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.