Monday, September 30, 2013
Vote "No" on Casinos
Our governor is loudly touting the power of casinos to strengthen the upstate economy, and it looks as though the language on the ballot initiative in November will be enough to talk voters into marking a big YES—those who notice the initiative at all. But I'm with Paul Davies on this one: Gambling is a lousy way to stimulate anything other than addiction and crime. I don't even like the state lottery—hell, I think we might as well use drug deals or prostitution as a means of funding our schools. Do casinos bring in business? Not enough to make them worthwhile; most gamblers live within 75 miles of the casino in which they gamble. And gambling, whether off-track, lotto, or casino, is indeed a regressive tax on the poor and stupidly hopeful. I'll never forget going to Atlantic City for a convention, some years before Trump took over the boardwalk, and meeting someone who told me that the Salvation Army there had gone belly up, because it lost so much money buying people bus tickets to get home after they lost all that they had. I'm voting a big NO WAY on this one.
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I recently got a "poll" phone call on the subject. Most of the questions were along the lines of "Would you vote Yes for casinos if you knew they would bring money safely into local economies?" My response was, "I don't know enough to comment," but after the call I think I do.
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