Thu, Nov 26 2009
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Published October 30, 2009 09:28 pm - On the surface, state Issue 2 looks like a good idea.. Issue 2 would benefit cruel, factory farms A ROBERT LEBZELTER column for Nov. 1, 2009 Star Beacon On the surface, state Issue 2 looks like a good idea.. It's goal proponents say is to “maintain food safety, encourage locally grown and raised food and protect Ohio farms and families.” Gosh, and wherever you go, there are signs telling you to vote for Issue 2. None of the controversy you see with Issue 3, the gambling measure. Proponents say it is good for the animals and assures continued production of quality, affordable food. What could be better? Plus groups like the Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Pork Producers Council, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Grocers Association are all for it. And if you read the Star Beacon Wednesday farm page, it seems every week someone writing there is urging us to vote for Issue 2 and stop the radical animal-welfare groups. Well, I see a few problems with Issue 2. First off, certainly you know there is an Ohio Constitution, just like a U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution, as our civics lessons tell us, include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, the right to vote when reaching age 18, the right of assembly and more. It details how are government is set up, all sorts of good stuff. If Issue 2 passes, the Ohio Constitution gets bogged down in the creation of a Livestock Care Standards Board, mostly appointed by the governor and subject to Senate approval. This board would determine confinements and treatment of farm animals. Many on the board would be from agricultural backgrounds. The number and details of this board and how it operates could not be changed without a constitutional amendment. Now why ingrain such a measure into the constitution, where changes would be difficult to make? Well, I have a theory and it involves a group called the Humane Society of the United States. Now certain farm page columns paint this group as extreme activists trying to take away your right to bite into a steak and radically change your lifestyle. The Humane Society, if you check out its Web site, humanesociety.org, is all about stopping cruelty to animals, including domestic pets, animals in the wild and animals produced for food. If you check a pig or a cow or a chicken, you will find they have no wallet, they have no cash. There is no money in it for the Humane Society. It is the opponents, Big Agriculture, that paint the group as villains. Big Agriculture has big financial interests. That alone should make you suspicious. Now the Humane Society, working through agriculture groups, has gotten anti-cruelty legislation passed in Michigan, California, Arizona, Florida, Maine, Colorado and Oregon. 
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