Issue 2 foes speaking up

Opponents of state Issue 2 painted the constitutional debate yesterday as a battle of big guys and little guys: factory megafarms versus small family farms and consumers.

[52loveseggs]

Mr. Taylor is misinformed. Issue 2 puts a board of experts in place to determine rational and science based policy instead of allowing extremists such as PETA and HSUS who will use emotions to put Large and Small family farmers out of business. Their ultimate end game is the destruction of animal agriculture and nationwide veganism. VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2

[Quiet No More]

I am inclined to vote against Issue 2 based on the theory that regulation is not a method to prevent more regulation. Additionally, why is the state constitution, all of a sudden, the only way to legislate?
However, when I learn that a "liberal advocacy group" such as ProgressOhio is against Issue 2 and the FarmBureau is in favor, I'm thinking again.

[Etna Resident]

Another example of big brother stepping in and taxing us under the guise of regulation. The only winner is the megafarms. Look at what Walmart did to the mom and pop stores.

[NoWay]

You can call me emotional if you want, but I don't want to eat beef, pork and chicken full of antibiotics and other chemicals. And it's stupid that the meat comes this way because the animals are raised in what can only be called "UGLY" conditions! I would be happy to pay extra for free-range. What is the point of raising "food" if it ends up killing you in the end because it's unhealthy!

[Glen Crocker]

Vote Yes on 2. The only ones that are truly opposed are those that seek to regulate our lives in accordance with their values.

[2 SUPPORTS FACTORY FARMS]

52loveseggs,

Oooooooooooh, be very afraid! Those bad old people will take away your hamburgers!LOL!

What are you smoking?

Agribusiness is multi billion, global, and one of the most powerful industries on the planet.

Ohioans do not need an Amendment to their Constitution in favor of special interests, especially one as unscrupulous as factory farming.

Issue 2 has nothing to do with public health and animal welfare, and everything to do with enhancing the wealth and power of factory farming/big ag.

For political freedom, public health, the environment and animal welfare:

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2.

[DrC Ohio]

52loveseggs wrote:

Mr. Taylor is misinformed. Issue 2 puts a board of experts in place to determine rational and science based policy instead of allowing extremists such as PETA and HSUS who will use emotions to put Large and Small family farmers out of business. Their ultimate end game is the destruction of animal agriculture and nationwide veganism. VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2

Because your post isn't based on emotion right?

This board is a sham pure and simple. This proposed amendment came about b/c the FB was scared the people of Ohio would agree with HSUS that animals should be able to stand up, turn around, and stretch their limbs. FB did their own polling and that is what it revealed.

So, FB went squealing to the legislature with this sham board and twisted the wording, so now it is Orwellian.

10 out of the 13 of the board members would be political appointees; it takes away public input; it diverts funds from the General Revenue Fund, and is something that should be debated in the legislature not the Constitution.

They had one (maybe two) public hearings before FB and Big Ag rammed it through.

Tell Big Ag where to shove it-vote NO on issue 2!!

[Etna Resident]

2 Supports Factory Farms Says it all

Vote No on Issue 2

[52loveseggs]

Yes, everyone should be very afraid. When grocery store shelves are empty and people cannot afford food because people like you give human values to livestock. Yes it takes a multi billion dollar industry to feed this country and export food to the world. Our family farms in the State of Ohio are very proud of being a part of that industy and taking good care of our animals is not only morally correct but in everyones best interest. VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2

2 SUPPORTS FACTORY FARMS wrote:

52loveseggs,
Oooooooooooh, be very afraid! Those bad old people will take away your hamburgers!LOL!
What are you smoking?
Agribusiness is multi billion, global, and one of the most powerful industries on the planet.
Ohioans do not need an Amendment to their Constitution in favor of special interests, especially one as unscrupulous as factory farming.
Issue 2 has nothing to do with public health and animal welfare, and everything to do with enhancing the wealth and power of factory farming/big ag.
For political freedom, public health, the environment and animal welfare:
VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2.

[Ohio Patriot]

This whole mess is just a raging over-reaction by the Farm Bureau to the national Humane Society and is clearly nothing to amend our state constitution over. The largest livestock operations simply want to keep their operations shut up and secret forever because their greatest fear is that the public will become aware of how some of them routinely treat their animals. Big Ag should not be put above the law and no longer accountable to the public - these people are not gods. This is as much an issue of how healthy our democracy is as anything else - should any lobbying body treat our state constitution as its own personal plaything and have so much leverage over state legislators that they can get a consitutional amendment rammed through in 2 days? If you want Ohio's democracy to get healthier, vote No on Issue 2.

[DrC Ohio]

52loveseggs wrote:

Yes, everyone should be very afraid. When grocery store shelves are empty and people cannot afford food because people like you give human values to livestock. Yes it takes a multi billion dollar industry to feed this country and export food to the world. Our family farms in the State of Ohio are very proud of being a part of that industy and taking good care of our animals is not only morally correct but in everyones best interest. VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2 <quoted text>

scare tactics-pure and simple.

