Beware of the mob

It’s disappointing that among Sarasota County’s five commissioners, all of them Republicans, none of them has the nerve to say what he or should say: 

The County Commission should not ban the retail sale of cats, dogs and rabbits that are purchased from a commercial establishment. Let the market take care of that. 

Over and out.

But alas, the commissioners — as many before them — have crumbled under the face-to-face pressure of the outspoken agitators. And lo and behold, this issue is going to rise to the next level of government: a public hearing on whether Sarasota County’s retail pet stores should be banned from selling cats, dogs and rabbits they purchase or acquire from a broker, breeder or, to use the oft-repeated pejorative term, “puppy mill” or “kitty mill.”

You already can predict how this hearing is going to go. Dozens and dozens of representatives from the Humane Society, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Sarasota Defense of Animals and animal rescue groups will crowd the commission chambers en masse and overwhelmingly cajole the commissioners into adopting their agenda. Which is to use the force of law to punish and put out of business the people and companies whom they detest.

It’s all or nothing. No compromise. Nothing in between. (Some might even call that “extremism.”) 

To be sure, even those who are not dog, cat or rabbit lovers are not proponents of the slipshod, unscrupulous, unethical, abusive animal breeders. Simple logic says everyone would like to see them go out of business. 

But doesn’t it strike any of the commissioners — or even the animal-rights proponents — as unfair, perhaps even mob-like, to punish all pet retailers for the bad behavior of the bad breeders and bad retailers? It’s like saying all motorcycle dealers should be banned from selling all motorcycles because of the 4,700 motorcycle deaths that occur each year in the United States. Few reasonable Americans, if any, would say that is fair or just.

Whatever happened to caveat emptor? Buyer beware — that the buyer has the reasonable burden to examine property before purchase and take responsibility for its condition? In today’s economy, Americans have been brainwashed into believing that government should take care of everything.

There are other ways to address the unscrupulous puppy and kitty mills than targeting the pet retailers. The most efficient is the free market. 

Don’t scoff, PETA-ites. It works. And we would argue it certainly works better than government regulation. Here’s how:

Start at the retail level. A consumer purchases a puppy from a pet retailer. It turns out the puppy has all sorts of illnesses and issues. (Mind you, this happens in neighborhoods, too, when unmonitored dogs produce unexpected and unwanted litters of puppies. What about their owners?) 

The consumer, in turn, likely complains to the retailer for a refund. And then he tells his family and friends — and maybe even the animal-rights activists about his experience: Don’t a buy a pet from this retailer; it sells sick puppies. The word spreads; protesters form outside the store. As the retailer’s puppy sales dry up, he either goes out of business or makes adjustments to sell better puppies. 

Either way, the buyer’s effects roll down to the bad breeder. His sales shrink. And he, too, is faced with choices: Improve operations; go out of business; or try to fool other unsuspecting buyers until they catch on. 

But one result is this: He is no longer selling faulty puppies in Sarasota.

The market self-regulates.

Or, consider an in-between step — between free-market regulation and government-forced bans: industry self-regulation by certification.

Many industries employ this approach. They create operating certifications to establish seals of approval and levels of competence. Scrupulous, ethical operators take the extra steps to earn these certifications and promote them to assure consumers the business is selling quality merchandise and service.

Rather than push for bans on pet-store sales, the organizations lobbying for the shutdown measures could engage the pet store companies, owners and retailers and make allies of their efforts to eliminate the bad breeders and retailers.

This works. When you go to the dentist, you always see prominently displayed the practitioner’s college and medical school diplomas — certifications that give consumers assurance that the dentist knows what he or she is doing.

Likewise in pet stores. With certifications and a reputation to protect, retailers would be more likely to acquire their puppies from ethical breeders.

And this practice would eventually filter down to the breeders. Retailers would pressure the breeders to supply certifications that they operate ethically.     

But of course, we know those who favor the force of law and regulation over the free market will argue that market forces, self-regulation and certifications won’t wipe out the bad actors. But neither do laws and regulation. 

Take the American financial services system. Hardly any industry in America is more regulated and has a bigger, more bloated and expensive bureaucracy of industry watchdogs. But that didn’t stop Bernie Madoff or the 2008 meltdown. Indeed, when has government regulation ever proved more competent than the private sector? Just what Sarasota County doesn’t need: More government inspectors and bureaucrats to create more and higher costs that ultimately are passed on to the consumers and taxpayers. 

Caveat emptor. Beware, commissioners. Beware of the mob. Just because it’s loud doesn’t make it right.