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Why I’m voting to end trophy hunting of big cats, to impose a new gun tax and to oppose the school choice amendment
Mountain lions, guns and schools, oh my! Proposition 127, Proposition KK and Amendment 80 are a one-two-three of Colorado’s contentious ballot issues.
Trish Zornio3:05 AM MDT on Oct 21, 2024
With election season in full swing, last week I tackled one of the biggest issues Colorado voters face: Proposition 131. The takeaway? It’s a tough call, and many readers agreed.
But 131 is hardly the only contentious or complex issue on this year’s ballot. So this week let’s turn our attention to three more big Colorado topics: hunting, guns and schools.
Hunting of Colorado’s big cats
Proposition 127 feels complicated, but it’s not. It simply boils down to whether or not you believe the main reason hunters pay upwards of tens of thousands of dollars to specialized canine outfitters to kill Colorado’s Big Cats is for only the meat.
On a matter of common sense, I find this claim patently absurd. But even if the mountain lion meat is a delicacy, as some anti-127 proponents claim, paying outfitters outlandish fees to obtain such meat as an aside to seeking animal fur is still, by definition, trophy hunting. This is why I support 127 to end trophy hunting of Colorado’s Big Cats.
If you aren’t convinced, it’s worth addressing a few common claims by those against the measure. For starters, they claim hunters regulate lion populations, despite copious evidence Big Cats are self-regulating. They claim “ballot box biology” is unfair, an argument that not only implies voter values don’t matter, but also one that somehow gets lost for many of the very same voters when it comes to a woman’s biology — a contradiction of the highest order.
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Then there are claims of economic loss, despite being a drop in the bucket of Colorado’s overall economy. Besides, highlighting how much money Colorado hunting organizations bring in to lure out-of-state hunters to kill Big Cats screams trophy hunting, not “I’m a local here to conserve wildlife.”
Long story short, I support Proposition 127, and I hope you will, too.
Gun taxes
Proposition KK is about taxes, but it’s also about values: Should gun owners be required to contribute in the form of firearm purchase taxes to aid victims of gun violence and improve public safety as related to shootings?
The answer is fundamentally and unequivocally yes. Securing funds for gun victims and safety is one more tool in our toolbox to reduce the impact of gun violence, an issue that is top of mind for many Colorado voters due to ongoing high rates. And who better to help pay a little extra for those public services than those who insist on owning deadly weapons in the first place? I certainly can’t think of anyone. Can you?
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School funding
Amendment 80 is devious. At first glance, it sounds like an easy, happy choice for parents. It’s not.
Coloradans are already guaranteed free public education, and Amendment 80 is a sneaky attempt to dupe voters into diverting taxpayer funds away from public schools toward private ones, including religious institutions.
There are already several examples of religious charter schools in the state, as well as schools that refuse to meet basic scientific and education criteria per state guidelines. There are also already legal questions about the initiative, so do voters really think mandating taxpayer dollars for private schools is a good idea? I certainly hope not.
This means that even for those who support school choice, it is imperative to vote no on Amendment 80 to avoid the improper dispensing of public tax dollars. This is especially true for preventing public funds from going toward religious private schools with flimsy oversight.
St. Paul man dies while duck hunting in Otter Tail County
Nearly 2 million chickens must be killed in Utah after major flock tests positive for the flu
The outbreak in northern Utah is the first the state has seen this year.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chickens managed by Phillip Gleason on his 2 acre lot are pictured on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, as he works on his multi phase plan to be self reliant at Riverbed Ranch, a remote community he founded in the western desert of Utah.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/10/18/bird-flu-hits-utah-requiring/
| Oct. 18, 2024, 5:00 a.m.
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Cache Valley • The onset of fall has brought cooler temperatures and bright colors. It has also brought birds — flocks of migrating waterfowl that chant their calls to each other in the sky each evening.
But with the birds comes disease.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has taken over a commercial poultry flock in Cache County, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. An estimated 1.6 to 1.8 million chickens have been quarantined and are in the process of being killed, according to state veterinarian Daniel Christensen, who said this is the biggest outbreak the state has seen in recent years.
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“These poor guys,” Christensen said.
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The illness was discovered last week after the poultry farm reported an unusually high mortality rate among its flock. Upon hearing this, the state agriculture department immediately tested the birds and quarantined the facility to prevent further spread.
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Depopulation — the euthanasia of infected birds — is necessary in these cases, Christensen said, and it must happen as quickly as possible to prevent the spread of the virus while ensuring the animals don’t experience unnecessary suffering or stress.
The state did not name the facility affected by the outbreak.
The bird flu is spread by migratory waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, which are currently on their fall migration through Utah. Though the illness is often fatal to domestic poultry like chickens and turkeys, migratory birds typically carry the virus without showing severe symptoms, Christensen said.
“We were hoping we were going to make it through this year without an outbreak,” he said. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but it’s reasonable to expect that for a while, we’re going to be seeing stuff like this every fall.”
Christensen said the outbreak currently is limited to the one commercial poultry facility and does not pose an immediate public health risk. While the flu is devastating to poultry, the risk to people is low. Though a few people have reported mild symptoms in the past, like pink eye, after exposure to infected birds, Christensen said such cases are rare and not a major cause for concern.
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What Utahns should be concerned about, however, is their backyard poultry. Christensen said it is crucial for poultry owners to have biosecurity measures in place. These include limiting access to their flock, practicing strict hygiene, quarantining new or sick birds, preventing contact with wild birds and monitoring the health of flocks daily.
“We see this from time to time,” Christensen said, “where someone will have a stream going through their property, and ducks get in the stream and then mix with their chickens, and then all their chickens die.”
Signs of a flu outbreak in poultry include a sudden high death rate in flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite or water consumption, and lack of coordination. If your birds show any of these signs, contact the state veterinarian’s office at statevet@utah.gov.
Hunter, 81, severely injured in Wasatch County ATV rollover
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October 20, 2024
WASATCH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 20. 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Wasatch County Search & Rescue was dispatched to the scene after a call came in about a hunter who had sustained significant injuries.
An “81-year-old male was riding his side by side while hunting,” says a statement issued by the rescue group.
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“Somehow slid off the road and down a steep embankment. This person was thrown from the vehicle and sustained severe injuries.”
The accident was called in to dispatch by other hunters who happened to be passing by, the news release says.
Wasatch Fire, Wasatch County Search & Rescue, State Parks, Wasatch County Sheriff‘s Office, Utah County Search and Rescue all responded to the area.
“Special thanks to Intermountain Life Flight who helped speed up the extraction on a very remote mountain.
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