Re: [nndl] Animal Welfare Voter Information Guide

-
To respond privately, use the "Reply" command.
To post to the list "Forward" to [at]
-

Ryan Clinton wrote:
> For those of you who care about the fate of Austin's lost and homeless
> pets, here is FixAustin.org's Voter Information Guide for the upcoming
> City Council elections. Please note that early voting ends TODAY (May
> 6th), and that election day is May 10th.
>

I think you mean voter disinformation.

Hopefully list readers can figure out for themselves that the only
criterion used by this organization seems to be whether or not a
candidate approves or disapproves of relocating the animal shelter from
a broken down old building in the flood plain to a larger, new facility
on Airport. Of course what Clinton fails to mention is that Austin
voters VOTED for this move in the last bond election, and that NOT
moving the shelter would amount doing the opposite of what Austin voters
told the city to do. Of course this didn't stop Clinton's organization
from suing the city; an act which cost me and you and the other citizens
of Austin hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. Money that
could have been used to rescue pets. Thanks, Ryan!

I normally would ignore this kind of drivel, but I take particular
umbrage at Jennifer Kim and Lee Leffingwell being given a 3-star rating
on the issue of pet friendliness compared to candidates like Laura
Morrison and, in particular, Randi Shade, whose track record amounts to
a lot of talk and no actual actions of any kind. Talk, as they say, is
cheap. Allow me to set the record straight for the people who actually
care about animal welfare and are not just hell bent on pushing some
kind of bizarre political agenda designed to harm, not help homeless
pets (see below). Jennifer Kim was the sponsor and biggest supporter of
a city ordinance banning the chaining of dogs
(http://network.bestfriends.org/texas/news/15663.html
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/2007/council_06072007.htm).
Furthermore, Kim and Leffingwell are both strong supporters of an
ordinance regulating the sale of pets that have not been fixed, an
important step in controlling the population of homeless pets. Jennifer
Kim has also worked on an ordinance which would allow pet owners to have
their pets with them at outdoor eating establishments. As far as I can
tell, Jennifer Kim is the best friend Austin dogs have ever had on city
council, which is perhaps why she's quoted in DogTown USA:
http://www.dogchannel.com/media/dog-magazines/dogfancy/dog-town-usa-2007...
in a competition for the dog-friendliest city in the country. Saying
that Jennifer Kim is not pet friendly is perverse. period.

Now, a brief word on moving the animal shelter. The central thesis of
Clinton's organization is that moving the animal shelter from Town Lake
to Airport Blvd. will mean fewer adoptions. Sez who? People don't
adopt pets from the animal shelter because they happened to see the
building peeping up out of drainage ditch on the north side of Cesar
Chavez, they adopt pets because they want a pet and know that this is
the responsible thing to do. And for most people in Austin, getting to
a location on Airport Blvd. is a LOT easier than trying to navigate the
the labyrinthian path to the current animal shelter. Furthermore, let
me introduce you to a new-fangled thing called "the internet". Believe
it or not, nowadays people can search for animal shelter pets online,
and many do, including myself, making the actual location of the shelter
even LESS important. Finally, the new location will be larger, which
means more animals can be accommodated which means LESS killing.
Perhaps this is why the city staff who actually work at the animal
shelter were, as far as I know, universally in favor of moving the
shelter to the new location. But all that logic and common sense, not
the mention the will of Austin voters who understood all of the
preceding and voted for it, didn't prevent your organization from suing
the city, a move which did nothing other than transfer our precious
civic resources into the pockets of lawyers. Thanks again, Ryan -- for
nothing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in messages are solely that of the author
and not of the list administrators nor Druma Inc (sponsor 14gram.com).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe & "howto" info, send a blank email to [at]
-