Alarm Bells Ring- Key Obama Job Goes to Animal Rights Supporter

1/20/09
Harvard Law Professor to Head Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

The new head of a federal office with review authority over all agency
rules has an extensive record supporting animal rights and even calling
for the banning of hunting. This raises the possibility of pro-
hunting, fishing, and trapping rules being deep sixed before they ever
get a chance to move forward. The new head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will be law professor Cass Sunstein. Picked by President Obama from his perch at Harvard, Sunstein’s long time positions on animal rights
immediately ring alarm bells for sportsmen.

Sunstein has been an unyielding advocate for the animal rights movement. He has written extensively on the subject and shown a strong dislike towards hunting, going so far as to say that “we might ban hunting altogether, at least if it’s sole purpose is human recreation.”

He also has suggested that it makes sense to begin “allowing suits on behalf of animals.” As the editor of a well known 2004 book on animal rights, Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions; he compiled legal arguments made by numerous leaders of the movement. You can read some of Sunstein’s thoughts on animal rights by Clicking Here.

The concern over Sunstein’s views stems from the authority he will have as the head of the OIRA. While few people have ever heard of it, the OIRA has significant power over regulations coming from federal agencies.

A part of the federal budget office, the OIRA has been given extensive authority to perform data based cost/benefit analyses of all new federal regulations. Though not allowed to issue opinions on the merits of any proposed regulations, the OIRA can block rules if it considers the supporting data not strong.

It requires little imagination to envision an ardent opponent of hunting finding numerous technical reasons to put the kibosh on pro-hunting regulations for years to come.

The USSA will continue monitoring these developments.

"We will not apologize for our way of life........

nor will we waver in its defense”- President Obama in is inauguration speech as the 44th president of the United States of America.
by Cadie Pruss
But as you know, when I repeat his famous phrases, I am not just talking about our “American” way of life, I am talking about mine. My “way of life” revolves around raising animals- animals to nurture the human spirit, animals for companionship, and animals as food (lambs). I do not apologize for this, and I will not waver in its defense.

I voted for this man to be our next president. I find him inspirational. I applaud his call to responsibility, to hard work, to actions that increase community and civility. I love that he spells out values “But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism —“ I believe in those values. I love that he calls for an increase in humanity- but don’t get me wrong- Organizations such as HSUS or PETA are not about increasing humanity. These organizations are simply about removing animals from our lives and they are doing it in ways that at first we (yes, dog people too) bought into- ie. spay/neuter your pets. They have moved on to far larger agendas and they are about intolerance- not tolerance as our new president calls for.

I do not think that these next four years will be easy, and I do expect that I will be called upon to defend my way of life. But I will answer the call to action, so that future generations may also enjoy the wonderful way of life that I have chosen. I will answer the call in this midst of crisis and the “sapping of confidence” that leads to “a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable….”While I know that President Obama was speaking of MUCH larger, more far reaching issues than I am currently speaking of, his requests is that we all do what we can. And I intend to- I hope you will join me in an effort to stop these extreme Animal Rights Organizations from limiting your choices about where your next pet comes from.

Obama promised "special interests won't run the White House"- or will they?

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Cass-Sunstein/Animal-Rights/prweb1868134.htm

http://tinyurl.com/83pu42


Obama 'Regulatory Czar' has Secret Animal-Rights Agenda, Says Consumer Group
Washington, D.C. (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 15, 2009 -- The nonprofit Center
for Consumer Freedom said today that Cass Sunstein, the Harvard
University Law School professor tapped by President-elect Obama to head
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has a secret aim to
push a radical animal-rights agenda in the White House. Sunstein
supports outlawing sport hunting, giving animals the legal right to file
lawsuits, and using government regulations to phase out meat consumption.
In a 2007 speech at Harvard University, Sunstein argued in favor of
entirely "eliminating current practices such as … meat eating." He also
proposed: "We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn't a purpose
other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It's time now."
Sunstein wrote in his 2004 book "Animal Rights: Current Debates and New
Directions" that "animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human
beings as their representatives … Any animals that are entitled to bring
suit would be represented by (human) counsel, who would owe
guardian-like obligations and make decisions, subject to those
obligations, on their clients' behalf."
The Center for Consumer Freedom's Director of Research, David Martosko,
is available to discuss Cass Sunstein's likely impact on typical
elements of American life that involve the use of animals. Sunstein's
work could spell the end of animal agriculture, retail sales of meat and
dairy foods, hunting and fishing, biomedical research, pet ownership,
zoos and aquariums, traveling circuses, and countless other things
Americans take for granted.
Mr. Martosko said: "Cass Sunstein owes Americans an honest appraisal of
his animal rights agenda as America's top regulator. Americans don't
realize that the next four years could be full of bizarre initiatives
plucked from the wildest dreams of the animal-rights fringe. Think about
every outrageous idea PETA and the Humane Society of the United States
have ever had, and imagine them all having the force of federal law.
This doesn't look good for hunters, ranchers, restaurateurs, biomedical
researchers, or ordinary pet owners."
For an interview with Mr. Martosko about how Cass Sunstein's appointment
will serve the radical animal rights movement's agenda in the White
House, or for more information, contact Sarah Kapenstein at 202-463-7112.

