The
only answer to a bad animal law is to kill the whole thing. There
are several reasons.
If
you get into any discussions at all, then you will forever hear
ARs talking to lawmakers saying "This was discussed with
(your name)" implying that you approved -- even though all
you said was "This is totally unacceptable."
Trying
to negotiate will lead to splintering our side, as different players
see different compromises as better for them.
Our
side will almost always have weaker control of the lawmaking process
than the ARs. They can 'fine tune' a bill, we will nearly
always get rolled when we try to do the same. Exception:
if you have a good lobbyist working for a strong (and well supported)
federation you may have the choice of tuning ... but there's still
the question of whether you should.
It
is simply easier for citizens without lawmaking insider status
to kill a bill than it is for us to control what is in it. ARs
will make a deal with you today and change that deal when it suits
them at the last minute. If you don't like everything in the bill,
then go for the kill so they don't have a Christmas tree on which
to hang their ugly ornaments.
Some
of the players on the other side are actually trying to do the
right thing. There's no better way to send the message that our
side needs to be involved in animal law discussions right from
the start than by completely dumping bills we weren't asked about.
You
don't get respect by talking the school bully out of beating you
up, and agreeing that he can have half your lunch, you get respect
when you leave him sobbing and dribbling blood from his nose.
And these are bullies we're dealing with.
