One thing you should never have to worry about regarding the results of any given election--and, in fact, no one ever worries about in states under Democratic control--is cruelty. Yet cruelty is a feature of today’s republican party. We legitimately have to worry about denying hungry children food, refusal to provide clean water, or spitefully killing people by blocking access to medical care. If they can soul-lessly treat people this bad, just imagine how they treat animals.
Or just look at Ohio.
This coming Tuesday, the republicans in the Ohio legislature are planning to pass a bill that will overturn any local ordinance that forbids pet stores from purchasing from unethical commercial breeders who run "puppy mills". Out of all of the issues facing Ohio, the GOP thinks the top priority coming off of Thanksgiving break should be to do the bidding of lobbyists for the Petland chain of pet stores.
Very few people see "puppy mills" in action. If you can stomach it, watch the short video below. The conditions under which the dogs are kept are sickening.
The video is from a puppy mill in Mississippi, which has virtually no regulation in this area. The Ohio bill would actually make things worse in Ohio than in Mississippi, since the Ohio bill would allow loopholes to permit puppy sales by breeders who are either unlicensed and/or have received violations in the past. So never mind that dogs are stacked in cockroach filled crates in their own feces, as long as the poor puppy mills and pet stores who buy from them make money:
“It’s important that we not look at how we can potentially put someone out of business in our communities” -Ohio Speaker of the House, Cliff Rosenberger (R)
This is what the GOP is fighting for right now in Ohio. Sorry I have to post a story like this on Thanksgiving, but we only have a day or two to organize and stop this. You might want to share this on social media, or visit this site: www.stoppetlandbill.com
Votes really do matter---and they can hurt puppies too.