Help for the helpless
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 01:17 p.m., April 21, 2008
Updated 01:17 p.m., April 21, 2008
On CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” Ben Stein got it right when he demanded government aid for the most innocent of the victims of the busting housing bubble.
Stein, the conservative economist, social critic, actor and advertising huckster, does not always get it right in his commentaries. At times, he sounds like an apologist for Attila the Hun. Sometimes, indeed, he seems to be outrageous for the sake of being outrageous — the contrarian version of adolescent acting-out.
But Sunday, he was correct when he pointed out that the government is scrambling to shore up the lenders that granted the ill-advised subprime mortgages. It is likely that the government will also act decisively to keep many of the people who took out those loans from defaulting on their mortgages.
What, Stein asked, was the government going to do to save those who have the most to lose in this latest economic mess — their lives?
Across the United States, animal shelters are being swamped with the pets of people who have lost their homes. Families moving from tract homes or McMansions into apartments or rental houses too often find their beloved pets are not welcome.
Sometimes, the pets are simply left behind. The lucky ones are found and taken to shelters. The luckiest ones are surrendered to shelters by their owners.
But the shelters are growing crowded. Space is limited at the best of times, and some shelters are now crowded beyond their limits. Budgets — stretched at the best of times — are snapping like rubber bands. The few volunteers who are available are working at their limits.
Some shelters have turned to foster families to take the overflow, but there are a limited number of foster families and an apparently unlimited supply of dogs and cats.
Why, in the face of this need, shouldn’t the federal government — which has billions of dollars for bankers and unwise borrowers — find a few million dollars to help support the animal shelters of the nation in a time of crisis?
No reason at all.
Thank you, Mr. Stein.
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Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
And thank you, Mr. Kelley, for recognizing the importance of this sad situation and putting it in front of your local readers. I don't always agree with what you, or Ben Stein, have to say but in this instance, we are the Three Musketeers. Good job.
April 21, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
petlover (anonymous) says...
"....I saved one dog and it didn't change the world, but surely the world changed for that one dog...."
My thanks to you too, Pat. We all have to help correct this constant flow of unwanted animals. Adopting from the local shelter is a great start. Preventing all litters is another.
April 22, 2008 at 7:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )