Prop B fears are unfounded

Elected officials should respect the will of the people, and stop meddling with Proposition B ("Prop B needs a rational approach," Jan. 2). Subverting the judgment of voters is wrong and anti-democratic. Our system is built on majority rule, and a majority of Missouri citizens -- including majorities in most House and Senate legislative districts -- favored Prop B. The voters acted precisely because the legislature failed to stop puppy mill abuses. It's undemocratic and would be wrong of lawmakers to usurp the power of the people and ignore their expressed will.

Prop B was a simple measure, dealing only with setting standards for commercial dog breeding, and it has no connection whatsoever to Missouri's important agriculture and livestock economy. The opponents' campaign was based entirely on falsehoods and misrepresentations in an attempt to confuse voters. The truth is Prop B dealt only with dogs -- not cattle, chickens or pigs.

Some people who voted against the measure were wrongly told that existing regulations on dog breeding are adequate. They are not. Under pre-Prop B rules, a dog can be in a cage just six inches longer than his or her body, be confined in that cage and never let out, not ever see a veterinarian and be huddled in a wire cage in the middle of winter -- exposed to freezing temperatures. All of that is legal under existing rules, and that's why we needed Prop B.

The new regulations -- requiring adequate and clean food and water, exercise, properly sized and sanitary cages, veterinary care, protection from extreme heat and cold and adequate time between breeding cycles -- are very reasonable. That's why responsible dog breeders and other Missourians supported Prop B. Prop B also provides a one-year phase-in so breeders have plenty of time to comply with these new standards.

Prop B is good for the welfare of dogs, and it will finally turn around Missouri's reputation as the "puppy mill capital of America." Lawmakers who attempt to overturn Prop B send a message to Missourians that their votes don't matter, and that if our legislators don't agree with what a majority of citizens pass into law, they can simply nullify those results. Let's not unravel democracy in Missouri based on unfounded fears created by scare tactics and lies.

Barbara Schmitz is the campaign manager for Missourians for the Protection of Dogs and Missouri director for the Humane Society of the United States.