A wish list for the season

I love doing yard work on chilly days.  I always seem to have more energy and of course there are none of the health concerns with overdoing it in the heat.   Its just frosting on the cake that its such a treat to come back into a comfy cozy house.
Now I doubt very much that the stray cats who have been abandoned around the province feel quite the same way about these nippy days.   Those who have managed to survive the predators ... those who haven't starved to death already or met a myriad of other Unsung Unhappy Tails ... well THOSE little survivors are not going to last too much longer once winter really sets in.
Its no secret that we have a cat overpopulation problem in this province.  Nor is the situation going to improve while politicians are dithering about "affordability".  Every year that they put Low Cost / High Volume Spay Neuter clinic proposals on the back burner ..... every year that they pussyfoot about funding the TNR groups .... every year that they expect rescues to be their unpaid cleanup crews ... the cats just keep reproducing.
None of the kitties of course would reap the financial benefits they are hoping to accrue with big ticket items like convention centers and railroad subsidies.  On the uptick, none of the programs would cost a fraction of any new infrastructure costs.  In most cases, the work is carried out by volunteers who are so used to working on a shoestring that they already know how to get best value for every dollar.
Even better, once the ways and means are found to begin addressing the problem, every year the costs will actually diminish as the solutions start to make an impact. 
However ... until the problem is addressed, every year the problem is simply going to get bigger and become more expensive to address.
There isn't a politician in this province that would drive a twenty year old derelict down the road.  So why do they want to 'drive' a twenty year old outmoded clunker of a concept of animal welfare? 
Why?  Because animals don't vote of course!   I know I natter on about this like a stuck record, but the simple fact is that strong voter feedback is the only effective way to motivate politicians at any level. 
We should cherish the fact that we live in a democracy and exercise our right to bring issues that concern and move us to the attention of the politicians that we elect.
The House is sitting now, making this a dandy time to let your MLA know that you have a definite wish list this season for the animals, that includes meaningful support for:

• Low Cost / High Volume Spay Neuter Clinics
• Banning the traffic of living breathing sentient beings in the free online ad sites
• Instituting the specific regulations to support Bill 186 that would enable the society to successfully shut down Puppy Mills
• Banning the sale of companion animals in Pet Stores
• Drafting anti tethering legislation
• and last but not least, acknowledging the community contribution made by TNR with enough resources to effectively address this man made problem.

What time is it?  It is always time to remember that compassion should obligate every citizen to "speak for the animals"
It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.  Samuel Adams