Jack For Assembly

[JackNino]

Below are my responses for the Nevada Animal Owners & Sportsmen Questionnaire. Note that any typos in the questions are from the original questionnaire.

In the text below the parts in bold are the text from the questionnaire and the parts in regular type are my responses.
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Nevada Animal Owner & Sportsmen - Voting Alliance 2008 Questionnaire

Dear Candidate.

As a candidate for office in Nevada you've indicated your views on a number of issues facing voters. The Nevada Animal Owners & Sportsmen - Voting Alliance (NAOS-VA) would like to better understand your position and feelings on animal ownership and the outdoor recreation sports of hunting and fishing.

Approximately 13 million Americans are licensed hunters, slightly more than 10% of all registered voters - anglers are even more numerous, 35 million. Over 60% of all U.S. households have a pet, most frequently a dog or a cat. These sportsmen and animal owners are under attack. Using the guise of "animal welfare," groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Fund for Animals, ASPCA, Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seek to eliminate or severely restrict many of our existing rights and traditions.

NAOS-VA is a state-wide, non-partisan group of men and women involved in hunting, fishing, an animal ownership. I'm a NAOS-VA volunteer. Many other voters and I would like to learn more of your opinion of and relationship with these so called "animal rights" organizations. Please take the opportunity to review and respond to this questionnaire so that your potential constituents may better know your opinions on the important topics affecting us.

Kindly reply by June 30 if at all possible. If this date isn't feasible for you, please indicate when I may look forward to your response.

* Do you or anyone in your immediate family own a dog, cat, ferret, etc.?

I have a 13-year old cat

* Is your animal spayed or neutered?

Yes

* Do you support any animal rescue organizations or shelters?

It depends on the definition of support that you mean. I have not financially supported any particular rescue organization or shelter but I think any effort to save abandoned animals is worthwhile.

* Do you or anyone in your immediate family hunt, with or without a dog?

I do not hunt, but I support everyone's right to do so, with or without a dog.

* Do you philosophically support any animal rights or animal protection organizations? If so, please identify the organizations.

There are no particular organizations that I specifically support.

* Do any animal rights or animal protection organizations endorse you as a candidate or financially support your campaign?

Not at this time

* Should Spaying or Neutering of an animal be controlled by the government through legislation or should it be left between a veterinarian and their client to decide?

I do not think that spaying or neutering should be government mandated.

* Do you believe in ownership if your animal or “guardianship were you do not own your animals – you are strictly a caretaker?

I believe that everyone owns their own pet.

* Do you support the states' prerogatives to manage their resident wildlife populations and establish local hunting regulations, without federal interference?

Yes.

* Do you believe in peoples rights to own (responsibly) any animal of their choice, regardless of species: exotic or domestic?

Responsibly is the key word here. Someone who has an animal needs to be able to properly take care of it and the animal needs to be in an environment that is suitable for that particular animal (e.g. a cold weather animal should not be kept outside in Las Vegas during the summer).

* Do you believe it is okay to discriminate against exotic animal owners through unfair bans?

This is an oddly worded question, as an unfair ban is by definition not OK. I think what is being asked is if I support blanket bans and I generally believe that blanket bans are bad.

* What is your position on the following animal and/or hunting related issues?

a) Hunting, including the use of hunting dogs

As mentioned above, I fully support hunters who hunt legally, with or without dogs. My main concern would be to prevent overhunting, and I believe the tag system works well in this regard.

b) Fishing

As with hunting, I fully support people's right to fish, as long as lakes and streams aren't being depleted.

c) Animal medical research

I believe that animal research should be avoided whereever possible, but that there are instances where animal testing provides invaluable research that can't be done by other means.

d) Animal ownership and breeding (including pets, livestock, research animals

I believe in people's right to own animals and breed them if that is their desire.