Declawing Efforts Buried Under Bad Economy
by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Good morning readers. While it isn’t my intention to give all of you a major headache with today’s topic, I can almost guarantee you’ll have one by the time I finish.
There is little research done in the writing of this article. This is completely my personal opinion and I may be wrong on some counts. Please feel free to agree or disagree with me on these issues.
The idea to write on declawing efforts buried under bad economy pertains to the U.S. I do feel other countries are in as much financial trouble as we are and the declawing of cats is illegal in those countries. So why not in the U.S.?
Michael has long awaited an explanation on why everyone pulled out of attending the veterinary conference last year when he had made plans to fly over and support those who went should enough choose to attend.
My personal reasons not to attend stem not only from health issues, but financial ones. I feel sure financial concerns were the top reason those who wanted to attend couldn’t. I’d only been at my new job for about six months and would have lost it had I asked for time off. That and the income I’d have lost by not working. Combine the cost of a plane ticket, hotel expense, rental car and meals and it was just out of the question.
I feel many Americans are in as bad a shape financially as I am. Most can’t even afford the cost of a vacation these days.
Many of us are in low paying jobs. I’ve heard the average income where I live is around $40000. I’d LOVE to know where those jobs are because most people I know who work make less than half of that.
We’re in low paying jobs with little opportunity for advancement if you live in small town America. This includes those with an education. There are jobs galore in maintenance engineering, but your average person working in a store or business is lucky to make even $1 an hour over minimum wage.
Those who work in what’s known as “production” are constantly scrutinized and turnover rate is high if you don’t perform up to standards. These jobs are performed doing the same thing over and over day after day after day. This creates a lot of stress. Those jobs typically pay better than those involving customer service
Then you’re taxed to death with everything from property to income taxes. Plus deduct insurance premiums and you’ll find most people are worth more dead than alive.
Were any of you who wanted to go to the convention faced with these monetary or job obstacles?
Our country is in serious financial trouble where the average family is concerned. I’ve learned through my research that many of us who care for cats are one income families. Meaning we’re single, widowed or divorced. Yet our government has made drastic cuts to healthcare, education, and programs that help those with little income.
I have a neighbor whose granddaughter has seizures. The little girl is three years old and has to go to a doctor over 200 miles from home to be covered by Medicaid, as the treatment is too expensive for her divorced mother. Doctors don’t work for free, you know.
One U.S. study shows that one child in six goes to bed hungry at night. There are EBT (food assistance)programs out there that aren’t available for many who really need them. For those of you in other countries, this is a card much like a debit card that is loaded monthly with a predetermined amount and used to purchase food.There are also “food banks” who will only hand out food to the needy if they already have an EBT card. DUH. Don’t even get me started on that one!
Unemployment in this country is a joke. The official figures may say we are in recovery. These figures only consider those still drawing benefits and does not include those whose benefits have been exhausted.
I know many cat foster mom’s whose homes are now in foreclosure. When your home is at stake, the idea of attending out of state events isn’t even an option. You’re too worried about what your next paycheck will or won’t cover.
There are a lot of us petitioning for declawing to be banned, but many are going about it the wrong way. It’s already been proven that lawmakers think very little of online petitions. They want to see hard copy with lots of signatures the way things used to be done. When you sign an online petition, you never know if or when it will get to the person who needs to see it.
Even real, honest to goodness petitions about a declawing ban don’t have the impact everyone wants. Why? Because of the state of the economy. When lawmakers convene and try to focus on issues that affect animal abuse or animal cruelty (and declawing DOES fall under both of these), they are hesitant to push the issue. Voters retaliate and say “why are they talking about animals when PEOPLE are in trouble!” People are without jobs and homes and healthcare and after all “IT’S JUST A CAT!”
One of these days I’m going to go to jail when someone says those words to me!
That mentality is still out there and alive and well in this country. The sad thing is the politicians are supported by the rich, who are interested in seeing legislation that protects the rich and THEIR money. I feel sure there’s money changing hands somewhere that dictates which items are talked about during congressional sessions and the like.
The average person who supports animals and wants to make the world a better place for them is NOT the person calling the shots in this country and probably never will be. I know a lot of activists spend a lot of time online promoting our causes.
Guess what? Those financially very well off don’t spend even a third as much time on line as we do. They’re dealing with life “live and in person.” Whether at politically funded dinners or entertainment or any other event it takes money to engage in. That’s a luxury many don’t have here. Many could care less what happens to animals as THEIR pets are well cared for because they have the means to do so.
A lot of people have blamed our president for this as though it’s just happened. This country has been sliding down hill for a long time. He just inherited the financial mess. And I personally don’t think anything he tries to do is going to help the average American in the long run.
Until this economy gets itself in balance (likely NEVER), animals are going to be far down on the totem poll as far as passing laws to protect them. It seems to be a state by state issue with some laws having harsher punishment for abuse than others. Until declawing is declared animal abuse/animal cruelty, little will change as far as the way our government officials perceive it.
Personally, the only way I see declawing being banned in the U.S. is to put it into the same category legally as abuse or cruelty. Start enforcing the same fines and prison terms as willful abuse. After all, this IS willful. You’d have to go after not only the vet, but the cat owner who allows the abuse to take place.
To create a law where declawing stands alone just isn’t likely to happen in this lifetime.
Ruth at PoC has the right idea. Education is key. We must end declawing by educating the younger people in this country where it won’t even be considered as an option. Any other method used will likely fail.
There is now a law in my country that was signed by President Obama a few months ago stating that anyone who is involved in terrorism can be detained without officially being charged and held for an undetermined amount of time. This law was meant to allow authorities to immediately seize those suspected of terrorism. It’s about to backfire.
A Senator for the state I live in, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has stated“The homeland is part of the battlefield and people can be held without trial whether an American citizen or not.” . To me, this is terrifying because I wonder to what extreme lawmakers are going to take this!
Now go and read the article I did on animal rights activists being terrorists. https://pictures-of-cats.org/are-animal-rights-activists-terrorists.html. Protesting at a convention, or even outside a declawing vets office, can now fall under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. That means we put a dent in the money a declawing vet takes in and that now makes us “terrorists.”
There are people in this country who are protesting and trying to get back the country we once had. They, too, are being arrested.
I’m really curious whether those who brought about changed in declawing laws in other countries were under threat of arrest for terrorism. Were they thrown in jail for protesting? Did their goverment offical care more for cats than voters opinion? They must have or the laws against declawing wouldn’t exist!
Michael, everything you’ve said about this country is true. We don’t have the freedom we used to have. Our jobs and our freedom are at stake and everyone is very afraid for the future.
There’s a saying in this country that goes “no good deed goes unpunished.” That’s more true today than it was with any other generation.
Some days it’s hard just being a cat lady and knowing my limits. I do what I can. I write to inform and I try to save a few lives with my rescue efforts.
Holding a cat is the only emotional release I have from what my country has become.
How do the readers here feel? Have I pretty much hit the nail on the head? Have I left out anything people in other countries should know before they judge us as uncaring. I believe we do care about cats here. We’re simply trapped by what the government allows and refuses to change.
Michael, I hope this answers some of your questions.
