Gov. Christie at the Pig Trough
Remember last November when Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would ban the use of gestation crates for mother pigs at factory farms in New Jersey?
The general public is overwhelmingly against the use of these crates, and the state legislature gave it overwhelming bipartisan support.
Christie, however, saw a big red light, since one of the states with the most factory farms for pigs is Iowa, and the Governor was planning a presidential campaign.
This week, we learned the specifics of Christie’s veto. So, was he just trying to suck up to Iowans in general? Or was he sucking up to a big donor?
Bruce Rastetter is the owner of one of the nation’s biggest factory farm pig operations, and a major Christie funder in 2012. His brother, Brent Rastetter, is CEO of Quality Ag Construction, which builds the dreadful gestation crates that Christie refused to ban and that a mother pig can’t even turn around in.
Here’s Jon Stewart explaining it on The Daily Show. (The segment begins at around the 5:30 mark.)
Sticking it to pigs in order to land some big money is a no-lose proposition for Christie. Pigs, after all, don’t get to vote. They have no voice. They wield no influence.
And, of course, Christie has never given a damn about our fellow animals. Two years ago, we noted his behavior when a group of fourth-grade children came to his office for a brief show-and-tell photo op. The children notice a small spider running across the Governor’s desk … and he simply smashes the spider with his fist and tells the kids it’s “another fun part of being governor … you’re allowed to kill them and not get in trouble.”
Note how most of the children laugh along with Christie, taking their cue from the example he’s setting.
How often has it been said that you can judge a person’s character by how they treat the weakest of those over whom they have power and control.
Nice work, Guv.