Granby01033

It depends on where you think rights come from. America's founders, the guys who signed the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, believed that people (men, in their case) were endowed with inalienable rights. Being human carried certain rights. They weren't granted by majority votes. Rights were part of the package that goes with being human.
Yeah, it [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Although I supported Question 2, it presents some problems, at least for law enforcement. Until Question 2 goes into effect, however, simple possession is a criminal, arrestable offense and gives a police officer probable cause to conduct further searching and uncover additional crimes. (I just learned this morning, however, that Hampden County DA William Bennett will cancel all pending criminal prosecutions [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

If I'm going to be persuaded, I need a good, rational argument. The dog racing industry didn't have one. To me, the decision needed a simple cost-benefit analysis: do the benefits of greyhound racing outweigh the costs, humane or otherwise, of continuing it? For me the answer was clear. The industry is dying and so are dogs.
The industry never [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Even before the unions put up for the money for Vote No on Question 1, I thought the question would go down in flames. It's one thing to have a radical anti-tax agenda in fat times, it's another to have such an agenda when the economy is going belly up. It was no surprise to [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

As you know by now, there are three binding ballot questions on tomorrow's slate. I've given the non-partisan link at the Secretary of State site for all but the non-binding question. 

Question 1 would abolish the income tax. This question is just stupid. Vote no.
Question 2 would decriminalize marijuana, making simple possession of an ounce or less an [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Marijuana use remains consistent despite a high level of enforcement, and there is no detectable relationship between changes in enforcement and levels of marijuana use over time.
--Morgan and Zimmer, 1997
Over at Blue Mass Group, there's a long diary with comments discussing Massachusetts' three ballot questions.  I didn't post a comment, but I realized that a little [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

The folks who sponsored Question 3 have a page correcting the lies of the dog racing lobby. I've already done some of the debunking in previous posts, but if you need more convincing, well, they have it succinct and sourced. Mark Read more »

[Read more →]

One of my cardinal rules for sources: beware of websites that don't tell you who made them and who pays for them. That goes for Vote No on Question 1 as well. I'm pretty sure my union dues are supporting part of the Coalition for Our Communities, but I can't prove it by the website. I [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Vote Yes on Question 3
As far as the greyhound racing industry in Massachusetts is concerned, their dogs have it made. They have the Massachusetts Racing Commission and the state police watching out for them. Their caring breeders work hard to make sure they are adopted after their careers come to an end. Public relations never factors into what [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Boston, MA – The Committee to Protect Dogs announced today that Question 3 has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Council of Churches (MCC), an ecumenical partnership of seventeen Orthodox and Protestant churches/denominations in the state, with approximately 1700 congregations.
“We are honored to have the endorsement of the Massachusetts Council of Churches,” said MSPCA-Angell President Carter [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Question 1 is the dumbest idea to come down the Pike for a long time. I do remember some woman from Lexington, I think, who wanted to outlaw spanking children, but she didn't have a ballot initiative.
Jim, a commenter on a previous post, wrote 

I cannot believe the amount of disinformation surrounding this issue. Property taxes pay for public schools [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

From www.ProtectDogs.org:
 
Race Dogs Endure Lives of Terrible Confinement, Suffer Serious Injuries
 
Raynham, MA – According to records released yesterday by the Massachusetts State Racing Commission, eight greyhounds suffered broken legs at Massachusetts dog tracks in August. Three dogs suffered broken legs in one day on August 24, continuing a trend that saw nine dogs suffer broken [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Chief Big Ear claims that greyhound racing isn't abusive. I can't speak for Florida and Texas, where the industry may be thriving and the dogs may be treated differently. I doubt it, though.
The Big Ear writes:

There is no cruelty in dog racing. If there was, the State Police (who are with the dogs everyday) and [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Representatives of Raynham Park have been claiming that "Massachusetts greyhound racing achieves 100% adoption rate."
They are lying. 

According to the most recent statistics released by the Massachusetts State Racing Commission, only 14% of greyhounds are adopted.  You will find this attached.  In fact, the vast majority of dogs that compete here go on to race elsewhere.  The ultimate fate [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

Their only chance to win, says fellow blogger Ryan Adams, is to confuse people. And that's just what the dog racing lobby is doing. Taking the name of Massachusetts Animal Coalition, but misspelling it, the Massachessetts Animal Coalition is hoping to sow confusion on the ballot initiative (Question 3) intended to ban greyhound racing.
From the [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

The people running Raynham Park, Massachusetts remaining full-time greyhound racing track, are sleazy.  (See Ryan Adams on the track's owner George Carney for a rundown). Their business relies on the neglect and abuse of hundreds of dogs a year.  Now they have paid lobbyist lying about proof of that cruelty.
Instead of excerpting this post at Blue Mass Group, I'm [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

There's one big reason to ban greyhound racing: it's cruel, inhumane. The dogs live bleak lives confined to small cages with little free time. They are frequently injured and often euthanized.
When you look at them closely, the reasons to vote against Question 3 fall apart. Opponents of the question say much needed jobs will be lost, but the dog racing [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

I'm voting yes. Unlike the horses used in horseracing, greyhounds spend most of their lives in cages, experience frequent injuries, and end up euthanized. It's an unnecessary cruelty. According to the Committee to Protect Dogs, Read more »

[Read more →]

Question 2: An Act Establishing a Sensible State Marihuana Policy
Voting on Question 2 won't affect me in the least. I'm voting yes, unless I hear a compelling reason not to support this question.
From what I've witnessed, it won't affect most people who actually get caught with marijuana. From what I've seen in the arrest and [...] Read more »

[Read more →]

There are three ballot initiatives slated for November's election. Question 1 is the first, and by far, the most controversial, of three. Please provide your thoughts on the comments below.
Question I: Repeal the Income Tax                   (Vote No!)
There may be reasons to vote "yes" on Question 1, but abolishing the state income tax isn't one of them.  The question was brought forward by [...] Read more »

[Read more →]