Obviously the governor is ignorant in many areas when it comes to this bill. It makes one wonder who is in his back pocket?
No person of moderate intelligence would allow this bill to continue to go un-passed.
Penalties are subjective on the part of a judge. The judge can impose penalties "up to" that amount. I would hope we would have enough faith in our judges to impose the right sentence for the crime and circumstances. No one would impose a jail sentence on a "little old lady" who struck an animal unintentionally. That is ridiculous.
But make no mistake, these crimes do happen and do need to be punished. These punishments are minor compared to the harm that is done to these defenseless creatures.
With domestic violence and statutory rape rampant on the island, you would think the governor would want to begin somewhere to combat these violent crimes. By now everyone should realize the relationship between animal cruelty and cruelty to others.
I agree that education needs to be primary, so then why does the government cut funding to animal welfare agencies so that they have fewer funds to conduct the ongoing educational services they currently provide?
The press release sent out by the governor shows he has little knowledge about the subject matter and it saddens me.
Cara Jo Hinton
St. Thomas
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