I Attended the HR2811 Hearing on July 29th

[Skiploder]

You presume to know me. Never once have I said these bills are going to be argued away. I have felt and still feel that we have been playing a game of catch up for too damn long.

Actually, I don't know you and presume nothing. The "you" in my post was everyone who would rather argue than do something constructive. If you fit this description - then I am not sorry. I you do not - my sincere apologies.

I am sick to death of all these people who talk about how they saw this coming and use every opportunity to say that. Great, you saw it coming... What the heck were you doing about it back then other than seeing it coming? A Cassandra Complex does not do us any good. So you saw it coming. And yet you did nothing about it back when you saw it coming. You are just as guilty for this mess we are in as the rest of us so take that finger you are pointing at us and turn it right back on yourself.

Not only have I been spouting off my dire prediction of doom for awhile, I have actually tired to do something about it. Believe me, any attempts to self-regulate in this industry have fallen on deaf ears. Go ask PIJAC about how they are being rewarded by the Reptile Nation for trying to be proactive and kick-start some self-regulation. It has been met with contempt and suspicion. There's a healthy tin-foil hat contingent in this hobby that refuses to take any responsibility for their actions and throws hissy-fits any time we try self-regulation and I am freaking sick of it.

I'm guilty of many things, but contributing to this mess - no, I'm not guilty of that.

, I think that amending legislation is just continuing to play the catch up game. We, as a community need to start making the legislation. We have to start regulating ourselves because that is the surest way to keep others from deciding to step in and regulate us.

I would direct you to efforts by PIJAC to establish some best management practices and how badly that was received by this community. The complaints ranges from "no way, you can't make us" to "you are trying to open it up to the big box breeders to run us out" to "this is being backed by the Free Masons".

In other words, people have tried and this community has rejected even the vaguest of efforts to attempt some sort of reform.

I'm older, I have a good paying job and I can afford whatever permits are required to keep my animals safe and happy. I am not a breeder. In short, any concessions that are made I can weather - but I still stay involved - as it seems, do you.

As to making legislation....well, I fear that we are incapable of coming to a consensus as a group. USARK's efforts in North Carolina attest to that. Many people in this hobby were miffed at what was legislated there. I think that we are doomed to have laws stuffed down our throats because we are so crappy at uniting and mobilizing - what's going on with AB 1122 in California is an embarrassing testament to that.