[Horse Woman]

Issue 2 is nothing more than an end-run attempt by agribusiness to avoid any meaningful
efforts to stop the most inhumane and unacceptable confinement practices in factory
farms in Ohio. It requires no change in the way animals are treated, and will do nothing to
push ahead needed reforms. If this passes it would codify abusive practices through the
state constitution. It is opposed by the Ohio Farmer's Union, The Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, the Ohio Sierra Club, the Ohio League of Women Voters, The Center
for Food Safety, Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, the Capital Area Humane
Society, the Cleveland Animal Protection League, the ASPCA, and the Humane Society of
the United States. We don't need a constitutional ammendement, we need serious laws to
protect our animals and food supply. I hope the public is not fooled by yet another attempt
by big business to ignore safe, humane practices when providing our food. It's not just about
money folks, and that's all Issue 2 is about.

[Meathead123]

I already voted NO on this crap! Whenever an issue is so vaguely written on the ballot that you have no idea what they are really asking for, just pick NO. I read over it several times and there was no REAL explanation of what this board will be doing... other than paying themselves hefty salaries and regulating agri-business to drive our food costs up.

[Sean McGovern]

Scare tactics or not, why should ANY special interest be granted special privelege in the constitution to set their own rules without any form of democratic oversight? If HSUS or the Bureau wants to change livestock rules, they should do it the way every other industry does- through the existing democratic rules promulgation process, the legislature, or the ballot box. Agriculture needs democracy. Vote NO on issue 2.

[SmallerGovernmen t]

Quiet No More wrote:

I am inclined to vote against Issue 2 based on the theory that regulation is not a method to prevent more regulation. Additionally, why is the state constitution, all of a sudden, the only way to legislate?
However, when I learn that a "liberal advocacy group" such as ProgressOhio is against Issue 2 and the FarmBureau is in favor, I'm thinking again.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Another arm of government is hardly what we need, but agreeing with the groups against it is something foreign to me.

[wm mercer]

Why is this being talked about (by supporters) as though it's either pass Issue Two or we get the HSUS?

If this goes down to defeat,(and I believe it will), Ohioans can also defeat any effort by the PETA folks of the HSUS as well.

Aside from the fact that it's in the form of a constitutional amendment, why do the morons in Columbus continue to opt for constitutional amendments instead of LEGISLATING? Does the phrase "passing laws" mean anything to these people, rather than pass the buck? Because they don't want ot take responsibility, that's why.

This isn't the ancient Greek Democracy, where everybody personally voted on everything.

[Darren]

OMG, I can't believe I agree with DrC. LOL.

@52:

You are correct that human values should not be foisted upon livestock. You are also correct that the VAST majority of family farms, and even some of the big ag farms, do take good care of their animals. And let's be honest here, family and smaller farms do it because it is morally and financially right, big farms do it because if they don't, they lose money.

For that reason alone, you have proven that Issue 2 is NOT needed.

And you are correct that PETA and HSUS would probably prefer that humans grazed solely upon fast growing grasses that are anesthetized before being picked. They, like all groups, have nutjobs among them. Unfortunately, the crazies get all of the headlines merely because of the entertainment value.

That stated, the conditions of some farms could be improved. But, the idea of needing a politically appointed board of "experts" to do it is just plain stupid.

And be honest here, by creating this board, NOTHING will be changed from the perspective of PETA and HSUS. They will still lobby hard, send lots of money to legislators and still drag dead cows around the statehouse. What WILL be changed is that farmers will now have another layer of ridiculous government to weed through. And more importantly, PETA and HSUS can blather on all they want but they have ABSOULTELY NO POWER TO CHANGE THE WAY THINGS WORK. They have to have a complicit legislature. The AG board created by Issue 2 however, DOES have the power to make changes as granted by the constitution no less and NOBODY to oversee what they do or don't do.

That's something none of us need.

This is not about stopping big AG it's about stopping BIG GOVERNMENT!!!!

[Marilyn]

And, this issue should stay with Ohio Farmers. They need to iron out any problems, not the "fox in the henhouse" folks. If Ohio farmers are not treating their animals properly, there are means to correct those problems without creating another Board as watch dogs. It's just like the healthcare plan. How many medical professionals helped to create this monster plan? None! Who are going to be the watchdogs over Federal healthcare? HA! Have we reached the point in life where we need watchdogs to oversee watchdogs to oversee Watchdogs to oversee....A bunch of political crap is all I see.

[Sean McGovern]

52loveseggs wrote:

Mr. Taylor is misinformed. Issue 2 puts a board of experts in place to determine rational and science based policy instead of allowing extremists such as PETA and HSUS who will use emotions to put Large and Small family farmers out of business. Their ultimate end game is the destruction of animal agriculture and nationwide veganism. VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2

So does that mean we need a constitutional amendment to set up "a board of experts in place to determine rational and science based policy" that operates with no democratic oversight to mandate things like childcare standards? Dietary recommendations? Of course not, because we live in a democracy, and we don't want panels of unelected "experts" mandating how we run our lives with no method of appeal or modification. Vote NO on issue 2.

[AAA]

This is way more simple than folks are making it. We are talking about AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION OF OUR STATE for this. No one has said who will be on the board or exactly what they will do. They will not be elected and will not be responsible to anyone for their decisions. This is blatantly undemocratic. It entrenches the interests of a small group of people in the highest level of government with no oversight and no legitimate representation for the view of the people of Ohio.

Vote NO on 2.