Should there be such a huge difference in our standards of treatment for animals and people?

I was thinking of this after the bull fighting question. Some of us think nothing of treating animals so differently from the way we treat people. There’s other things too: We put animals out of their “misery”, we keep people hooked up to machines long after they have any hope. We abuse animals in puppy mills, “sporting events”, etc. Feel free to add any other areas where the standards are out of balance, for lack of a better term. Your thoughts?