Humans are not the only ones suffering in the withering economy the Bush Administration has wrought.
The Birmingham News reports that cash-strapped owners are increasingly having to give up their pets in order to help make ends meet.
One distraught Birmingham man surrendered his female blond cocker spaniel to a local animal shelter after he lost his home in foreclosure. In another case, a dog was dying of parvovirus, and the owner could not afford to take the animal to a veterinarian.
Animal-control workers in the Birmingham area are investigating a number of reports of horse neglect, where owners let the animals starve because they can't afford to feed them.
The Birmingham Humane Society took in more than 1,000 animals in May 2008, the first time it had reached that figure for one month since 2004.
As for the Bush economy, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has an interesting take on our current malaise. Blame should not be placed only on Bush and his abundant cluelessness, Krugman says. Fingers also should be pointed at Bush's fellow Republicans, particularly for their efforts to kill health-care reform in the 1990s.
In South Florida, intake in animal shelters has tripled. It makes me sick to think about it. We have two cats and two dogs that are part of the family.
ReplyDeleteHealth care that's run by the gubment... like in Canada? where all the people from Canada I have talked to cross the border in order to get real care in the US that's just not available in Canada. Socialized health care is NOT the answer. In England, you'll likely die before you can get a heart transplant. The wait is often over 3 months.
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