This May Be a Real Problem

Under normal circumstances the government should have no say in what I own unless it is a real (not perceived) threat to the general population or the environment. Then it must be proven a threat before a law can be passed and the best way to prove a threat is to convert a number of skeptics.

We are not allowed to own lions or tigers in this state without a special license and the same goes with bears and elephants. (I think it's legal to tame foxes and raccoons and I know people who have.) There have been reported cases of black panthers and leopards getting loose in Michigan and they were probably escaped or abandoned pets. If you wish to own one of these creatures you must be able to restrain, control and care for it.

There used to be a "Big Cat Farm" about a half hour drive from here that cared for abandoned exotic pets and a co-worker of mine who had to do some community service worked there a bit. He said they were in many ways just oversized housecats that genuinely enjoyed having people around but they could do more damage to you by accident than a normal housecat could ever do on purpose - - and they tend to play rough. And if there are children nearby . . .

Actually it would be kind of cool to have a tiger, but I couldn't care for it or control it. . . darn

For a while it was quite popular to own large snakes and now the Everglades have a serious problem with them. Native animals, especially mammals, are being seriously depleted. The first thing to do is confirm the existence and magnitude of the problem. It appears to be real.

All it takes is for a few to find mates and they will start to spread.

First we don't add to the problem. These pets should be licensed and controlled with owners required to report if they disappear and have a proper system for containing them and disposing of one that is no longer wanted. Outlawing them entirely is probably not necessary.

Then we need to remove them, or at least seriously deplete them from the Everglades. The best way is to offer a bounty to those who want to hunt them which would pay the hunter by the foot (and maybe publish a few recipes.)

Dealing with problems that may require any curtailing of choice needs to consider several things. First how serious and dangerous is the problem? How many rights would have to be given up and how many people would have to give up their rights. Is it really a problem to begin with and cannot be resolved without sacrificing key human rights?

Global warming was a political hoax that would given great power to power-hungry maniacs at the expense of real human rights. This is something completely different.