Friday, May 11, 2007

Friday Hound Blogging

Friday Hound Blogging is being brought to you this week by Cognitive Dissonance. When it's just too uncomfortable to live in the world outside your head, do what the overlords do. First sue everyone you can find to force people who still make decisions based on rational thought to allow you to chase your fantasy of riches, two dollars at a time. Then, when you have acquired your dream, and it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, ask those folks to bail you out.

Owners of the Dairyland Greyhound Track at Kenosha are seeking help from the Wisconsin Legislature as its losses pile up. A newly completed independent audit of the state's lone remaining pari-mutuel racetrack shows the business lost 2.84 million dollars last year. That was after a loss of 2.41 million dollars reported the year before. "Well, 'lost' is such a hash word," said Dairyland vice president Roy Berger. "We prefer to think of them as unrealized earnings."

Democratic state Representative Jim Kreuser of Kenosha is sympathetic to Dairyland's financial situation. He says it paid more than 3.5 million dollars last year in various state and federal taxes, many of them gambling related. "So if we give them back the 2.8 they lost last year, that'll leave us with a little less than a mil for the state. OK, so no new textbooks for the kids this year, but hey, that's a small price to pay to keep these guys from becoming Walmart greeters."

Look, you guys need to think big here. Where's Martin Torguson when you need him? Here's a gut who paid over 4 million bucks for a closed down race track. Three million is chump change to him. Think what you could do with that cash.

Oops. Or maybe not.

The federal government has seized more than $3 million in proceeds of the 2005 sale of the former Lakes Region Greyhound Park from its former owners, citing a drug money-laundering operation that was run at the track in 2003 and 2004.

Dang. Can't make money with 'em, can't make money without 'em. You got any ideas Amarillo?

Amarillo is a very friendly boy, but he is a little on the shy side. He always has a happy look in his face. He’s a collector; he’s like having a little kid around. He will take the teenager’s socks and scurry around, kind of like a cartoon character. If you leave something lying around; he will collect it, from a towel to paper. He loves his squeaky toys. He will run around like a puppy whipping the toy back and forth for about 10 –15 minutes. He loves chewing on the nyla bones. He’s a real sweetheart. Amarillo would do well in a working family home with well-mannered children, 13 and up. He enjoys the company of another dog but would probably be fine as an only dog. For more information about this dog, and other rescued racing greyhounds looking for homes, go here. If you don't know about the plight of racing greyhounds go here.

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