Mass. Greyhound Ban passes

[Mortimer]

Originally Posted by Rileyoriley

For the record, I voted against the ban.

Why?

[Mortimer]

Thebby's filthy animals could probably eat them both.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by Mortimer

Thebby's filthy animals could probably eat them both.

in fact, Thebby's older dog did try to eat them when they met.

[10 pnt move up]

I would imagine groups like PETA will have a much larger voice in the new government.

[Suffolk Shippers]

I usually feel out of place as a moderate in Massachusetts, never more so much than on this issue yesterday. For the record, the only viable greyhound track in the state is the Raynham-Taunton facility, on the South Shore/Southcoast are of the state. Wonderland is so run down now a days, it is beyond reprise.

This was a ultra liberal driven cause that never should have been presented to the voters of Massachusetts. Ballot questions are reserved for state wide referendums, for example, the other two questions were 1) ending the state income tax and 2) decriminalizing marijuana in the state criminal code. There of course, are no plans to build a new dog track in the state given the decreased stature of the industry. Nor will there ever be.

Yet, the question was placed before the entire state, a majority of whom, is leaning far left. The fact is, this was better left to the municipality or communities whom the dog racing industry actually affects. In a narrow scope, that would be the town of Raynham, which houses the track. In a wider lens, the entire South Shore/Southcoast is affected, as the most likely consumers of the product, as well as the most likely to be employed at the track. If you check this link, the towns shaded in red voted NO on the ban, green YES. Notice the majority of red is in the southern ends of the state, in the approximate 30 miles radius around Raynham. The entire remainder of the state, checked in as green...and I would gather few from any of those towns ever heard of the track in Raynham, let alone concerned themselves with the dogs welfare.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/.../ma_question3/


It's a scary proposition when an entire state of people (in this case) who are mostly uninformed on the topic were given the power to take away 1,000 plus jobs, and thousands of dollars in tax revenue for both the state and especially the community of Raynham, all but shutting down a highly regulated state approved, legitimate business operation. It's just not right.

In addition to not being right, as horse players or even just fans of the sport, we should be worried as Crist makes light of. These anti greyhound movements started as small wacky liberal groups in the 70's and 80's and have now banned greyhound racing in numerous states. After the way PETA has been operating in the post-Eight Belles era, we should all be concerned.
They could easily mount a similar argument in a state like Massachusetts. Where only certain communities are truly involved in racing, but they can play their inaccurate and liberal views to an entire state wide audience. It could just as easily be Washington state and Emerald Downs or Minnesota and Cantebury Park and not some dying greyhound track in Massachusetts.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

I usually feel out of place as a moderate in Massachusetts, never more so much than on this issue yesterday. For the record, the only viable greyhound track in the state is the Raynham-Taunton facility, on the South Shore/Southcoast are of the state. Wonderland is so run down now a days, it is beyond reprise.

This was a ultra liberal driven cause that never should have been presented to the voters of Massachusetts. Ballot questions are reserved for state wide referendums, for example, the other two questions were 1) ending the state income tax and 2) decriminalizing marijuana in the state criminal code. There of course, are no plans to build a new dog track in the state given the decreased stature of the industry. Nor will there ever be.

Yet, the question was placed before the entire state, a majority of whom, is leaning far left. The fact is, this was better left to the municipality or communities whom the dog racing industry actually affects. In a narrow scope, that would be the town of Raynham, which houses the track. In a wider lens, the entire South Shore/Southcoast is affected, as the most likely consumers of the product, as well as the most likely to be employed at the track. If you check this link, the towns shaded in red voted NO on the ban, green YES. Notice the majority of red is in the southern ends of the state, in the approximate 30 miles radius around Raynham. The entire remainder of the state, checked in as green...and I would gather few from any of those towns ever heard of the track in Raynham, let alone concerned themselves with the dogs welfare.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/.../ma_question3/


It's a scary proposition when an entire state of people (in this case) who are mostly uninformed on the topic were given the power to take away 1,000 plus jobs, and thousands of dollars in tax revenue for both the state and especially the community of Raynham, all but shutting down a highly regulated state approved, legitimate business operation. It's just not right.

In addition to not being right, as horse players or even just fans of the sport, we should be worried as Crist makes light of. These anti greyhound movements started as small wacky liberal groups in the 70's and 80's and have now banned greyhound racing in numerous states. After the way PETA has been operating in the post-Eight Belles era, we should all be concerned.
They could easily mount a similar argument in a state like Massachusetts. Where only certain communities are truly involved in racing, but they can play their inaccurate and liberal views to an entire state wide audience. It could just as easily be Washington state and Emerald Downs or Minnesota and Cantebury Park and not some dying greyhound track in Massachusetts.

VERY good post.