Agriculture Committee Chair Peterson Announces Agriculture Committee Members

News from the House Agriculture Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 15, 2009

Media Contacts:
April Slayton (202) 225-6872
Scott Kuschmider (202) 225-1496

Agriculture Committee Chair Peterson Announces Agriculture Committee Members

WASHINGTON - Agriculture Committee Chair Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota
announced the Members of Congress selected to serve on the
House Agriculture Committee for the 111th Congress today.

The House Democratic Steering Committee, including 11 freshmen Members and
17 returning Members, to serve on the House Agriculture
Committee. The House Republican Conference has named 17 Republicans to serve
on the Committee and has left one seat vacant.

"The Agriculture Committee is responsible for issues as varied as farm
programs, commodity markets, nutrition, conservation,
renewable energy, and rural development, so the diverse experiences of these
Members will bring new ideas and energy to our work on
these important issues," Chair Peterson said.

The 28 Democrats who will serve on the committee are:

. Chair Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota
. Representative Tim Holden of Pennsylvania
. Representative Mike McIntyre of North Carolina
. Representative Leonard L. Boswell of Iowa
. Representative Joe Baca of California
. Representative Dennis A. Cardoza of California
. Representative David Scott of Georgia
. Representative Jim Marshall of Georgia
. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota
. Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas
. Representative Jim Costa of California
. Representative Brad Ellsworth of Indiana
. Representative Timothy J. Walz of Minnesota
. Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York
. Representative Steve Kagen of Wisconsin
. Representative Kurt Schrader of Oregon
. Representative Deborah L. Halvorson of Illinois
. Representative Kathleen A. Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania
. Representative Eric J. J. Massa of New York
. Representative Bobby Bright of Alabama
. Representative Betsy Markey of Colorado
. Representative Frank Kratovil, Jr. of Maryland
. Representative Mark H. Schauer of Michigan
. Representative Larry Kissell of North Carolina
. Representative John A. Boccieri of Ohio
. Representative Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota
. Representative Travis W. Childers of Mississippi
. Representative Walt Minnick of Idaho

The 17 Republicans (with one additional vacant seat) who will serve on the
Committee are:

. Ranking Member Frank Lucas of Oklahoma
. Representative Bob Goodlatte of Virginia
. Representative Jerry Moran of Kansas
. Representative Timothy V. Johnson of Illinois
. Representative Sam Graves of Missouri
. Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama
. Representative Steve King of Iowa
. Representative Randy Neugebauer of Texas
. Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina
. Representative K. Michael Conaway of Texas
. Representative Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska
. Representative Jean Schmidt of Ohio
. Representative Adrian Smith of Nebraska
. Representative Robert E. Latta of Ohio
. Representative Phil Roe of Tennessee
. Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri
. Representative Glenn W. Thompson of Pennsylvania
. one vacancy

The House Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over a wide range of
agriculture and rural development issues. These areas include
renewable energy, disaster assistance, nutrition, crop insurance,
conservation, international trade, futures market regulation,
animal and plant health, agricultural research, bioterrorism, forestry, and
others.

Congressman Peterson has served as chair of the Agriculture Committee since
2007.

###


The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture web site
http://agriculture.house.gov has additional information on this and
other subjects.

An "Overpopulation" Problem? Maybe, but not with dogs

by Cadie Pruss

“The fact is the dog-breeding industry has led to a huge overpopulation of dogs in this country”- 2008 James E. Casorio, Jr. Pennsylvania state representative for the 56th District in Westmoreland County

Have dogs reached the point of Overpopulation in this country? No. “Overpopulation” occurs when a species has grown beyond its carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the maximum population that can be sustained without depleting the resources necessary to maintain the population. When carrying capacity has been exceeded, overpopulation of that species has occurred and the subsequent changes in the environment begin to limit the population, thus causing a reduction in the population.

