(beginning of quote)
Here’s a biologist’s look at the process of making changes.

What people do when you start to institute a change (in chronological order)

1. Ignore you
2. Pretend to agree but actually do nothing
3. Resist, delay, obstruct
4. Openly attack you (the dangerous phase, but also a sign that change is starting)
5. Absorb
6. Utilize
7. Take credit
8. Proselytize

What people say in the process of accepting the change

1. “That might work for your population but not for mine.” (absorbing)
2. “I can use it but not for anything important.” (absorbing and utilizing)
3. “Some of my people can use it if they feel they need to.” (utilizing)
4. “Oh yes, we’ve been doing that for years, it’s quite good.” (utilizing and taking credit)
5. “We’ve come up with a really incredible program, you should try it.” (taking credit and proselytizing)

How the change maker can react effectively

1. When they ignore you, find allies and persist.
2. Don’t be misled by lip service. Find allies and persist.
3. Meet resistance with persistence. Move around the resistance; try other avenues.
4. The stage of open attack is a touchy time. People can get fired, for example. Keep your head down, but persist. Don’t take the attack personally, even if it is a personal attack. Attack is information; it tells you:
a) You’re getting somewhere: change IS happening, causing extinction-induced aggression.
b) Your attacker is frightened. Empathize.
c) Your attacker still believes in the efficacy of aversives.
5. Absorbing and utilizing: this stage can last a year or more. Maintain generous schedules of reinforcement.
6. They’re taking credit for your idea? By all means, let them; your goal is the change. Credit is a low-cost reinforcer and people who want it don’t satiate. Give it away in buckets.
7. Are they pitching the change? Good. If you want to change something else, you now have new allies.
(end of quote)

And someone in King County needs to organize people to run for office who actually care. In a wealthy community that’s harder done because anyone who lives there probably makes a lot more than a public official.

But you get the government you deserve. You want better government, fight for it.

I truly do not think the local residents are to blame.

While living in Tacoma for over five years, I never found one abandoned cat, but when I moved back to Discovery Bay I had to spay/neuter 13 feral cats. Thankfully, I had a great vet with Maddy’s funding, but it cost me about $60 per cat for testing, shots, etc. I’d been sneaking the bills past my spouse, but he went with me to pick up two males after neutering. Took him a while to settle down when he computed what I’d spent, not including the food for my feral colony.

There is no excuse for things to have gotten this far out of hand in King county if it were not for the apathy of its residents, which include the likes of Bill Gates and the Redmond rich kids.

I was surprised to get almost instant rebuttal discussing how things are NOT better in the places he has been, etc. One group member even mentioned that “he is selling snake oil”.

With opinions like that becoming, or perhaps they always were prevalent, its no wonder that the UCDavis report held more weight than his did. Sad, too. Because that will only impede what he is able to accomplish. And although this is a naive statement, I have said it before: animal care should be about the animals, not the politics.

I personally believe, whether it is Winograd or Mary Jane Doe, the message should be “we can do it better. Animals do not need to die because of an outdated system and philosophy. Animals do not need to die because people are irresponsible or life circumstances get in the way amd force hard choices. Animals do not need to die because we have always done it this way”.

Sim’s utter gall is atrocious. The Monster is now presenting himself like a hero. Why is he not being arrested for animal abuse???

Its up to the voters in King County to make their voices heard. In a democracy you get the government you deserve.

“and how many times is it being replicated around this country?”

Yup! Now THAT is the REALLY scary (and tragic) question!