Cavala: Have You Caught The “Chicken” Spot?

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Proponents of Prop 2 have an emotional winner in their television advertisements. A sad chicken’s head. A cow being brutally manhandled by a man in a forklift.

I have no financial interest in the Prop 2 campaign – in fact, I admit to not having read the ballot measure. I assume it requires more humane (and expensive) treatment of livestock meant for human consumption.

Clearly if Prop 2 passes I can expect an increase I the price of chicken. So be it. I’m not a vegan nor will I be persuaded to become one because of distasteful animal husbandry practices.

But I was sold years ago on the theory that “contented cows” give better milk. And I can certainly image chickens pecking freely having better flavor than those that are not.

Producers who oppose Prop 2 are, in my opinion, being short-sighted. Americans have a moral streak built into our character which can, given the opportunity, break out into series of severe social restraints. We laugh now at prohibition, but it was the law of the land for a generation. The tobacco industry tried ridicule as a means to avoid a fate similar to alcohol. But does anyone now doubt that it will soon be illegal to smoke anywhere outside of your owned, single-family detached house? (And probably illegal there too in the presence of minors).

Smoking is no longer a vice our society will tolerate.

Cruel techniques in raising animals for food will clearly follow. Producers should clean up their act before raising animals for food becomes unacceptable as well.

I hope they do. I enjoy chicken.

Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years. He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.

Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker. He now manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Comments

Get Email Updates

Want the California Progress Report by email? Once a week, we'll send you the latest and greatest headlines.