New Line Cinema
Samuel L. Jackson as "Neville Flynn" in "Snakes On A Plane."
Snakes are the key to saving the economy, according to some House Republicans. Yesterday, GOP members of The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee addressed a proposal to restrict transportation and importation of snakes. In the new report, "Broken Government: How the Administrative State has Broken President Obama's Promise of Regulatory Reform," Republicans claim these regulations on reptiles ultimately kill thousands of jobs.
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has been pushing for the rules as a way to protect the native species in the Everglades. The area has become over-run with more than 100,000 gigantic Burmese pythons, let loose into the wild by negligent pet owners (*shudder*). They've been staking claim to gators' territory, and as photographic evidence shows, it hasn't always ended well for either party. (See pic of exploding python).
Snake breeder David Barke told lawmakers that the proposed ban "threatens as many as a million law-abiding American citizens and their families with the penalty of a felony conviction for pursuing their livelihoods, for pursuing their hobby, or for simply moving with their pet to new state."
House Democrats aren't buying into this as a block to job growth. According to Politico, Rep. Elijah Cummings, a ranking member of the oversight panel, said "With all due respect to our witnesses from the Association of Reptile Keepers, repealing a so-called job-killing regulation to allow more pythons, boa constrictors and anacondas into the United States is not the kind of bold, bipartisan solution Americans are looking for to help the economy."
Check out video of the hearing below.
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remember this: "Stupid is as stupid does"
Republicans are crossing the line into the foggy fringe of fairy tales, where snakes overrunning Florida are GOOD!! Because Obama wants to regulate the importation of destructive, dangerous species, they must fight for snake rights, and jobs which will be lost if importation is stopped. And people want to elect these miscreants?
Let them worry about snakes rights instead of passing a jobs bill. Let them cut their own political throats. I guess birds of a feather DO flock together.
The snake ban law is more complicated than that. It would put out of business breeders whose sole income is selling their snakes. It would also cost jobs with peripheral businesses like Mom and Pop pet stores, reptile product suppliers, etc.
And to make it clear...the ban would make it illegal to for a person who even keeps one of the species listed to CROSS A STATE LINE. If a person, who like me, has pet snakes, has to move...they would be breaking the law for each state line they crossed. And there would be a huge fine and jail time for each state line.
As for owners letting their large pythons loose in the Everglades? I don't think so. It has been proven that the Burmese pythons in the Everglades were from an importer who had his facilities on the edge of the Everglades and was destroyed. Two hundred babies were blown into the Everglades and started breeding when they became adults. And they are true tropical animals, with an estimated 60-80% of that population dying as a result of the last two winters.
Not to mention that the study done by the USGS is flawed and unscientific, and has been disputed by no less than 11 scientists and countless universities.
Want more information? Please visit www.usark.org!
President Obama has already indicated in his speech that part of the AJA plan will be to reduce government regulation, so, Boehner, as usual, is just blowing smoke out of his ass. And, MSNBC pundits would do well to not let these lies slide, even if it is a full-time job. Now, if Boehner and Cantor want to deregulate the introduction of imported reptiles into the Everglades, they should fight for it.
Breeders don't need to be breeding these dangerous snakes especially if the people are releasing them in the wild. Pres. Obama is right on this one. These snakes don't make good pets. This is just crazy.
When will some people wake up and smell the coffee! Wild animals have no place being kept as pets...period!!!! Wild animals do not lose their wild instincts and present a threat to both owners and neighbors if they are the type that can kill or mame children. The animal rescue organizations typically have to rescue a wild animal that has out grown the owner's capacity to care for them or become to dangerous to own or move their home to another location where they are no longer permitted to keep the wild animal. I once wanted to own a Several and avter doing extensive reseach including discussions with breeders and animal rescue organizations I concluded it would not be fair TO THE SERVAL for me to go through with my planned purchase. Why do we feel so self-entitled that we falsely believe we can provide the total care that a wild animal requires just to fuel our ego or petty desires. Go to the Zoo if you want to see wild animals!
this is a joke, right? What the hell is congress doing with our money?