standards.

    Only an idiot would believe self-regulation will work. A vote of YES on issue 2 is a vote to continue cruel and inhumane treatment. Issue 2 isn't progress, it's a road block.

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  2. No matter what laws, ammendments, or sanctions that are put on livestock to improve the quality that they are being raised, you'll always have that small percentage that does a poor job of raising that animal. It is the person and not the system. If you take 100 farmers, 99 do a fantastic, humane job of caring for the livestock but that one person that neglects their livestock shines a poor light onto the rest of the agriculture base.
    This is not our grandfather's agriculture. We raise animals in builings under comfinement for their own safety against weather, disease and preditory animals. People of this local community need to understand that agriculture makes up almost half of the total gross dollar flowing economically through this county. The schools, tax base, local businesses, and even local programs benifit from this economic movement. We will not know what we are missing as a community until its gone.
    Please consider all the points carefully before deciding the fate of our county and of Ohio. This may not solve all the problems, but issue 2 will help postpone bigger problems from affecting us adversely.

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  3. 99 out of 100? Tour the local county chicken farms and see if you find the animals in "fantastic, humane" conditions. You'll find birds in rows, defecating on each other, in cages too small to even open their wings. You'll find drugged birds that have such a large breast they cannot stand.

    Humane treatment is more than not starving or beating the animal. It's about living conditions.

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  4. There are already laws on in-humane treatment of animals... more laws sure are not going to fix it. How about just inforcing the laws we have?

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  5. With the exception of Matt A., I am totally mystified by the above comments from Darke County people. Issue 2, while certainly not perfect, is a necessary innoculation against the well-funded kooks who would assign constitutional rights to animals. Government regulation is the only solution to this impending threat. Quit letting the philosophies of Limbaugh, Beck, etc. rule your thinking and educate yourselves on this crucial issue.

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  6. This is fear and manipulation at its worst! Why in the world do we need to amend our Constitution and create even more Government and more Government expense that this state cannot afford? What are the farmers so afraid of that they are spreading assumptions (implied as truths) rather than facts throughout the state? Don't we spend enough money already protecting and feeding them through crop price supports, land banks, set-aside programs, reduced taxes on their very valuable land that they would never sell at their extremely reduced assessments, no taxes on their fuel, etc., etc.? Plus we provide them with highways to move their massive pieces of unlicensed and often uninsured equipment over unsafely. And of course we turn our backs as they pollute our rivers, lakes and streams with their fertilizers and manure. I say NO on Issue 2. If a legitimate problem arises in the future, let's deal with it then rather than try to scare people now into believing that we need to set up yet another wasteful and fully agricultural controlled governmental agency (committee or whatever) in anticipation of problems as yet unreal--and we certainly should not amend our Constitution to do it.

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  7. Stupid people will vote no, and be the first to start complaining when the prices of their food starts to skyrocket and the safety of their food becomes questionable. Trust the local farmers and the practices they use folks... if this does not pass we will all be in regret.

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  8. any chance we can get the exact verbage like we did for issue 3?

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  9. It sounds like the animal "rights" activists are the on behind this whole issue. I don't think the bill of rights and it's ideals of the proper treatment should not apply to animals. An animal is not any more "happy" if they live in a feed lot condition or if it lives on the open praries of Wyoming in the wilds.
    I love my pets but when something serious happens to them I feel it is cruel to provide treatment to them, they are an animal.

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  10. Yes, an animal in such a small cage that it cannot move is no happier than one grazing in a feild. Seriously? Extremely confined spaces are cruel and unhealthy.

    I am not a wacko environmentalist...I am very conservative and a lifetime Republican. And although I do pay more for free-range chemical free chicken I don't expect all farms to be held to such high standards. But has anyone here been in a large chicken house? The conditions are deplorable and the treatment cruel. If people did the same kinds of things to their dogs or cats they would be criminally charged with animal abuse.

    One thing is for sure, the industry will not regulate themselves. Any measure will be considered "impractical" or "too expensive". Voting NO on Issue 2 changes nothing. Voting YES will make it very difficult to enact reasonable treatment standards in the future. Don't get drawn into the panic that we have to act now because it's a LIE from big ag. They want the power because they are afraid of what kind of legislation may come before the voters. The don't trust us to be practical.

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  11. Practically has nothing to do with it... if this does not pass the local farmer will not be able to keep their livestock as they please and the "small" livestock producers will go out of business - trust me. Darke Co. and every other rural/farming county in the state will face a real economic crisis.Those who vote no have probably neer set foot on a real working farm.

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  12. I can't believe what I am reading from some people. We live in an agricultural community and there is actually people who want to give control of how livestock is produced and raised to people who have never even seen a farm? I think on this one, we better take the lesser of two evils and vote yes on issue 2.

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  13. The current "experts" are okay with CAFOs; I am not.

    What is a CAFO? Visit EPA to find out.

    We can do better. I'm voting NO.

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  14. If Issue 2 fails to pass big in Darke County, then it's a sure bet to fail big state-wide! The objectors would appear to fall into two categories: those who oppose CAFOs and big livestock farming, and those who are so brainwashed by right-wing media figures, that they cannot see any merit in government control in spite of it being the only defense against the animal rights people. I hope you hunters out there realize that you are also in the sights of HSUS.

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  15. If issue 2 is so great for animals, why then is the United States Humane Society so opposed to it? Something to think about.

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  16. It's time people realize that farmers are professionals at what they do. Your food don't come from Walmart or krogers it comes from a local farm. The food being produced today is some of the safest. People need to know that this outside interest group HSUS there long term goal is to remove livestock out of the state of OHIO & turn you into a vegetarian. I'm not making this up if you go on HSUS web site you will see what I'm talking about. Issue 2 will preserve our food supply & keep it here at a low affordable cost here in the state of OHIO or do you want our food shipped in from another country! I urge everybody to Vote Yes on issue 2 even those people that don't know where there food comes from. Vote yes on issue 2 if you don't you will regret it, starvation hasn't happened yet in this country but it can happen in a matter of days!!! Vote Yes on Issue 2. IF YOU ENJOYED A GOOD MEAL TODAY THAN THANK A FARMER!!

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  17. The October 10, 5:02 PM comment is very disturbing. HSUS is not affiliated with the Humane Society, any more than the US Defense Department is devoted only to defense. Don't believe me, check out their website! There is a big difference between animal welfare (Humane Society) and animal rights (HSUS).

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