Post by John Yates on Jun 22, 2009 12:19:26 GMT -5
Open Letter To Gov. Pat Quinn
About Illinois Dog Law Task Force
Applies Equally To CA, NY, ME, TN & OR
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@csonline.net
This report is archived at
Last week, two participants on the Illinois Pet-Law message board had a great idea, and pet owners from all states should give it serious consideration.
Their idea was to contact Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and ask him to reject a Task Force about new laws and rules for people who raise dogs and cats because of the economic crisis facing the state.
Governor Quinn has been traveling the state to seek tax increases, and also has curtailed many important services to the elderly, families, children and people with disabilities. The idea was to convince the Governor that Illinois taxpayers and dog owners simply cannot afford to bear the cost of any new laws or regulations at this time.
This issue also applies to every other state in recession-bound America.
We think that is a great idea!
Thus, we are asking all Illinois dog owners and citizens to contact Gov. Quinn and let him know that both the state and the people who live there cannot afford any new dog laws or rules, and cannot risk losing any part of its economic base. This is especially true because Illinois already has among the best animal protection laws in the nation, and there has been no evidence that any problem falls through the cracks of existing laws.
We also ask residents of other states to contact their own elected officials and let them know about the terrible ramifications of new pet laws in the face of the current economy. At this time, California, New York, Maine, Tennessee and Oregon are immediately facing the strong probability of devastating new laws during this era of economic crisis.
Below, we are including a letter that the American Sporting Dog Alliance has sent to Illinois Gov. Quinn. Please feel free to use all or part of this letter in any way in your contacts with the Governor.
We must emphasize that contacting Gov. Quinn is very important to avoid new legislation and regulations that will destroy a lifetime of work for many good people in Illinois who raise some of the best dogs in America.
A direct email for Gov. Quinn is not available. However, dog owners can contact him using an online form at www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Here is mail, phone, fax and toll-free contact information for Gov. Quinn’s Springfield and Chicago offices.
Office of Governor Pat Quinn
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244
Toll-free: 888-261-3336
Fax : 217 524 4049
Office of Governor Pat Quinn
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-2121
Fax 312 812 6775
Here is the American Sporting Dog Alliance letter to Gov. Quinn:
Dear Gov. Quinn:
The American Sporting Dog Alliance respectfully asks you to disband the recently created Joint Task Force On Breeders and Pet Stores. Its goal is to create new regulations and laws for dog and cat owners, and thus new bureaucracy, and it comes at a time when the Illinois economy and tax base are in a state of crisis. Many good people are suffering as a result of this crisis, and this is not the time to think about expanding the scope of government for any reason.
This task force is unwise and also unnecessary, as Illinois already has some of the best and most effective kennel and animal cruelty laws in America. In addition, all commercial kennels already are intensely regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and any additional state regulation would be a wasteful and expensive duplication of services.
We must emphasize that there is no need for any new laws or regulations. No one has been able to name even one example of a kennel that has fallen through the cracks of existing laws and regulations. While problem kennels have been found, the situations were fully addressed by current law. The animals were rescued, the operations shut down and the owners prosecuted. There is no problem with current laws and regulations.
Our main concern, however, is for the people of Illinois. Many people are suffering during the current economic downturn, and simply cannot bear any new taxes or expenses in order to keep and protect their companion animals. Illinois is near the top of the list in unemployment, home foreclosures and tax base losses, and we believe your administration should focus solely on minimizing the financial burdens of governmental programs while preserving the most important services for the people and animals who need them the most.
We find it tragic that vital personnel and fiscal resources for human and animal services programs in Illinois would be diverted wastefully to fund this Task Force and implement its unnecessary and most likely erroneous conclusions. You have proposed tax increases, and also have made major cuts to vital services for people with disabilities, children, families and animal protection. Instead of creating new laws and burdens, we urge you to use the state’s resources to maintain full staffing and funding for these vital services, including for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The human tragedy of this economy extends to the pets that Illinois residents love. When people lose their homes, their pets become homeless, too. When people lose their jobs or have major reductions in their income, they cannot afford to provide the quality of care that their pets deserve. Many people have been forced to give up their pets, even though it breaks their hearts. The result has placed horrendous burdens of the animal sheltering system and pet rescue groups, and many beloved companion animals have paid and will pay the price with their lives.
Any new laws, regulations, licensing programs and duplications of services will compound this tragedy many times over. It will force more people who are already facing desperation to abandon their pets to face the high probability of death in an animal shelter. In this economy, many people who raise dogs simply can’t afford expensive compliance measures, high licensing fees or facility alterations to conform to new regulations. The result will be homeless pets, increased euthanasia rates, and the human heartache of needlessly destroying important parts of the lives of good citizens.
For those reasons and more, we urge you to disband the task force immediately and to allocate whatever resources you can find to preserve valuable programs that serve people and animals in need.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance speaks for thousands of Illinois dog owners who are deeply concerned about the impact of this Task Force. We urge you to disband it immediately, and do your best to restore funding and staffing to necessary programs.
Thank you for considering our request.
Sincerely,
John Yates
Executive Director
American Sporting Dog Alliance
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We also welcome people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues affect all of us. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by your donations in order to maintain strict independence.
Please visit us on the web at www.americansportingdogalliance.org . Our email is asda@csonline.net .
