Manure Happens [PHIL-OSOPHY]

At a special Town Meeting, Westport farmers and level-headed voters sharpened their pitchforks and plowed back against the craziest politically correct governmental efforts to pass draconian rules on keeping of livestock.

The PC crowd was hoping to get their farmer neighbors to enact harsher rules on caring for livestock, like registering each and every creature, but instead, the hoity-toity got some hay.

Coordinated by wearing plaid shirts in unity for the bylaw change, the farmers were upset at a local regulation that would force them to register each animal on their farms. After circulating a petition that was signed by over 500 citizens, the farmers and voters were successful in overturning the health department's regulation that farmers viewed as excessive governmental overreach. The mandate came about following the tragic animal abuse case that drew national attention.

Years ago, Westport was home to over a dozen dairy farms. Today, only a couple of farms exist, and they don't need more government encroachment.

I applauded when I heard about the outcome of the special Town Meeting because the best animal advocate on earth isn't the PETA gang or the politically correct elitists, but our hard-working farmers.

What do these beautiful people think, that Westport farmers were born in a barn?

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.