But, when the issue was put to California voters in 2008, they overwhelmingly supported a proposition requiring that all farm animals have room to stretch their limbs fully and turn around without touching other animals or the sides of their cage. That suggests that the problem may not be with US citizens’ attitudes, but rather that, at the federal level, the US political system allows industries with large campaign chests too much power to thwart the wishes of popular majorities.
在美国，没有任何联邦法律规定禽蛋生产商应该如何饲养母鸡。但当这一事务在2008年摆在加利福尼亚州选民面前时，他们一面倒地支持一个立场：农场饲养的所有动物都应当拥有可以充分伸展四肢羽翼并在转身时不致碰到其他动物或者笼壁的空间。这意味着并不是美国民众的态度有问题，而是在联邦层级上，美国的政治系统给予了那些拥有巨额选举资金的行业过分巨大的力量，足以将大多数民众的意愿置诸脑后。