Of all the crazy, desperate arguments the racing industry makes in defense of their massive, taxpayer-funded subsidization, nothing compares to “open space preservation.” This is what I recently found from the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association:
“Pennsylvania is home to the most permanently preserved farmland in the country – thanks in part to the Commonwealth’s strong horse industry. We are proud to be a partner in supporting and protecting the iconic beauty of our state and its hardworking farmers.
“Wherever horse racing takes place, not far away you will find open fields filled with horses, hay and small foals. Land conservation is one of the most positive and least talked about benefits of the sport, which not only provides residents with natural recreational areas but also provides many Pennsylvanians with indirect jobs.
“Thanks to the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund [source of that aforementioned subsidization]more than eight thousand indirect jobs have been created thanks to the horse racing industry. Quite a few of those jobs are on farms – farms that train, feed and house racehorses across the state.”
First, the only seedy resident racetracks that “provide natural recreational areas” are sad, old horseplayers – a rapidly fading demographic if there ever was one. Second, where is their data on the 8,000 jobs? Regardless, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, PA is home to more than six million jobs. Six million – and they crow about 8,000? Without gravity – abused, dying horses – they would be worthy of an SNL skit.
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