Writer makes good points, save one

I'm writing in regard to Richard Kamp's letter Sept. 22 regarding backyard chickens. While I do appreciate his point that people should think long and hard about taking on the responsibility of something like raising live animals that require any kind of significant care, I did take issue with one aspect of his criticism.

Kamp asks, "Is there going to be someone to oversee these animals to prevent neglect and abuse?" I ask, do we need someone to oversee everything that we do? I think this attitude points to a bigger problem that we face today. We have become over reliant on government bureaucrats to take care of us and under reliant on working out problems among ourselves.

We live under the assumption that people cannot and will not take care of themselves if given the chance, and when a problem arises, we are often too quick to seek outside intervention in the form of police or government.

I applaud those that wish to learn new productive skills like raising chickens, and I wholeheartedly agree that people should first appreciate the depth of the project they hope to undertake. But, let's give citizens a chance to do something that, when done right, would infringe on the rights of no one else. There are potential problems with dogs, cats, power tools and household cleaning supplies. Yet, somehow we manage to keep pets humanely and avoid drinking oven cleaner without banning these things entirely. I don't see why raising chickens need be any different.

That said, I think Kamp's letter raises many important points that people may not have considered. I have the utmost respect for his concern for the community and his willingness to take the time to educate his fellow citizens. His efforts are a great example of exactly the kind of citizen involvement we need in order to rely upon ourselves.

Craig Mason

Elgin