My first thought was that those who would choose to adopt a pet based on a viral social media campaign would necessarily make irresponsible pet owners, and inevitably dump the cats within a couple months.

(Caveat to this analysis: Overall there is around a 90% adoption retention rate after 6 months (and it surprised me from my experience that retention skews higher for younger people), so any "idiot effect" may not be too dramatic even in the worst case. [Full analysis in Hawes etal 2020])

But then you have to think that -- for example -- at least some of them are people who, unlike most pet owners, maybe never grew up around pets and never considered before having one. So let's say we get 50/50 from these viral campaigns -- 50% of adopters are terrible and release the animals into the street once they lose their Kony 2012 hype, while the other 50% become solid pet owners who might otherwise not have been. The shelter, now empty, can fill up with street and rejected animals again, which at least mitigates the losses of the former 50% (animals in == animals out), while the latter 50% is a complete gain. (Well, a gain excluding externalities, which can get really messy and is poorly understood.)

So as long as you introduce at least a few responsible new people to pet ownership, these campaigns are a net benefit, regardless of idiots.

It isnt the least relevant part. If some company decided there was enough mineral wealth there to start mining it, the lobby so hard it wouldn't become one.

Oh no. We have citizens in a democratic nation exercising their right to peacefully protest and express themselves. Quick! Someone call the army on these goddamned red commies!

They are great! Gotten a couple cats from them over the years. Adopted an older cat Nyx with grooming issues and she's cuddling up to me right now. I'd describe her as a heat seeking missile.

What I am offended by is the Willow project in Alaska that is threatening the caribou migration that native populations depend on. The willow project is such a disappointment for our country. It is one of the last undisturbed places in America and the benefits of drilling are so insignificant in the big picture. This will release 4% of the us annual emissions which is exactly the opposite of what we need to meet his zero emission by 2050. Biden lied to us and broke the significant campaign promise of “no new drilling, period” on federal lands. This specifically bill is great but it will not distract me from the destruction he has approved.

Former Staten Islander myself - not just picking on the place. ;)

i know ? was clarifying the good bit

Less ethical lawyers staunchly support corporations and shareholders declaring climate protestors imminent threat: "(they) were coming right for us" and promise to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. /s

hahaha! when you're hooked you're hooked! whenever is see him looking at our shelter's website i think "uh oh." but we'll do anything for them and as i said, i never say no. they time that i was officially "the problem" we were at our neighbood pet shop getting food and litter. one sunday a month a small local cat rescue would be there with adopable kitties. i jokingly told them- "see that really tall blonde guy over there? just tell him they've all been adopted!" it became the running joke -"al and linda are here. all kitties are taken" when we'd walk through the door. one day he was in line trying to check out. i was chatting with the cat lady about some kittens - not super young but young-ish. they were left with their momma in a box on her front steps. they were all adopted except one who was licking my fingers. she said no one wanted him because he has polycystic kidney disease and will have a short life. i just said "we want him!" got Al out of line and said he's going with us. he went home and got the crate and that's how we got Avery! the shelter provided all the vet care and he had a couple of really great years with us and the other kitties. no regrets, believe me. here's a pic of my boy avery! he was so funny - jumped in the shower with me every day and would jump out an roll around on the bath mat!

https://i.imgur.com/XftzAfP.jpg

Good thing

As a Staten Islander, fair enough.

It certainly should be

Our first was actually the day before we moved in together, and it went something like, "I promise I never do this. But my friend called & has a dog she can't keep, and he's here (the town I was working in for my last day before moving across the state), so like... do you want a dog?" That was Apollo. I really hadn't (consciously) done that at the time... but looking back, that was a lie. Next was we were going to adopt a cat at my office. My job was to find a good cat that wouldn't wanna bolt out the door. I found a tripawd that I fell in LOVE with before my boss decided she wasn't ready. I was sad about it and he just goes, "... do... do we need to go get the cat?" That was Shiloh.

The last one was maybe the worst. My Hound dog had been living with my dad (we had an apartment, dad had land, better place for the hound) but Dad broke his heel and couldn't keep up with all of his pets, so I, without consulting my darling, patient husband, went, "yea sure we can take him back!!" Welcome home, Miller. (We now own a house with plenty of roaming room, but 1000sq feet with 2 kids and 2 dogs was NOT fun for a while.)

Tell your husband to send Christmas cards and call more. Lol.

Did they emerge covered in spray tan and several idiotic tattoos?

Give me the rest.

one of his was -
"LINDA! did you see that cat on the news that some littles assholes shot with a BB gun?" yes, i did. it's awful!
"i'm going to get him!"
maybe call the shelter first?
click. well, the cat in question was already adopted by the vet caring for him "...but we do have a total love bug you might like..." that was chester.
another was "charlie (his co-worker) found a little cat on their porch but landlord only allows two cats! and it's winter!"
sigh. okay. please don't call me at work. just introduce us when i get home. i'd never say no. that was rosie,
so you're probably a close relation if not a twin!

I feel like mineral wealth is the least relevant part of d declaring land a national monument

Am I your husband's twin? All three of our pets in some way involved me going, "so listen..."

It's cool he is doing this, but it will be interesting to look into this and see just how long this land has been considered sacred. Doing some family history, I recently foundout that many of the sites my nation claims is sacred, we took from other nations as we pushed westward as Europeans took our land. I think it's a shame that we are calling things ours that we simply conquered a century or less before it was taken from us.

not like that, sir.

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They need to do this in texas shelters. We are overflowing. CONSTANTLY because we have a horrible state government that won’t help direct efforts to reduce strays out in the streets

usually there are shelter "lifers", ones with complex health/medical requirements that don't lend to adoption easily or readily. Not saying they can't be, but some things are a bit complicated. We have one cat that allegedly got brain damage from a flea collar, he kind of runs in circles, but the other cats in his room take care of him and don't let anyone bully him.

You know, those sorts of people have probably written about this somewhere online. They'll be more likely to have the answers you ask for than us randos here on Reddit.

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