From the desk of Susan Smith, I’m thinking with 10.5 mill I could run Lee County Schools for a year and give kids a proper education!

The bill that is online does NOT allow for nuisance complaints. It explicitly says “No county, municipality, consolidated government, or local government authority shall prohibit … chickens, rabbits, or goats”.

While it DOES have a clause saying private covenants (such as HOA rules) are not subject to this, there is NO allowance for local noise/nuisance ordinances.

In other words, if you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with stringent HOA rules (and don’t mind giving up your freedom in order to do so), you don’t have to worry about this – other than from the poor guy across town who DOESN’T live in such a neighborhood and has the rooster.

By and large, a dog- even a large, loud dog – will only be heard a block or two away, even in the best of conditions for sound travel. Roosters can be heard at FAR greater distances under those conditions.

I have no problems with people raising their own food. My parents have a garden most years, and it typically takes up a sizeable chunk of their backyard. (Also typically produces some dang good okra.)

I do have a problem with a person’s rooster waking me up at 5am, or their bleeting goat keeping me awake all night, or their rabbit escaping and reproducing and causing predators to come into my neighborhood which threaten my pets.

I do have an even bigger problem with the State butting its head into a truly local decision.

As I said, if your local governing body has decided that you can’t have a rooster in a subdivision, you’ve got three valid choices: 1) work with them to repeal the ordinance, 2) work with your fellow citizens to repeal the board members in question, 3) move.

Crying to your pet State Representative and begging the State to interfere in a genuinely local decision is NOT a proper route for anyone, let alone someone who claims to be a “constitutionalist”.

I am AMAZED at your learned and insightful analysis, especially since you haven’t even seen a copy of the legislation that was passed. Even though I specifically told you that there was a substitute.

This bill is about families being able to feed themselves. My neighbors and city council should not have the capacity to keep me from growing crops and raising small animals for food for my families, so long as I do not infringe on another’s life, liberty, or property.

I’m sorry you feel the need to publish your ignorance, but, hens do not need roosters to lay edible eggs.

Even if someone chose to own a rooster or goat, how does your noise analogy differ from the noise a dog can make? Or a radio? Or an outdoor party? It doesn’t, regardless of the animal, if it is making noise at an inappropriate time, at an inappropriate decibel, or in any way that is bothersome, a nuisance complaint can be filed.

As I told you before, this bill does not negate any nuisance ordinances, this bill does not negate any subdivision or neighborhood’s private covenants.

I don’t mind that you don’t agree. I mind that you do so in such an adversarial and insulting manner. If you want to criticize it, at least read the bill first, otherwise you just look like a guy who hates people who want to raise their own food….and one who is criticizing just because he doesn’t like Rep. Franklin.

P.S. I don’t think anyone is trying to persecute me….except maybe you.

He already did it’s the Little House on the Prairie model.

Remember, you DO have the power to write up your education theory as a post here…