Quote Originally Posted by kc261 View Post
It needs to be sets of 23!!! Not 22. One of the names, Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, apparently got dropped off most of the lists rather early in this process.
Noted!

Just printed up 690 copies (30 sets) and that's about all I can afford to print right now. If anyone else coming can print up some sets of 23 to bring it would be appreciated, even if it's just one set. Every bit helps.

Here's what I printed (from Yotaman - thank you!)

Printed with Arial 11 point font, the subject was bolded:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


April 18, 2009

Subject: No on HR669

Dear Committee Member,

Please oppose HR669. It is a fundamentally flawed Bill written by a radical environmentalist group that seeks to end the ownership and trade of all non-native animals. There is not a shred of scientific evidence to justify the destruction of a Reptile Industry that leads the world in producing and exporting high quality captive bred reptiles. With the stroke of a pen thousands of small American family businesses would be bankrupted overnight. With no quantifiable benefits, what could be the justification to destroy a viable sector of the American economy in a time of hardship?

What will the additional drain on taxpayer dollars be to grow USFWS at unprecedented levels in order to destroy American small business? These are not the "Too big to fail" corporate titans, but small family businesses with their entire net worth wrapped up in their Reptile breeding projects and ancillary supporting businesses. A 3 billion dollar a year industry would be wiped out by HR669. Thousands of American families would suffer losing everything.

- Trade in Reptiles and ancillary businesses are estimated to be a 3 billion dollar a year industry.
- More than 9 million Reptiles are exported from the US annually.
- More than 11 million Reptiles are kept as pets in the US. That means 1 in 25 households have 1 or more Reptiles.
- The US accounts for 82% of the worldwide trade in Reptiles.
- At least 500,000 Americans would be negatively impacted by HR669. Thousands of small family businesses would be destroyed.
- There are approximately 4 million boas & pythons, as well as more than 7 million geckos, lizards turtles & other Reptiles in captivity in the US today.
- The United States Association of Reptile Keepers Opposes HR669.

Please oppose HR669! The costs to American Families would be enormous. The benefits are both questionable and non quantifiable. NO ON HR669.

Sincerely,