Some may argue that the mere fact that animals in shelters are put down is a sure sign that overpopulation has occurred, but that test dose not meet the accepted biological definition of Overpopulation. There are plenty of resources such as food, water and shelter, (the only true necessities of life) to sustain the current population of all dogs, including a feral population of Carolina Dogs living in remote areas of South Carolina and Georgia.

If an Overpopulation problem was occurring nationwide, feral populations such as the Carolina Dogs would be subject to pressure from domestic dogs. This pressure would include fighting for resources such as food and suitable shelter. With increased pressures on limited resources, the Carolina Dog, and all domestic dogs vying for the resources would suffer from an increase in disease outbreaks. This is not occurring and to date, the Carolina Dog has not hybridized with other domestic dogs, indicating that this population has remained isolated. In an Overpopulation scenario, no contiguous population would remain uneffected.

Money is not one of the true necessities of life, but it seems that there is no shortage of that either when it comes to dogs in America. According to WikiAnswers, the average American dog owner spends $2000 per year on their dog, and charitable organizations working to “save unwanted dogs” are raking in donations. According to statistics from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), pet ownership is at an all time high with 63% of all households owning a pet (“pets” refer to more than just dogs in the APPMA statistics). Nope, there is no shortage of the “resource” money when it comes to dogs.

But seriously, lets talk about Overpopulation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, population division, as of December 1, 2008 there were 6,740,604,309 people in the world with 305,786,924 of those people in the United States. The APPMA estimates there are 73,000,000 dogs in the United States, which is only 1 dog for every 4 people in this country. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average life expectancy in the United States is currently 77.8 years. The average life expectancy of a dog living in North America is 12.8 years. One person’s life span is equal to the life span of 6 dogs.

The average American (over the age of 4) needs about 2,350 calories per day. To determine the number of calories a dog needs, they are generally grouped into 3 categories of small, medium and large. In general, a small dog needs about 40 calories per pound of body weight per day, while a medium sized dog needs about 30 calories per pound per day and a large dog only needs about 20 calories per pound per day. So using a thirty-pound dog (considered “medium” size) as an example, 30 calories/ pound/ day x 30 pound dog= 900 calories a day, so the average thirty pound dog needs about 900 calories per day. Strictly from a calorie consumption standpoint, each day 1 person = 6 small dogs, 3 medium dogs or 2 large dogs. Over a lifetime, 1 person = 35 small dogs, 16 medium dogs, or 13 large dogs. According to the Center For Science in The Public Interest, food is still considered abundant in the United States. The Center For Science in The Public Interest claims there are 3,800 calories available in the food supply for each person each day. That is an extra 1,450 calories per day, per person (or an extra 1.6 medium dogs, per person). The amount of “available calories” we just calculated didn’t even take into account the food sources that are “available” to those 73 million dogs, because what they are fed is generally not considered fit for human consumption. So, if we added the 1.6 “extra” dogs/per person (305,786,924 x 1.6= 489259078.4) and then add the existing 73 million dogs, we get 35,715,912,723,200,000- and this is the number of dogs we have enough calories to feed in the U.S. currently. That is a lot of dogs. It appears that in the U.S., food is not the dog limiting resource.

Average lifespan in years: Person 77.8 Dog 12.8 1 person = ? medium size Dogs 6
Calorie needs per day: Person 2,350 Dog 900 1 person = ? medium size Dogs 35
Water use in gallons per day: Person 123 Dog 0.25 1 person = ? medium size Dogs 492
trash produced in pounds per day: Person 4.6 Dog 0 1 person = ? medium size Dogs 4.6
Dogs don’t need to live in houses. The Carolina Dogs and a thriving population of Coyotes and foxes prove that dogs can do just fine with the shelter that Nature provides, but if we feel that dogs do need to live in a human home, then according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Housing Survey in 2001, there are 119,117,000 housing units in the United States. Although this number has increased since 2001, it won’t match the thirty-five quadrillion, seven hundred fifteen trillion, nine hundred twelve billion, seven hundred twenty-three million, two hundred thousand dogs we can caloricly care for in this country- so our dog carrying capacity has been reduced by the availability of shelter, but even still, 119,117,000 homes is still greater than the 73,000,000 dogs in this country. So shelter is not the limiting factor so far.

