I have to admit to becoming frustrated and jaded...
I have been fighting "the good fight" since my first letter to the gov back around 1970 or so when they first proposed a "clean" list of animals, with all others becoming "dirty". That was the earliest version of HR 669. I was enthusiastic that a lot of people wrote in, and it was defeated. It seemed like the gov actually did listen! But, unfortunately, it has been downhill from there.
In the years since that first youthful letter, I have written many, many more. I have talked to SO MANY herpers and non herpers about loss of freedom, not only for herpers, but for so many other "rights" of privacy, choice, and lack of regulation that my generation took for granted for most of my life. I have become a Libertarian to try to vote (and encourage others, too) to uphold even the rights and freedoms that I have no personal interest in, as well. But too many people just seem to prefer the illusion of "womb to tomb" safety provided by the gov. Although it is only an illusion of safety, the media and politicians seem very good at manipulating the majority to believe that the gov can guarantee their safety (from drugs, terrorists, pythons, or whatever the fear du jour happens to be), if only we will vote more money and power to the politicians to "solve" it - it has worked so well with the drug war - so why not?
Meanwhile, more regulations are passed in every area of our business and private lives, more people are employed by the gov than ever before, and more of the economy is controlled by government of all levels. I see it as a giant snowball rolling downhill, gaining size as it goes. Unfortunately, I don't see any end to it - it seems unstoppable, unless it gets so unwieldy that it collapses of its own weight, as did the Soviet Union.
I am NOT saying that we have a government similar to the USSR - YET, at least. I just see it heading in that general direction without seeing any change in direction in the future. The only logical course of action I can see for myself is to continue as I have - writing letters that fall on deaf ears, trying to convince whomever I can to vote against the "Republicrats", and to hope that the whole system will stay reasonably comfortable until I am too old to care. I may not "win", but at least I know I tried. But I do feel sorry for the youngsters - I fear they will never even know what they are missing.
Although this whole post sounds very negative, I do have hope that EVENTUALLY people will get sick of it and do whatever it takes to turn things around. I have been around long enough to see that things tend to go in cycles. But, looking at history, a huge change to cut government doesn't usually happen until things get REALLY bad - I hope if that happens, it is after I am long gone.
So, to EVERY voter out there - the next time you get a chance to vote, or even have a voice for or against some kind of regulation (local, state, federal) that does not affect you personally, think VERY CAREFULLY before taking away THEIR rights or freedoms. They may be the voters who decide the fate of YOUR hobby or business tomorrow.
