Where Are Our Priorities?

Let me start off by saying that I having nothing against animals, but whenever I see a picture of a little boy or girl that is dying from starvation it sickens me to think that we as a society treat our animals much better than human beings.

Here are a few mind-boggling statistics:

According to MarketResearch.com, sales of pet products other than food reached $8.5 billion last year. That's more than the $6.2 billion spent on baby care products.

Bob Vetere, Amer. Pet Products Manufacturers Assoc.: "In fact, if you see a trend in a human product you can almost guarantee that there will be the similar trend for pet products."

He says Americans spend more on dogs than any other kind of pet. Designers like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Coach now have pet lines, and big stores like Target and Wal-Mart are expanding their offerings.

What is happening to our world when we see an innocent little baby looking like a starved animal and then turn around and see a dog dressed in a Gucci sweater? It’s mind boggling and it’s inhuman. Maybe we should have the dogs running our world; at least they would be more compassionate than some humans.

Here are some other statistics that should open your eyes:

Global Priority - $U.S. Billions

Basic education for everyone in the world - 6
Cosmetics in the United States - 8
Water and sanitation for everyone in the world - 9
Ice cream in Europe - 11
Reproductive health for all women in the world - 12
Perfumes in Europe and the United States - 12
Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world - 13
Pet foods in Europe and the United States - 17
Business entertainment in Japan - 35
Cigarettes in Europe - 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe - 105
Narcotics drugs in the world - 400
Military spending in the world - 780


It would seem ironic that the world spends more on things to destroy each other (military) and to destroy ourselves (drugs, alcohol and cigarettes) than on anything else.


· There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed — Mahatma Gandhi