How many kitties do you see?

My letter to the editor about the high kill rate at the Upper Keys animal shelter has been published in the Free Press and the Blue Paper.  It basically calls out the county for lying about animal control in the 2015 State of the County report.

Even though I’ve gotten used to all the county’s lying, I have to admit that it still shocks me from time to time.  This animal control situation is one of those times.  What would it take to improve the kill rate at the Upper Keys shelter?  Another $50,000 per year?  Another $100,000?  The numbers are so small in the scheme of things.  Why would county staff mislead the public about something like this?  I’ve caught them in lie after lie, but even I’m shocked they would stoop this low.

This dishonesty is just part of the culture at Monroe County.  It really shouldn’t be all that surprising.  The County Administrator, of course, was heavily involved in the iPhone scandal.  District 5 Commissioner, Sylvia Murphy, has lied early and often about the wastewater funding disparity affecting her own constituents.  District 3 Commissioner, Heather Carruthers, also benefited from the iPhone scandal and is now pushing a new sales tax based on false premises.  District 1 Commissioner, Danny Kolhage has a long-standing habit of hypocritical behavior.  While that may or may not be true, Kolhage’s son and Veliz were involved in a joint business venture which failed to collect and pay state sales tax.

In a way, I can’t fault the lower level employees.  I’m sure they have to go along to get along.  Even so, I can’t help but be disgusted by this behavior.  Thumping the taxpayers financially is bad enough, but we’re talking about life and death for defenseless animals. Imagine what could be achieved if the county ever decided to be part of the solution instead of perpetuating the problem.

Blechh.  Now to wipe off the bad county vibes with a some good news.

There’s a group that holds fishing tournaments to fund spay and neuter clinics in the Upper Keys.  I snipped (no pun intended!) an ad for their latest event from today’s Free Press.  Here’s a link to their website.  They spayed and neutered 31 cats on December 6.

By the way, I love the Upper Keys Veterinary Clinic.  I wish I had discovered them much sooner.  They were so kind and compassionate in helping us with our two elderly doggies.  Can’t say enough.