| By Dave Harding, ProgressOhio - Sep 30th, 2009 at 10:59 am EDT |
ProgressOhio Says Vote No on Issue 2
Constitution No Place for Corporate Manipulation
Board of Ohio's Largest Progressive Hub Votes to Oppose Factory Farm IssueCOLUMBUS - Citing concern for the second time this month that Ohio corporate interests are manipulating Ohio's Constitution for personal gain, ProgressOhio.org announced that they strongly oppose Issue 2.
Issue 2 would set up the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. The governor and legislature would appoint members, including family farmers, veterinarians, a food-safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, members of statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two consumers. The state agriculture director would lead the panel.
"This is a blatant attempt by large factory farms to take what should be legislative action and enshrine it in Ohio's Constitution to preserve their profits," said Brian Rothenberg, Executive Director of ProgressOhio.org. "Our Constitution should not be for sale and if issues like this succeed there is a very slippery slope in which wealthy corporations can in effect alter the supreme law of the state to ensure a competitive advantage."
Issue 2 is also opposed by the Ohio Farmer's Union, the Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, the Ohio Sierra Club, the Ohio League of Women Voters, and The Humane Society of the United States.
The Humane Society and ProgressOhio have long sought to prevent extreme caging and confinement practices on factory farms. "Rather than legislate this issue, large agri-business interests have attempted to circumvent the humane treatment of animals by manipulating Ohio's Constitution," said Rothenberg. "Our Constitution is meant to protect us, not to be part of some large corporate business plan enshrined in our laws."
ProgressOhio.org is a non-profit 501c4 corporation.
Comments are closed for this post.
Thanks for your great work on Issue 2.
--and all the other great stuff you do!
Joe Logan
Big government + big business = big trouble and big corruption. Mandatory licensing and regulatory boards kill competition.
Adding another regulatory board increases government intervention. The more regulations, the less a small business can afford to comply. The cost of regulatory compliance is always passed to the consumer.
The fact that 10 of the 13 board members would be appointed by the Governor (two are appointed by the Ohio House and Senate leaders) isolates the electorate from the resulting board makeup or the regulations they create. How convenient that this has bi-partisan support (why not NON-partisan; how have the two parties served us over the past 20 years?). This is the perfect way for favors to be paid for and granted.
The private sector can create an accreditation that farmers can chose to get. We consumers can then make decisions on whether we want to support abusive practices or take our money elsewhere.
Our Ohio constitution has already been debased by inappropriate additions; we all should rally to stop this one.