PLEASE CROSS-POST AND FORWARD THIS REPORT TO YOUR FRIENDS
About Illinois Dog Law Task Force
Applies Equally To CA, NY, ME, TN & OR
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@csonline.net
This report is archived at
Last week, two participants on the Illinois Pet-Law message board had a great idea, and pet owners from all states should give it serious consideration.
Their idea was to contact Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and ask him to reject a Task Force about new laws and rules for people who raise dogs and cats because of the economic crisis facing the state.
Governor Quinn has been traveling the state to seek tax increases, and also has curtailed many important services to the elderly, families, children and people with disabilities. The idea was to convince the Governor that Illinois taxpayers and dog owners simply cannot afford to bear the cost of any new laws or regulations at this time.
This issue also applies to every other state in recession-bound America.
We think that is a great idea!
Thus, we are asking all Illinois dog owners and citizens to contact Gov. Quinn and let him know that both the state and the people who live there cannot afford any new dog laws or rules, and cannot risk losing any part of its economic base. This is especially true because Illinois already has among the best animal protection laws in the nation, and there has been no evidence that any problem falls through the cracks of existing laws.
We also ask residents of other states to contact their own elected officials and let them know about the terrible ramifications of new pet laws in the face of the current economy. At this time, California, New York, Maine, Tennessee and Oregon are immediately facing the strong probability of devastating new laws during this era of economic crisis.
Below, we are including a letter that the American Sporting Dog Alliance has sent to Illinois Gov. Quinn. Please feel free to use all or part of this letter in any way in your contacts with the Governor.
We must emphasize that contacting Gov. Quinn is very important to avoid new legislation and regulations that will destroy a lifetime of work for many good people in Illinois who raise some of the best dogs in America.
A direct email for Gov. Quinn is not available. However, dog owners can contact him using an online form at www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Here is mail, phone, fax and toll-free contact information for Gov. Quinn’s Springfield and Chicago offices.
Office of Governor Pat Quinn
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244
Toll-free: 888-261-3336
Fax : 217 524 4049
Office of Governor Pat Quinn
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-2121
Fax 312 812 6775
Here is the American Sporting Dog Alliance letter to Gov. Quinn:
Dear Gov. Quinn:
The American Sporting Dog Alliance respectfully asks you to disband the recently created Joint Task Force On Breeders and Pet Stores. Its goal is to create new regulations and laws for dog and cat owners, and thus new bureaucracy, and it comes at a time when the Illinois economy and tax base are in a state of crisis. Many good people are suffering as a result of this crisis, and this is not the time to think about expanding the scope of government for any reason.
This task force is unwise and also unnecessary, as Illinois already has some of the best and most effective kennel and animal cruelty laws in America. In addition, all commercial kennels already are intensely regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and any additional state regulation would be a wasteful and expensive duplication of services.
We must emphasize that there is no need for any new laws or regulations. No one has been able to name even one example of a kennel that has fallen through the cracks of existing laws and regulations. While problem kennels have been found, the situations were fully addressed by current law. The animals were rescued, the operations shut down and the owners prosecuted. There is no problem with current laws and regulations.
Our main concern, however, is for the people of Illinois. Many people are suffering during the current economic downturn, and simply cannot bear any new taxes or expenses in order to keep and protect their companion animals. Illinois is near the top of the list in unemployment, home foreclosures and tax base losses, and we believe your administration should focus solely on minimizing the financial burdens of governmental programs while preserving the most important services for the people and animals who need them the most.
We find it tragic that vital personnel and fiscal resources for human and animal services programs in Illinois would be diverted wastefully to fund this Task Force and implement its unnecessary and most likely erroneous conclusions. You have proposed tax increases, and also have made major cuts to vital services for people with disabilities, children, families and animal protection. Instead of creating new laws and burdens, we urge you to use the state’s resources to maintain full staffing and funding for these vital services, including for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The human tragedy of this economy extends to the pets that Illinois residents love. When people lose their homes, their pets become homeless, too. When people lose their jobs or have major reductions in their income, they cannot afford to provide the quality of care that their pets deserve. Many people have been forced to give up their pets, even though it breaks their hearts. The result has placed horrendous burdens of the animal sheltering system and pet rescue groups, and many beloved companion animals have paid and will pay the price with their lives.
Any new laws, regulations, licensing programs and duplications of services will compound this tragedy many times over. It will force more people who are already facing desperation to abandon their pets to face the high probability of death in an animal shelter. In this economy, many people who raise dogs simply can’t afford expensive compliance measures, high licensing fees or facility alterations to conform to new regulations. The result will be homeless pets, increased euthanasia rates, and the human heartache of needlessly destroying important parts of the lives of good citizens.
For those reasons and more, we urge you to disband the task force immediately and to allocate whatever resources you can find to preserve valuable programs that serve people and animals in need.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance speaks for thousands of Illinois dog owners who are deeply concerned about the impact of this Task Force. We urge you to disband it immediately, and do your best to restore funding and staffing to necessary programs.
Thank you for considering our request.
Sincerely,
John Yates
Executive Director
American Sporting Dog Alliance
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We also welcome people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues affect all of us. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by your donations in order to maintain strict independence.
Please visit us on the web at www.americansportingdogalliance.org . Our email is asda@csonline.net .
PLEASE CROSS-POST AND FORWARD THIS REPORT TO YOUR FRIENDS