" Good letter, Cris, and I agree.....

I would not have agreed awhile back, because PETA supports this, and they have notoriously placed the value of human life below that of animals in their quest to harass and even kill employees of animal testing laboratories...

There needs to be some real legal teeth with the enforcement of people and company's that abuse animals for any reason...

YES on Prop 2...... "

" As much as I'd like to be for this Proposition I cannot for the following reasons:

1. According to a UC Davis economic study, effectively every egg farmer in California will go out of business or forced to another state leaving approximately 3000 unemployed and $600 million in lost California economic impact. Californians will become dependent on eggs supplied from out of state or Mexico, and expect the cost to double, even triple.

2. Locally produced, fresh eggs will disappear from the supermarkets and replaced with eggs trucked in from other states and countries with possibly less stringent rules and food safety regulations.

3. California already has the most stringent food safety guidelines in the country. California egg farms have not produced a salmonella outbreak in over 10 years.

4. Eggs, and chickens, are safer, more affordable and less exposed to harmful influences like Salmonella, Avian Influenza, E Coli and etc. than our farms of the past.

5. You may have heard of a recent outbreak of Avian Influenza in an outdoor cage free egg farm in Idaho. Authorities believe migratory wild birds brought the disease in contact with the outdoor cage free flock. Enclosed modern housing methods used in California today keeps migratory birds away from our hens.

6. Finally, the environment will benefit from less eggs trucked in from other states and countries. Additionally, uncontrolled run-off from outdoor farming operations is eliminated.

I'm all for humane treatment to animals, but is this proposition the answer? "

" I have heard that a dozen eggs will cost $7.
Go ahead and vote yes, but don't complain about tripling of food costs for chicken, eggs and pork.

Its like the idealists who want to immediately stop global warming - we are already losing jobs, utility companies are being fined and therefore are raising our rates, companies who cannot pass on the costs will go away.

Good luck to you idealists who want change immediately. "

" I understand where you're coming from,
Native74, but I can't agree that "it costs too much" to treat animals humanely....

Interpreting your argument that way is a jaw-dropper... "

" Myth:
Food prices will increase if this initiative passes.

FACT:
Published research, as well as an analysis by a California-based poultry economist, show that it costs producers less than one additional penny per egg not to confine laying hens in battery cages. While it's possible that giving these animals better living conditions may increase consumer prices by a few pennies per dozen, the hidden cost of such inhumane confinement is increased cruelty, and it's the animals who are paying that extra price.

Myth:
Passing Prop 2 will mean Californians will just import eggs from Mexico.

FACT:
When asked about this allegation, even Dan Sumner, the author of an anti-Prop 2 report, conceded,"I personally think that's unlikely...Mexico doesn't produce much feed corn and that's why Mexico isn't a logical place for production."

For more Myths and Facts, check out..
http://www.humanecalifornia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=123

And the prestigious PEW Commision just releassed another study entitled "Community and Social Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations"
http://www.humanecalifornia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201:factory-farms-harm-rural-communities&catid=36:front&Itemid=147 "

" "...Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Oregon each passed similar measures successfully. These states have had no loss of farming business...

RED states not BLUE.
We're talking California here where Judges completely IGNORE the will of the "majority"...

No on 2! "

" I'm just curious, where are many of you getting your information about egg prices increasing to $7 per dozen? I watch the news, read the papers, and have not heard of this.

Family Farmers support Proposition 2 because they’re often driven out of business by large Agribusiness that cuts corners, usually at the expense of animal welfare and the environment. And cage-free egg producers have been reported to employ 5 times as many employees, meaning more jobs, and according to a report released by agricultural economists at UC Davis, states that ,“little, if any cost increase and no substantial impact on prices to California consumers”. More jobs, animals treated humanely, sounds like a win win to me.

The opposition, masquerading under the deceptively named Californians for Safe Foods, is funded largely by out of state factory farms, notorious for animal cruelty. The largest donor was cited for dumping animal wasted into a river in Ohio, killing 49,000 fish, while another major donor was videotaped by a neighbor throwing live birds into trash bins. Caring for the environment and animals is something I care deeply about, that’s why I support Proposition 2, along with thousands of groups, including the Center for Food Safety, Union of Concerned Scientists, The prestigious PEW Commission, and many others, please visit www.humanecalifornia.com for a complete list and more information. "

" Thanks Dwayne. I spoil the heck out of my livestock and it's still hard when I have to send them down the road for auction. What costs me more is feeding migratory birds along with my free range chickens (for eggs). I also didn't think about other avian diseases until I read up on Prop 2's pros and cons.

The other costs I'm worried about are for regulatory inspections and the extra layer of bureaucracy. Is it coming from the producers pocket, ours as taxpayers, or both?

