Resolved: Dogfighting should be legalized in the United States

Observations My 2 observations in this debate round are still standing, as they have gone uncontested in the round. Con has not challenged them and if he wishes to do so he must do so in this round, as the last round cannot have new arguments, for fairness sake. Both of these observations are thus valid in the round and lead to an automatic Pro ballot. Refuting the Con Case Cruelty:" Cruelty is an obvious reason. The dogs often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion and infection. Many other dogs known as "cold" dogs (ones that refuse to fight) who could be turned a family dog are sacrificed as bait dogs. Dogs used for fighting are chained, taunted and starved so they are triggered into survival mode and become very aggressive." Very emotional argument without much impact. Observation 2 invalidates this argument inherently as Con dropped that people ought to have right over their own property. Also, unlike Pro, Con has not provided a single statistic in this round. Also, this is outweighed by benefit to humans, as observation 1 states. Benefit to human outweighs detriment to animals, as hunting, eating meat, and animal testing are all "bad" for animals but are legal due to human benefit. Animal testing would be legal even if a drug was tested on 10,000 dogs to save 10 humans- this is legally permissible. Even testing for nonmedical reasons in legally permissible. Under this legal framework, so too should dogfighting. Hunting kills deer and eating meat is harmful to the animals locked up all day and killed, but if humans receive a benefit is is legal. Thus, cruelty is outweighed and invalidated. " My favorite author Jack London writes great books depicting such events, White Fang, and importantly Call of the Wild which tells the story of Buck a great Bernard who was a nice family dog stolen from the family to use for the gruesome sport of dogfighting. Same kind of storyline with White Fang." That"s nice. I know a story about a dog taken from a shelter and solitary confinement because of dogfighting. The dog was going mad inside solitary confinement, but dogfighting was preferable to him rather than to languish all day doing nothing. The humans running the dogfighting got their revenue and paid a 15% tax to the government, who received millions of dollars. The dogfighting people then hired more people, increasing employment and stimulating economic growth. How did this story happen? Because dogfighting was legalized. "Nowadays to train dogs are often forced to swim in water until they are exhausted, to run on a treadmill while a cat or other frightened pet (often stolen) is placed in front. (later to be caught and chewed up for reward) The dogs are likely to be injected with steroids. Owners often sharpen teeth and claws, cut off the ears, and even add roach poison to the food to make their fur taste bad. This is just training, I could go into details about what happens in the ring but I beleive I have made my point. It is very very cruel." I never said I supported every single method of training, I just support the dogfighting itself. "Children are often in attendance at these events. Which desensitizes the young population. It will desensitize the world if such cruelty is allowed. There are passages in the Bible also that make it clear that animal cruelty is immoral." No evidence here. Bible? I"m not Christian, why should I abide by this book you speak of? Turn: The bible says Man shall have domain over animals. No, I don"t care about the Bible, but I"m just refuting. Voters, recognize the Bible should not dictate federal law because there exist people of other religions that do not have to and shouldn"t be forced to obey a book they do not believe in. "There are also better more moral ways to save or make money. Start an honest business, don't lie about your taxes, invest, walk to work, save water, save power, grow a garden the list goes on and on but dogfighting is not on the top of my list. It shouldn't be on the governments either. Also it takes money to change laws." Morality is subjective. I am not saying I would become a dogfighter or that you must; rather I say someone should have the choice to run dogfighting if they wish to support their families. Supporting gay marriage does not mean you are gay; rather it means you support the right of people to do it. Takes money to change laws is outweighed by long run benefit "If we legalize this we might as well legalize every other such event including gladiators." Are you suggesting forcing HUMANS to fight? I recognize human rights and so does the federal government, animals that is different. If you suggest two consenting individuals choosing to battle each other, well, that is their own choice. Adding to my offense http://dogbitelaw.com... http://time.com... "The most recent USA survey of dog bites conducted by CDC researchers concluded that in 2001, 2002 and 2003 there were 4.5 million American dog bite victims per year " 885,000 bites per year -- almost one out of every 5 -- are serious enough to require medical attention. " "Dog attack victims in the US suffer over $1 billion in monetary losses every year. ("Take the bite out of man's best friend." State Farm Times, 1998;3(5):2.) That $1 billion estimate might be low -- an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that, in 1995, State Farm paid $70 million on 11,000 claims and estimated that the total annual insurance cost for dog bites was about $2 billion. (Voelker R. "Dog bites recognized as public health problem." JAMA 1997;277:278,280.) Researchers from the CDC estimated that the direct medical costs of dog bites per year equaled $164.9 million in the USA toward the end of the 1990s. Quinlan KP, Sacks JJ. Hospitalizations for Dog Bite Injuries [letter] JAMA 1999; 281:232-233. Dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2012, costing more than $489 million, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) and State Farm, the largest writer of homeowners insurance in the United States. The average cost paid out for dog bite claims was $29,752 in 2012. From 2003 to 2012 the cost of the average dog bite claim increased by 55.3 percent. (Average Number of Dog Bite Claims Falls in 2012; Claims Costs Still on the Rise, Increasing by More Than 50 Percent Since 2003, Insurance Information Institute, May 2013.)" "Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population, but they"re responsible for 68% of dog attacks and 52% of dog-related deaths since 1982, according to research compiled by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals 24-7, an animal-news organization that focuses on humane work and animal-cruelty prevention." Crunching together the 68% of attack and 4.5 million victims, this is over 3 million victims a year and over 600,000 hospitalizations pit bulls cause. This proves that the pit-bull is naturally aggressive and should be used in dogfighting. These dogs are fighters and will instinctively attack, which ignores all of the "cruel" training methods stated by Con. Training is unnecessary, these animals will naturally fight each other. Better to have these animals fight in a ring where it can benefit society than to have their aggression unleashed onto innocent humans. If pit bulls are used for dogfighting, this will reduce the cost of dog attack on humans and increase revenue by job growth. Conclusion Based on my economic benefit evidence and my observations, vote Pro. Con"s case is interesting but does not stand due to lack of evidential support and the failure to refute my contentions.