CAFO’s Impact on Governor’s Race?
The Madison Courier has a piece up today from Peggy Vlerebome covering state democratic races, from the presidential campaign to the governor’s race. The piece quotes Jim Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson, the 2 democratic candidates for governor. The piece claims that it is not only the interesting presidential nomination fight that is attracting Republicans to the democratic primary, but CAFO backlash:
Not everyone in the audience was a Democrat. Several local people who usually vote Republican were there, such as Jae Breitweiser. She said it was her second Democratic Party annual dinner and that she has voted back and forth between parties.
One issue that seems to have figured in to that is confined animal feeding operations, a hot topic in Jefferson County, as several veterans of the CAFO conflicts were at the dinner. Both Democratic candidates for governor mentioned CAFOs.
Schellinger said he would “crack down on the CAFOs.”
“This isn’t farming,” he said. “This is industry, and it should be regulated as industry.”Long Thompson said she would “make sure they are in compliance with the law, and I think we need to strengthen legislation.”
May 7th, 2008 15:19
CAFOs have a big impact in how I vote.
People who were worried about their health and property values emailed Becky Skillman and she came to our area. Just to drive within half a mile of us (not stopping) and going directly to the CAFOs ground breaking ceremony commending them.
The figure given for total water usage was less than 0.1 percent of what it should have been. Commissioners are always asking this question and should have caught this. But they didn’t bat an eye on it. One of the BZA members said that he didn’t think it would damage any wells. At that point of time, it was a known fact that it had already damaged a well. This was even brought up at the meeting.
A person went to show some figures to a commissioner. This commissioner immediately and rudely cut this person off.
What do you want to bet these people would have thought different if a CAFO was stuck in their back yards?