Anderson Cooper is talking about pet rescues on CNN now

[spooky3]

thank you, Anderson, for not forgetting the most helpless, who have no voice.

[Fridays Child]

1. His show has been awesome, tonight.

[bluedawg12]

2. Thank you for

the reminder

[OzarkDem]

3. My agency currently has 3 cancer patients

who are due to become homeless next week and have no food because they lost their jobs while going through surgery and chemotherapy.

There is no government assistance for them of any kind, because they're women, they're not elderly and they have no minor children living at home. Their employers dodge unemployment insurance and they don't even have enough money to buy food stamps.

While I feel sympathy for pets, this country really needs to do a better job of taking care of human beings, too.

[spooky3]

4. As many on DU have pointed out, that is a false choice

no one is arguing that human beings shouldn't be well-cared for.

[OzarkDem]

11. My county spends tens of millions of dollars

on animal protective services and zero on emergency assistance for cancer patients. Same with our state.

We need to get our priorities straight here.

[spooky3]

18. sorry, as you'll see from other posts on this thread, this position is

misguided, if not offensive to those of us who are concerned about both people and animals in need.

One can always find an isolated anecdote to support any position, but you are not addressing the point, which is that both animals and people in need require help. Just because for one subgroup there are unmet needs does not mean that the cause is too much concern for or spending on animals. If instead I accepted your argument that we have to choose between these two positions, I could point out that even in your state (as in every state), millions more are spent in helping humans in general than in saving animals. Does that suggest that priorities are too heavily weighted towards human needs?

It is wrong, wrong, wrong, to allow helpless animals to suffer and die because of poor government. It is wrong to blame animals and those of us who see them for the living beings they are, for the suffering of others. Period.

Further, if you want to make a point about the unmet health care needs of any group of Americans, then why not start a thread about that separate topic, rather than jumping in on a thread that has nothing to do with it?

[Jamastiene]

22. Well said. There is no reason "the richest country in the world" can't

care for both the human and the animal victims of this catastrophe. To say that just because someone loves animals means that they don't love humans misrepresents animal lovers in an unnecessarily spiteful way. People can care for animals too. Even the Bible says it's our duty to care for them. How can someone equate concern for animal welfare to hatred of humans?

[colinmom71]

25. Don't they qualify for SSI Disability?

With their health being so fragile and their economic status being obviously decimated, I'd imagine they have a shot at receiving SSI Disability aid, which comes with Medicaid and/or Medicare coverage retroactive to the date of applying for SSI. They'd also qualify for food stamps and some other types of state aid by qualifying for SSI based on income.

Have they tried this?

[bread_and_roses]

27. Tens of millions? From a County?

That seems unlikely.

It is certainly true that people can be left without the health care they need in the brutal Oligarchy we've become...and I certainly share your outrage at that.

...but that's hardly the result of $ being spent on animal care.

[aquart]

5. What do you mean, "enough money to buy food stamps"?

In NY, you don't pay for food stamps, it's an outright grant. (If you win, the lottery or inherit a house, I think they take it, though.)

In your state a person has to have enough money to BUY food stamps?

[roguevalley]

6. anderson has a big, big heart. I love him more than usual lately.

[OzarkDem]

12. You're lucky in New York

In my state everyone has to pay something for food stamps, and even those benefits are being cut.

Real world.

[bread_and_roses]

26. Payment? Food Stamps are a Federal Program...look at the gov.info...

Long ago the program was set up to requie people to pay some $ to get the "stamps." That was eliminated - everywhere I thought - many years ago.

If you go to:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/
then to FAQs you will see:
"The Food Stamp Act of 1977 made significant changes in program regulations, tightening eligibility requirements and administration, and removing the requirement that food stamps be purchased by participants."

In the Laws section there is mention of various waivers, but I can't download PDF files here at home. You might want to check to see if your State has some sort of waiver....

[bluedawg12]

9. Taking care of people and companion creatures are not mutually exclusive.

Not for a nation that spends 1 BILLION dollars per day
re-building a nation we invaded.

In fact the same problem that has left cancer patients homeless is part of the root cause for leaving rescued creatures bereft of help in sweltering shelters in La.