[munster705]

Hi Guys

I live in Massachusetts about 10 minutes from Wonderland and I have been to Raynham many a time. I voted to shut down these dumps. There is nothing more disgusting than walking through Wonderland on any random night and seeing questionable (at best) people wearing the same clothes for days on end, not showered, gamble there last nickels away. And for what? These dogs are mistreated and dying for what? Yeah I know 320 people will be out of work. They have over a year to find new minimum wage jobs since they will not be closed until 2009. The dog owners have over a year to ship down to Florida or wherever they want to go. This is coming from a horse racing fan my whole life.

[rkinnin]

Originally Posted by munster705

Hi Guys

I live in Massachusetts about 10 minutes from Wonderland and I have been to Raynham many a time. I voted to shut down these dumps. There is nothing more disgusting than walking through Wonderland on any random night and seeing questionable (at best) people wearing the same clothes for days on end, not showered, gamble there last nickels away. And for what?

Two thoughts....

1/ if the place is such a dump ....why are you going there "many a time"?

2/ If you have first hand knowledge of mistreatment did you ever report it to the MA SPCA or at least send a letter to Steve Crist after his article was written?

Please do not get me wrong, I am not looking to pick a fight regarding your reasons for shutting the place down.

[Suffolk Shippers]

Originally Posted by munster705

Hi Guys

I live in Massachusetts about 10 minutes from Wonderland and I have been to Raynham many a time. I voted to shut down these dumps. There is nothing more disgusting than walking through Wonderland on any random night and seeing questionable (at best) people wearing the same clothes for days on end, not showered, gamble there last nickels away. And for what? These dogs are mistreated and dying for what? Yeah I know 320 people will be out of work. They have over a year to find new minimum wage jobs since they will not be closed until 2009. The dog owners have over a year to ship down to Florida or wherever they want to go. This is coming from a horse racing fan my whole life.

I've been to Wonderland in the past and it's a dump, but Raynham is not. It's no local treasure by any stretch, but equating it to Wonderland is not fair to the people who work hard to run Raynham.

Now, you say you are a "horse racing fan my whole life", which is exactly why you should have voted NO, because it could be horse racing that's next on the animal rights agenda. This ballot question was not whether or not to shut down a few "dumps" (your wording). Nor was it about the greyhound dogs.
I have no love for greyhound racing. I, like you, love horse racing, and have been a fan for years.

You have to look at it from the point of view of "what if this happened to me?"...what if, instead of the animal rights people going after dog racing, went after horse racing? How would you feel, as a life long fan, if people merely voted to end horse racing based on the fact that Suffolk Downs was a dump, or Plainridge Racecourse was a dump? Or voted to end horse racing based on inaccurate information and false statements? Or just decided to over look the lost jobs because the people losing them would have time to find other "minimum wage jobs" (your words again, not mine)? If that was me, as a horse player and fan, I'd be pretty pissed. If I lost something I love and enjoy based on baseless statements, again I would be pissed. Finally, if someone decided to end the industry I worked in, and I lost my job, when doing nothing wrong, a job that maybe I held part time to make extra money to buy Christmas gifts, or to squirrel away money for a child to go to college, or to get money to offset costs of health care because I'm retired....I would be pretty pissed off.

As mentioned, I don't care much for dog racing. Without voter intervention, it is on a serious decline anyways. But I love horse racing, and I would HATE to see the bag job that occurred in Massachusetts with the dog racing industry happen to a horse racing industry somewhere in this country. That's exactly what it was, a bag job. A well funded out of state campaign of mostly falsehoods and sensational claims that could never be proven. A campaign flying in the face of readily available information to contrary. The issue wasn't whether the places were dumps, whether the jobs lost were "only" minimum wage ones, or for the safety of the breed in question. It has everything to do with the fact that there are groups out there who don't like animals racing in sport. They are, for the most part, well funded and groups that when they get an inch, they look to take a mile.

Well, they got their inch yesterday. The question isn't if they will go for their mile, only when.

[Riot]

[quote=munster705]These dogs are mistreated and dying for what? QUOTE]

And I am a veterinarian, and I know and treat racing greyhounds, and you are wrong.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

It's a scary proposition when an entire state of people (in this case) who are mostly uninformed on the topic were given the power to take away 1,000 plus jobs, and thousands of dollars in tax revenue for both the state and especially the community of Raynham, all but shutting down a highly regulated state approved, legitimate business operation. It's just not right.

Indeed. And the other greyhound tracks are next and targeted. And me coursing my hounds in New Mexico, California, Wyoming has already been attacked and repelled in CA, but will be attacked again. Fox hunting and hound coursing was already outlawed in England by the Anti's.

And yes, we should be damn worried about horse racing.

[Rileyoriley]

Originally Posted by Mortimer

Why?

Because they're targeting racing not the dog's welfare. If they were concerned about the dogs, they'd go after the puppy mills in this state.