What happened to caring for people ?

[acker]

I copied this from the ABC website Australia today. It go's along with my recent thinking that animal rights has somehow put its cause well ahead of human rights in Australia.

"Pampered pets get more than foreign aid recipients
A Canberra think tank says Australians now spend more on pets than on official foreign aid.

The Australia Institute estimates that more than $2.2 billion was spent on pets last year, compared to the Federal Government's official development assistance of less than $2 billion.

The institute's report is entitled Overconsumption of Pet Food in Australia.

It says the upsurge in spending on pets is driven by expensive products such as diamond jewellery for dogs, gourmet cat food, sleeping bags for ferrets and breath freshener for animals.

Richard Denniss, from the Australia Institute, says Australians value their pets more than the world's poor.

"People are now spending in between $50 and $100 a kilo even on treats for their dogs and cats," he said.

"A whole range of products from bouyancy vests to sunglasses for dogs and cats have emerged.

"By all accounts that where the growth is coming from in the industry."

[fab]

This obviously means Australia is a great nation of moral progress.. :P

[fab]

In case you didn't get it, Gandhi is reported to have said - "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated".

[acker]

I was probably a bit hasty posting the original post .
2.2 billion divided into 20 million people equates to slightly more than $100.00 per person spent .
I have 1 cat who eats 1 x 1 kilo box of dry cat food per week costing approx $3 per box . So he has slightly more than $150 per year spent on him , I get him a flea collar once a year as well.