It would be nice if the US Humane Society would MEET with these groups to come up with a solution that works before making it seem as if all livestock producers are not meeting or far exceeding these requirements all ready. You might see more Organizations promoting this proposition if it were so. They did offer to come meet with us AFTER they wrote the proposition. Nice, huh?

Humane treatment to animals is a must, but I don't think this Proposition is the answer. "

" Native74.......

Well, well... Wonders never cease... Due to what you explained in your last post, you have changed my mind on Prop 2.... :-)

(Yes, I dug out the voter pamphlet nad read up on it.)

No on Prop 2..... "

" If this is true:

"As Proposition 2 qualified for the ballot through a petition carried by animal activists led by Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), both non-profit organizations could petition local judges for the appointment of humane officers to perform law-enforcement duties. The legal analysis by Feedstuffs suggested that any humane officer acting on the behalf of Farm Sanctuary, HSUS or other animal activist group "would be free to demand and execute warrants and make arrests" to enforce the initiative, the paper said."

Then I'm REALLY scared if it passes! Big Brother at it's finest.

What also gets me is that Westland was a slaugterhouse (the dairy fiasco). All "LEGAL" slaughterhouses are exempt from this proposition if it passes. We were fortunate that someone caught them not being lawful when the inspectors back turned... "

" Where on earth are you guys reading this propaganda? Please consider where you're getting your information, sounds like they're trying to scare you..

MYTH:
Prop 2 will give police powers to animal rights activists.

FACT:
This is a scare tactic, and we've heard it before. All California anti-cruelty laws, including the ones which currently govern factory farms and which they are claiming are sufficient, are enforced by police officers and humane agencies that have local jurisdiction. There is no precedent here and nothing new created by Prop 2. "

" SFAuto24-

The same can be said for your information. Just a bunch of pointing fingers. What would be nice is a list of the suspected factory farms that are so bad not to mention the 'family farms' supporting your cause. The last time I checked the USHS site I only recognized one of the supporters from my group...and by they way I have never met them at a state or national convention!

I like to be informed through: Newspapers, legislative, conferences/conventions, news, internet and anything else that's legit. "

" Here's a short list of supporing family farms, all I could fit.. This measure affects the LARGE farms, those abusing animals, don't fall for the scare tactics, please..

Bantam Acres Farm (Penngrove)
Black Sheep Farm (Potter Valley)
Bluebird Farm (Nevada City)
Bob and Barbara Diebert Farms
Bodega & Yerba Santa Goat Dairy
Blossom Bluff Orchards (Parlier)
Budwood Farms (Fallbrook)
Capay Canyon Ranch (Esparto)
Catalan Family Farm (Hollister)
Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens (Goleta)
Chaparral Gardens (Atasradero)
Chileno Valley Ranch (Petaluma)
Crescent Moon Farms (Belchertown, MA)
Clark Vineyards (Fresno)
Cow Track Ranch (Nicasio)
Crescent Valley Ranch (Somis)
Crooked Branch Ranch (Jamul)
Cruz-ess Avocado Farm (Morrobay)
Dervaes Gardens (Pasadena)
Dobson Dairy Ranch (Petaluma)
Lunny Ranch (Inverness)
Eatwell Farms (Dixon)
Family Farm Defenders
Farm Forward
Favre's Farm (Watsonville)
First Fruits of the Vineyard (Fresno)
Flores Farm (Yuba City)
F & G Farm (Kelseyville)
Heritage Foods, USA (New York)
G&S Farms (Brentwood)
G Bar B Ranch (Half Moon Bay)
Greenwood Groves (Fallbrook)
Hamburg Creek Ranch, LLC (Reno, NV)
Healthy Heart Farms (San Miguel)
Hellsbend Ranch (Lakeport)
In Harmony Herbs & Spices (San Diego)
International Harvesters (Bolinas)
Kaz Farms (Napa)
Fred Kirschenmann, President of Kirschenmann Family Farms, Inc.
Koda Farms (S. Dos Palos)
LaFamilia Ranch (San Luis Obispo)
Lakeport Farms (Lake County)
Lagier Ranch (Escalon)
Le Fort's Organic Crops (Creston)
Lindner Bison (Valencia)
Linscheid Farms (Fresno)
Loma Rica Organic Farm (Grass Valley)
Malibu Organic Family Farms (Malibu)
Manoir Girard Cellars (Potter Valley)
Manzanita Manor (Paso Robles)
Mariam Farms (Fresno) "

" Same-old same-as... tug at the heart strings with one hand and cut business's off at the knees with crushing beauacracy with the other. There's a better way. "