A Real Conversation About Licensing

[lady_bug87]

Originally Posted by sophiedufort

I'd rather spend my money on making it better for my snakes. The amounts that you are all willing to give away for a piece of paper would go a long way in feeding your snakes, or perhaps improving their habitats. A mandated license would only pave the way for other complications, that would affect good owners as much as it would affect irresponsible owners. As I said before, everything comes at a price. Once a rule/requirement is implemented, there come the consequences, and in most cases they would be of financial nature (such as: why not make the license renewable, or why not impose an additional fee for each snake added to the collection?) I don't believe in accountability that is the result of forced measures or restrictions. I believe in sensible laws that should penalize irresponsible owners. Good people shouldn't have to pay for others' misdoings (in my view, this is what a license represents). And, Aaron, if licensing is not regulated by law, it is entirely ineffective, as there would be no legally available grounds to penalize someone for breaching rules. The implications of a license are very complex. Just like with any other regulatory measure, this issue would require time, effort and finances that no government is willing to afford, at least not without having a guaranteed financial benefit. So, I much prefer to enjoy my freedom, rather than having to pay an ever increasing price for a cause that has too many ethical ramifications to be translated into law.

What ethical ramifications do you foresee?