Think of dogs in this way:

Therapy dogs
Seeing eye dogs
Police dogs
Bomb sniffing dogs
Cadaver sniffing dogs
Dogs in the military and serving in Iraq
Drug sniffing dogs
And sofa loving, tummy rubbing, warm furry best friends.

And:
therapy cats
mousers
loving creatures

that's it for cats

[Skittles]

10. HEY

giving cats the.........short end of the stick are you? Cats can be sofa loving, tummy rubbing, warm furry best friends too! It's not their fault they don't care much for SNIFFING CORPSES! :D

[bluedawg12]

14. Don't tell my pussycats about this thread

[Jamastiene]

24. There are cat workers too. I have heard of cat rescuers before. I wish

I could remember where I saw that one documentary about rescue animals. I'd post a link or something, but cats do serve the public some too. You are right. :D

[OzarkDem]

13. If there's money available

It should go to human beings first, and pets second. Sorry, but I value human lives, too.

I realize this sounds shocking, but most people don't realize how many gaping holes there are in our safety nets for people these days.

I occasionally get responses of anger and hostility from people who can't seem to accept the fact that our society and government can be so negligent.

[shireen]

16. This is not a choice between animals and humans.

There is plenty of money to help both animals and people at the same time. The real problem is lack of organization, incompetence, and greed. We need to start doing something to hold officials accountable for their actions and force changes to improve critical services. If we do not do this, NO won't be the last disaster. It's up to us to remind our so-called elected leaders that they work for us, not their election campaign fundraising donors.

[SiouxJ]

17. Well said. There is so much waste in this country

look at the FEMA ice fiasco. I'm so sick of the "either-or" misconception. This is the wealthiest fucking country on the planet. There is enough money for both people and animals. It is inhumane to let either starve, suffer and die like this.

[TankLV]

19. There are many people I wouldn't hesitate to leave in favor of saving an

animal.

Most repukes for instance - especially ALL of the ones in all levels of government.

After all, it is about saving our resources for those that deserve it, right?

And I am DEADLY serious.

[Scout]

20. same here

I would save an animal, especially my pets, over some of the people I've known.

People are generally going to have more chances, even if slim, to save themselves. Animals are stuck and must rely on their people to help.

[Pharlo]

21. It can also be argued

that if you live in a state where you have to PAY for food stamps and food stamps are a grant in another state (one which very likely has HIGHER state income taxes - to pay for all those food stamps) then, that is your choice. You could move. In fact, I hear that in Europe, free health care is available. It was YOUR choice to remain in the US.

Choices, which no animal was ever allowed to make.

I agree that America is abysmal at assisting those in need - particularly children, who - like animals - have no choice.

Animals deserve to be cared for as well.

At what point am I supposed to allow concern for other humans to superceed my responsibility for my animals? Do you suggest that as long as there are people in America who have insufficient food and health care that I starve my animals to death and take any money I would otherwise spend on dog/cat food and veterinary care be confiscated for help for my fellow man, because they're more important than animals?

And, how about if the human who is suffering is not an American? Should I not be allowed to have pets until all the starving people in the world have sufficient food and health care?

At what point does caring for an animal cease to be a drain on money that could be diverted to lessening human suffering?

How much of the money being used to rescue animals is tax money? And, if most of it is donations, why should I be told that I can't give money to help the animals?

I gave money to both human and animal victims of Katrina. If it were my animals I would want them to be helped.

[Jamastiene]

23. I agree that our government can be negligent, but the fact is that

many of those human victims would love nothing more than to find some of their pets have been rescued and are waiting to help them begin healing when they can find the pets. I saw one story a while back about a man and a woman who saw their pets on CNN and were able to reunite. Those pets were all they had left in life that seemed normal to them. Let them have their pets back. That's my point here. I know if I was in their situation and I saw my cats or my mother's dogs had been rescued, it would lift my spirits like nothing you can imagine. Maybe that's one angle that can help you understand what many of us are thinking about here.

[meow2u3]

15. Don't tell this to my cat!

My cat, Boots, is a...

1. watchcat
2. emotional support cat
3. pain in the ass :D

[adarling]

7. he is amazing

the one montage piece he did on all the photos and such on Aaron Brown is amazing, i am so glad to see CNN changing abit. All we need now is that bitch Daren Kagen to leave.

[faithnotgreed]

8. thank you (again) anderson for all your humanity