>>From: zen and the art of ferrets - bill and diane <[log in to unmask]> >>Subject: Zen's rebuttal of A-X posting... >>Sales is what most shelters do. They take money (adoption fees) in >>exchange for goods (ferrets). >Well, I suppose with this logic then the human adoption agencies are >selling human babies. Do they have to collect sales tax on money (adoption >fees) exchanged for goods (human babies)? I don't think so. Selling human >babies is actually illegal, but an "adoption" is not. I think the poster of this retort to the Zen bunch doesn't understand what was said. A ferret shelter accepts money for a ferret..call it sales, an adoption fee, maintenance fee, whatever..but still it is money accepted ~by~ the shelter for a fert adoption. In a human baby adoption, it is against Federal law for an adoption agency to accept money for a baby. Period. Now..everyone else gets in the picture...welfare fees, county fees, state fees, lawyer's fee, etc...but the adoption home doesn't receive a cent from the adopters. Money IS changing hands, but in a much different manner. >>Its illegal to discriminate against a customer but maybe if we call it >>an adoption than the courts will not see it as a sale. >Oh please! Have you never heard of "we reserve the right to refuse >service to anyone"? The Federal Supreme Court has ruled, that ~~no one~~ can refuse service, etc. with out risk of a lawsuit or criminal action. Granted, the rulings are mostly anti-discrimination ruling, but the letter of the law applies to all areas of business. As a businessman, I can't even ask a customer to leave my store without taking a chance that I will be held liable. (However...If I ran a fert rescue, I would probably risk hell and discriminate too! <GRIN>) Joe [Posted in FML issue 2003]