waterworld
I have no quarrel with the proposition that increased spaying and neutering will reduce the population of feral and unwanted pets. I’m not sure that I can support a bill like this one, though. A 3% tax is not insignificant, and the tax burden will fall on pet owners — including the low income pet owners who apparently cannot afford to get their pets spayed and neutered. The bill will generate over $11 million in revenues for the state each year, a significant portion of which will be spent on two new government employees to administer the program and program-related overhead.
Also, I’m concerned about the scope of “low income” families included in the law. As written, a King County resident making in the neighborhood of $52,000 would qualify for a nearly-free spay or neuter. I guess I think that if you can’t afford to spay or neuter, you shouldn’t take on the responsibilities of ownership. Beyond the spaying and neutering, there’s the cost of feeding and caring for the pet and the cost of routine and emergency veterinary services. It’s one thing to have a program to spay and neuter feral animals to reduce overpopulation, but it’s another thing altogether to subsidize one expense for people who may not be able to afford the long-term costs of owning a pet.
My real concern, though, is a bit different. The entire economy is struggling, and we are feeling the effects all over: our schools are insufficiently funded and education is suffering; our criminal justice system is underfunded, leading to both wrongful convictions of the innocent and diminished resources for crime prevention; our transportation woes are legion; bridges and dams are failing due to insufficient maintenance; our mental health system has failed thousands of people; and we have (as of early 2007) about 22,000 homeless people in the state. There are many issues of pressing importance to address, and I don’t expect us all to agree on them. Despite my love of animals, this mission, funded with a new tax, is probably not one that would be on my personal list of priorities.