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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Pet theory

Because of budget difficulties, the Muncie Animal Shelter has announced it will no longer accept unwanted pets. But that might not be effective in the long run, because many of those unwanted and turned away pets might become the very stray animals that the shelter is required to pick up:

Pet owners must figure out what to do with their animals, shelter Supt. Linda Bir-Conn said.

"I think every animal was somebody's pet at one point in time," Bir-Conn said. "I think irresponsible pet owners is the reason we have strays and have to have animal shelters in the first place."

We like to think government exists mostly to do the things collectively that we can't do individually and provide a safety net for those in dire circumstances. But how much of government is devoted to cleaning up after people who can't be trusted to do what they're supposed to do? There's a lot more "protect" than "serve" in the mission of police.

Comments

Bob G.
Tue, 02/02/2010 - 12:15pm

Leo:
It never ceases to amaze me when it comes to hearing, with increasing FREQUENCY, the use that wonderful word IRRESPONSIBILITY.

Seems THAT is the cause of MOST of society's problems.
And now, it's found it way down the "food chain"...and family pets suffer needlessly.
(who knew?)

You nailed it when it comes to having the government clean up the mess after people.
Guess that's what all those tax money-wasting, "hand-out" programs are supposed to do...head such messes off "at the pass", hmm?

I will admit it's damn hard to "protect & serve" AFTER a crime is committed...that (to me) sounds a LOT more like cleaning up a mess, right?
(where' s Mr. Clean when 'ya need him?)

Helluva game plan there.

;)

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