Something they should consider before passing HR 669

[NewETown]

OMFG! I looked at all the petitions approving the bill and I counted a total of 2663 and then I look at one place only for reptiles There are 4006 people against this bill.

THIS BILL HAS A VERY SMALL CHANCE OF HAPPENING!

I'd like to know where you found this information as well.

On a side note, Obama said he'd change things! Yay no more pets! Not like he has much to do with this, but I'm extremely annoyed with him and Gregiore (WA state governor) at their amazingly intelligent decisions regarding college education and tuition costs...

Back on track, I really can't believe a bill from GUAM would even make it so far as to be a threat to us here in the continental US. That's absurd, why are we (as in the lawmakers of the continental US) even taking this seriously?

 

[ewurm]

Actually there is only one nonnative fish in Minnesota were introduced by hobbyists and thats infamous goldfish but yes mainly non native fishes were introduced by government and ballast water in Minnesota waterways. In fact, most invasive fishes in United States were escaped from fish farms.

Goldfish and cap are the same species

 

[rainbowfishpc]

i was thinking the same thing. would dobermans and german shepards be illegal? how about non-mustang horses?

Any horse is nonnative. They were brought over by settlers in the 1500, 1600's.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

very true. Felus familiaris (or whatever ) are from Norway or Egypt, and Dogs...idk...lol
i dont believe its gonna pass. the pet trade brings in billions a year.

 

[MN_Rebel]

Goldfish and cap are the same species

No they are not same species and carp is pretty general name for different species. Common carp is Cyprinus carpio and the goldfish is Carassius auratus. Dont forget about grass carp, bighead carp, silver carp and black carp, we called them carp.

 

[gomezladdams]

I wondered when I read the bill if there was any knowlege of aquarium fish involved.Many non fishkeepers consider ALL fish kept in bowls and tanks goldfish.Its quite possible the authors of this bill meant goldfish to cover the entire aquarium hobby.
Still this bill needs to be defeated!!

 

[jartist15]

Some one stated that dogs wouldn't be under threat because they have a human dependence to survive. Ok then i would love to see any of my fish survive a body of water during the winter, or hell in the northern states the summer. This doesn't directly affect me in Canada, but one month after it is enforced (lets all pray to Obama it doesn't) All of the fish stores will start to show a huge cut in the stock list.
But with all said, US runs on bribes(look at how long oil has lasted) and i bet the head of superpet and companies like that that will be willing to give a few dollars to "support" an officials campaign. one last thing, let all your LFS know of this. They might not have herd and this is there well being at stake, they won't go down easily!!

 

[Knowdafish]

More fuel for the fire:

[FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]“In 2008, $43.2 billion was spent on our pets in the U.S.”
(http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp)

Hundreds of thousands of employees at tens of thousands of pet stores nationwide will be affected as will employees at companies, which manufacture pet products; those who breed companion animals, those who supply the wholesalers (such as ourselves), book publishers, freight companies, companies which manufacture specialized packing materials, veterinarians, airlines… the list goes on and on.

“Americans now spend $41 billion a year on their pets—more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world. That's double the amount shelled out on pets a decade ago, with annual spending expected to hit $52 billion in the next two years, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research company based in Rockville, Md. That puts the yearly cost of buying, feeding, and caring for pets in excess of what Americans spend on the movies ($10.8 billion), playing video games ($11.6 billion), and listening to recorded music ($10.6 billion) combined.”

(http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_32/b4045001.htm)

Pets have been an integral part of the human experience for many millennia. The dog has been domesticated for 15,000 years; cats for almost 10,000 years; ferrets for around 2,500 years and rabbits 2,000 years. Even silk worms were domesticated 5,000 years ago.

Can the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans & Wildlife so flippantly ban virtually all fish, birds, reptiles, rabbits, amphibians, and other small animals? These animals are great contributors to one’s quality of life. For those who are unable to keep a dog or cat, these other animals fill that void.

While dogs and cats generally come to mind when someone says “pet”, consider that fish, reptile and other small animals far outnumber dogs and cats in US households (http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp). Please also consider these other statistics from the aforementioned website:

Pets help to:

[/FONT]· [FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Lower blood pressure
[/FONT]· [FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Reduce stress
[/FONT]· [FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Prevent heart disease
[/FONT]· [FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Lower health care costs
[/FONT]· [FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Fight depression

The passing of this Bill would be a financial disaster, now more so than ever. [/FONT]

 

[Jamieishard]

with the economy the way it is....they should be thankful people are still spending money no matter what its on. and when you work your life away only for your own survival then you should be able to keep whatever it is you like. they should see the pet industry as a positive.

 

[Allan01230]

Just wondering? Are saltwater fish included in this F.U. nonsense? How can a saltwater fish harm the ecosystem if it escapes into the ocean? These lawmakers need to work on the damn economy and let me enjoy the damn fish of my chosing in the country I fought for.