The average American uses about 123 gallons of water each day! People use water for more than just drinking, people shower (15-30 gallons), wash the dishes (9-12 gallons if you use a dishwasher, 20 gallons if you wash them by hand), flush the toilet (5-7 gallons) and the list of uses goes on and on. Dogs typically drink about 1 quart of water a day (depending on size of the dog of course). So once again we convert people to dogs, and we get 1 person equals 492 dogs. Water is not the limiting factor either.

An outbreak of Zoonotic Diseases from dogs to humans has not occurred in recent U.S. history, nor has a dog-dog outbreak occurred. Disease outbreaks are typical in populations reaching carrying capacity. It is one of natures ways of limiting populations. Clearly Overpopulation of dogs is not occurring in this country. How ever, people may need to begin to limit the human population expansion.

In 2002 the National Wildlife Federation stated the population of the United States was 282,000,000 and that equated to 31 people per square Kilometer (sq. Km) (or 50 people per square mile). According to consumption figures distributed by the National Wildlife Federation in that year, for every 100 humans in the United States, there are 489 cars. Americans consumed 1,688 liters of motor gasoline per capita each year. The average American household produces 100 pounds of trash each week and our demand for wood and forest products has resulted in the loss of 96% of our country’s original forests. Dogs don’t buy cars, use gas, produce trash, or use wood and forest products. Even 100 dogs don’t equal the resource consumption of 1 American. People might do all of these things FOR their dog, but feral dogs do not do any of those things themselves.

The land area of the United States is 9,158,960 sq. Km (or 5691,114sq. miles), so in 6 short years the American population expanded 23,786,924 people, while the United States land area expanded 0, and we now have 33 people per sq. Km (or 54 people per sq. mile).. At this rate, American’s may be experiencing an Overpopulation problem- but not dogs.



Sources:
National Wildlife Federation, Population & Consumption https://secure.nwf.org/globalwarming/pdfs/popandconsumption2002.pdf

Center For Science in The Public Interest Nutrition Policy- http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/food_advertising.html

ABC News: What’s Your Dog’s Eating Habits http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=1905511&page=4

Pimentel, D. et. al, 1999 Will Limits Of The Earth’s Resources Control Human Numbers?
http://www.dieoff.org/page174.pdf

Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations
http://www.fao.org/es/ess/faostat/foodsecurity/index_en.htm

Decline in Pet numbers blamed on shrinking backyards
http://www.vetclick.com/news/view_article.php?ArticleId=272

Netscape Home & Living- It’s Reigning Cats and Dogs: How many pets are in the U.S.?
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/homerealestate/feature.jsp?story=rainingcatsanddogs
US Census Bureau American Housing Survey
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahsfaq.html

Science Fact Finder- How much Water Does An Average Person Use Each Day
http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/energy/how-much-water-does-an-average-person-use-each-day

Yukon Quest Sled Dogs
http://www.yukonquest.com/site/water-water-everywhere/

Thank You Vice-President Elect Joseph Biden

Thank You Vice-President Elect Joseph Biden for choosing a purebred puppy from a BREEDER!

AP Malia and Sasha Obama apparently aren’t the only ones who were promised a puppy if they stuck it out through the presidential election.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden picked out a German shepherd pup last weekend from a breeder near his Delaware home, according to a local newspaper report.

Biden was reportedly promised the post-election dog by his wife, Jill, who would tape pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane.

The vice president-elect picked out a month-old male German shepherd from a breeder in Chester County, Pa., according to the Daily Local News. The breeder told the paper Biden wanted a family dog that was social and obedient and said Biden's granddaughters will name him.

The puppy will be delivered to the Bidens at the vice presidential residence after the Inauguration and after the breeder trains him, the paper reports.

Unintended Consequences

When laws are enacted based on emotion, and not on necessity, there are often unintended consequences. If you are a proponent of the new dog law, was it your intention that hobby breeders "put down" older dogs just to keep the numbers down? I think not. I think it was your intent that breeder would stop having young dogs. Well, one unintended consequence may just be fewer older dogs.

Here is a question that was posed on a list the other day from a hobby breeder in PA. "Where does that leave us who have Hobby Kennels who are not commercial.... . We breed for show. What should we do with our older dogs who add to the numbers but have lived here for 10 to 15 years? They are neutered, should we put them down to reduce our numbers? They have a right to live out their lives the way they were used to living."

No matter what your good intention (you person who insisted that Numbers of dogs are the manner for which Kennels should be defined)- all actions come with consequences. For one, the consequence of feeling pressure to keep the number of dogs within some arbitrary number (determined not by the person is is actually caring for the dogs, but by someone else who is judging that person by the number of dogs they have) is fewer older dogs.