Oh Deer...

Ashland, Oregon has a deer problem. Not your usual "a deer ate my garden" problem, but "a deer attacked me in my driveway" kind of problem.

The mayor of Ashland, who says he was "stalked" by a doe in his own backyard, called a "Deer Summit" for residents of the town to discuss the issue.

Watching various snippets of the testimony presented by residents, I noticed there are many who want an organized culling of the herd - a "cull" is killing a percentage of the herd to immediately reduce the population. Many residents favor some sort of "birth control" option for the deer, an acceptable long-term solution but does nothing to alleviate the present solution. In reality, both options should be used in conjunction with each other.

The cull, just so you know, has already been shot down - pun intended. One city council member actually said, "We need to learn to live side-by-side with the deer." Because that's working out so well for the residents you're supposed to represent, isn't it?

One clip of a woman testifying - reading from a script is more likely - really grabbed my attention and prompted this post. She actually said, and I quote, "Do you really want the blood of our peaceful neighbors on your hands?"

So let's get this straight - we create a problem by destroying the natural predator of deer, the wolf. We exacerbate the problem by feeding the deer and getting them used to humans - to the point they'll actually pose for pictures with people. In fairness to the town government, it's now illegal to feed deer - punishable by a fine up to $475, if I recall correctly, although the police have yet to write any actual citations, opting for warnings instead.

What we won't do, however, is actually take care of the problem. We'll just ignore the root cause of it, pretend it doesn't exist, and throw money at it.

In a town of about 21,000 residents, people hit an average of sixty-five deer annually with their vehicles, leading to more - and ultimately unnecessary - work for police and other first responders and higher auto insurance rates for the other residents of Ashland.

Oregon is almost exclusively left-wing (although I don't know about Ashland's mayor or city council with any certainty), particularly in government, so honestly, something like this really shouldn't surprise me, yet I admit to being mildly befuddled when the solution to a very simple issue is right in front of them.

Then again, liberals are morons. ~ Hunter