Power Grab by Michigan State Legislature
Voters in Michigan, as in lots of other states, have made frequent use of the initiative process. Among other initiatives, voters enacted a ban on the target shooting of Mourning Doves — which passed by a landslide in 2006.
And an organization called Keep Michigan Wolves Protected has turned in their petition — with over 250,000 signatures — to the Secretary of State’s office. This group has a referendum, to ban the hunting of wolves, which is expected to be on the November 2014 ballot.
And now, state senator Tom Casperson (R—Inbred) is trying to squelch those pesky treehuggers. Tom Casperson sponsored the 2012 law that allows wolf hunting in Michigan, and his law could be overturned in the upcoming referendum sponsored by Keep Michigan Wolves Protected.
Can’t let that happen now, can we. Tom Casperson has introduced a bill, SB 288, which would take these decision-making powers away from the voters, and even from the state legislature. If SB 288 becomes law, the state Natural Resources Commission — which is heavily stacked with ranching and trophy hunting advocates — will have the sole power to determine which species are protected and which ones are fair game for hunting, trapping, poisoning, you name it.
The Natural Resources Commission could open a new hunting season on ANY species, with no public input whatsoever.
SB 288 also contains a million-dollar appropriation, which means that if this bill gets passed, it can’t be overturned by a citizens’ referendum. Sleazebag.
Here is a link asking Michigan residents to call and/or e-mail their state legislators and ask them to oppose SB 288.
Labels: Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, Michigan SB 288, Tom Casperson
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:44 PM
5 Comments:
"The Natural Resources Commission could open a new hunting season on ANY species, with no public input whatsoever."
I suspect he wants an open season on Democrats.
He's merely thinking of the children, the thousands of children that are killed each year by bloodthirsty werewolves.
Also today the 2013 Michigan wolf population count of 658 was announced publicly, about 4% LESS than two years ago when it was 687, when the curve was already flattening out. Bigger packs meaning fewer wolves. This is especially good news for people who want few fawns to be eaten in the spring, the larger packs and whole population having few pups to feed. It was good to read in the DNR's wolf hunt proposal that the deer population is thriving where wolves are, though I disagree with the proposal.
So, Senator Casperson's haste had a reason. The wolves, fully protected unless they misbehave, are already controlling their own numbers, just as an apex predator has to, wolf packs getting bigger removing smaller packs and reproducing slowly, 1 litter per bigger pack. He managed to get his committee meeting to happen just as the announcement was being made.
There is a way to make more wolves, of course. Allow a sport hunt. This will reduce the size of the packs and let entire new packs - starting as breeding pairs, maximum breeding rate of 1 pack per two wolves - move into the opened territory the smaller packs free up. It is very simply running the natural wolf population control backwards.
Now, the only excuses left are killing wolves for trophies, pelts, hate, or to get public approbation and votes, so those wanting these will explode with vitriol. Science? Fat chance. The fact that the last year's wolf complaints from Ironwood, MI, where they bait wolves into town by allowing feeding deer in city limits, dropped to 7 from 37 the year before and 31 the year before hasn't registered on Senator Casperson? Or has he realized that it is destroying his hate propaganda? You be the judge.
boy....Michigan loses one lousy championship and the whole state goes nutz.
AND...there are NO wolverines in Michigan.... the hunters killed 'em all.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153--281933--,00.html
Jerry: LOL, that'll be next.
Randal: Ah yes, the children.
Norm: Thanks for all the information. I found your Facebook page, through your comment at the linked article. I went to the Facebook page of all of the wildlife organizations you had listed under "Likes." I don't do much with Facebook but I clicked on Like at each one of those groups' Facebook page, whatever that's worth.
I would have thought the Tea Party, with all their "We The People!" rhetoric, would be up in arms over this power grab by Tom Casperson.
okjimm: Thanks for the link. I'm sure there are plenty of inbred goons who want the last wolf to go the way of the wolverine.
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