Issue 3, Wanna Gamble?
Supporters of Issue 3 on Ohio ballots this year want to bring casinos to Ohio.
Casinos?
Aren’t those some really cool places with all kinds of gambling and showgirls and other exciting things happening all the time? Cool, I thought. Ohio is gonna be just like Vegas! What’s wrong with that? Vegas is cool, isn’t it? Plus the money they make is gonna help the schools and the children! Isn’t that great? Everyone wins!
Or do they?
To find out more about what this Issue 3 business would do for Ohio and schools and children, I contacted Mark Mattson, Treasurer of ‘Vote No Casinos’ in Bay Village, Ohio.
Tramp: This whole business is going to be great for Ohio schools and Ohio children, right?
Mark Mattson: Why would anyone ask parents to believe casino gambling can put their kids through college? The casino industry has turned selling false promises into an American entertainment tradition. Peddling illusions may work on the neon strip of Las Vegas, but should Ohio colleges and universities bank their futures on the glittering promises of a handful of casino developers? Should Ohio trust the academic future of the next generation to the casino gambling industry? The Learn and Earn Casino proposal (Issue 3) attempts to amend the Ohio Constitution, which has prohibited legalized gambling since 1850. Ohio voters have made a few exceptions along the way passing amendments to permit charitable, non-profit gambling events and legalizing the State Lottery in 1973. Learn and Earn will turn all seven Ohio racetracks and two new Cleveland facilities into casino/slot parlors.
The 1973 Lottery Amendment came with a boat-load of promises for funding public schools. A few years down the road, Ohioans discovered the Lottery did not solve public school funding problems. Many educators are convinced the Lottery has actually hurt public schools by making it tougher to pass local school levies.
Tramp: That’s right! The Ohio Lottery was suppose to do the same thing. That never happened. I wonder where that money is going. Well regardless, casinos are still cool, right? I mean, who can they hurt?
Mark Mattson: In 2005 a major study was released from Cleveland State University, paid for by casino backers. This study made no attempt to hide the frightening reality that opening statewide casinos in Ohio would result in the serious addiction of at least 109,000 Ohioans.
109,000 individuals unable to control their lives and resist the urge to gamble away everything.
109,000 homes where a mom or dad or teenager is at risk of losing everything they own and destroying their family.
109,000 thousand lives destroyed, families destroyed, households and businesses destroyed, futures destroyed.
Gambling addictions in America are rising at an alarming rate. The National Council on Problem Gambling recently acknowledged the old estimate of one-percent of the population being hooked is no longer valid. They project the number is now closer to four to five percent of the population at risk. Gambling addictions are among the most destructive of all addictions. The National Gambling Impact Study, commissioned by the Congress of the United States, reveals gambling addictions lead to increased risks of serious health problems, unemployment, divorce, bankruptcy and jail time.
Tramp: That’s not good. So even though they claim it will help schools, it will probably go the route the Lottery did and never happen. And even though they claim it will help children, the opposite is true. Children and families in Ohio will suffer just to fatten up the wallets of casino owners and politicians. Well, how much do Ohioans stand to lose, really? And how much of that goes to the casino owners? It can’t be that much. We can afford it, right?
Mark Mattson: Can the Ohio economy afford to lose $2 to $3 billion to gambling casinos, while casino owners take 55% off the top? What about the hundreds of thousands of lives that gambling addictions will destroy as a result of Learn and Earn Casinos?
Tramp: WOW! Screw that! These bastards are lying to us. But how can someone put the almighty dollar ahead of families and children?
Mark Mattson: No comment. I couldn’t.
Tramp: Neither can I! You've convinced me.
VOTE NO on Issue 3!!!
posted by Tramp at
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
6 Comments:
Tramp,
Thanks for the info.
Jim
Facts is facts!
And the truth hurts.
Same thing happened in Texas in the 90s when they fought for the state lottery. The state argued that the revenue generated would go towards education; things like teacher's salaries (at the time among the lowest in the country), learning aids (computers, libraries), building new schools, etc. However, when an audit was conducted four years later, they found that none of the lottery revenue went towards education. When the politicians in office were confronted, they said the lottery money wasn't a stable income and the state couldn't budget around it so the funds went into the general fund.
And you would think Ohio would learn from other's mistakes.
But NOOOOO!
I was watching a live show on CNN last night
that was held in Texas. It dealt with the illegals
crossing into the U.S. I've already heard most all the talk from both sides, however I fell off the couch when someone said the Labor Unions have changed their view on the illegals and are, in a way, embracing them. I know here in Ohio, it's been tough going for the Unions. The talk is the Unions want to organize the illegals and unionize the positions they occupy. Thus, rebuilding strenghth and numbers. I was really shocked to hear this.
The unions don't seem to do anyone any good anymore! Years ago they were a good thing for everyone. That has changed.
Two examples.
Last year, a local company wanted to add on to the building. The owner hired a non-union company to do the work.
The local carpenters union showed up to protest the use of non-union labor. They even set up a giant inflatable rat until a judge made them stop.
I asked them why they were protesting. They said this company had hired non-union labor. I asked them why they thought they had any say in the matter. Were they paying the bill? No was the answer. I asked them why they thought the guy paying the bill didn't have the right to hire whoever he wanted. Also, why did they think they had a say in the matter, they weren't paying the bill and they didn't own the company. They didn't even work there! They responded, "You should always hire union!". I mentioned that they were given an opportunity to bid on this job, but their price was too high. They said, "Union labor costs more". I told them that didn't make sense, as they lost this job. They mumbled something about, "that's just the way it is". I left them with this, "If I add on to my plant, I'm gonna use non-union labor as it is more cost effective". They said if I did, they would protest me. I told them to come on down, I'd be arming all my guys with bug foggers. Those things, I said, are great at eliminating pests!
And my second point comes from Paul Harvey. Paul said, on his noontime broadcast, that he had recently bought a GM pickup truck. He told his listeners that he researched the cost of the truck. He paid $24,000 for it. If it had been made by non-union workers, it would have been $8,000. And we all know that Paul doesn't lie!
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