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Missouri Farm Bureau opposes HSUS-backed measure
The Missouri Farm Bureau opposes an initiative petition being circulated to require a three-fourths vote of the Missouri legislature to change an initiative statute. The initiative petition, known as “Your Vote Counts,” is backed by the Humane Society of the United States, the organization that successfully initiated the so-called puppy mill measure in November.
“If we adopt the position of HSUS, the initiative petition will have no ability to correct a mistake and we think that would be a mistake,” said Blake Hurst, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau.
The HSUS is using vast financial resources to get on the ballot and gain voter support by flooding the air waves with advertising, which Hurst calls legislation by thirty-second commercials.
“We think it gives too much influence to outside interests, people outside the state who can put tens of millions of dollars into advertising in favor of a petition drive and we think it’ll hand over the keys to the state of Missouri to whoever’s got enough money to pay for a petition drive,” said Hurst, “and we think that’s a bad idea.”
The Missouri legislature was criticized by the HSUS when it revisited the voter-approved puppy mill measure. That action, among other things, reversed the bill’s primary provision of restricting dog breeders to no more than 50 intact female dogs, however many of the bill’s provision were left as is.
“It seems to me that if HSUS had been smart they would’ve accepted ‘yes’ for an answer, declared victory and gone home,” said Hurst, “instead they’re back again.”
Hurst fears that requiring a three-fourths vote creates an unrealistic threshold for legislative action as a check and balance against organizations like HSUS.
AUDIO: Blake Hurst (5 min. MP3)
Tags: Consumer Issues, HSUS, Missouri
What do these people have against puppy breeders?
Most people when they are looking for a registered purebred dog purchase form a breeder …. I bet most of these people own breeder dogs.