Dear Mr. President Barack Obama,

My name is Jon Paul Rice and I would like to briefly discuss the Python Ban that is moving to the senate. I have tears in my eyes when I think about my life without snakes. When I was five years old a neighbor of mine here in central Ohio showed me the most beautiful and interesting animal in the world. It was a common garter snake. The following years consisted of me and the neighbor boys flipping every board, piece of tin and rock that was probably in a 5 mile radius of my country home. These were the best years of my life. When I was 12 I attended my first "reptile show". I am sure my parents laughed as I ran up each row, that was packed with people, describing each individual species to the scale. That was the day I obtained my first boa constrictor. Since then I have attended Ohio State University wanting to be a herpetologist, one that studies reptiles and amphibians, and have built a very valuable boa collection of over 40 animals. I

have spent tens of thousands of dollars picking the very best of the best breeding stock and building one of the most hightec reptile rooms I could have. This will be my first year trying to breed the boas to make a living, my AMERICAN DREAM. The Python ban is trying to make what I love to do illegal. I understand that our government is just trying to save our native wildlife but this is not the solution. I am sure that ferrel cats have more of an impact on native species nationwide than python or other large constrictor ever could. All I am trying to say is that we the people are going about this the wrong way. We just about lost the american alligator to their top predators, people, in the 60's so why can't we get rid of a few large constrictors nowadays. Generate jobs and please don't crush the hobby that myself and thousands of other boa collectors around the U.S. have spent our life times building. Please MR. PRESIDENT stand up with us and

for us.

Your fellow American,

Jon Rice

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