More

Is

Never

Enough

 

This has been one of the many anti-tax slogans conveyed across the country last month during the under reported Tea Party rallies.  Obama’s new puppy has gotten more press than hundreds of thousands of people that showed up all across the country to protest over taxation and wasteful government spending.  How does giving to advocacy groups like ACORN $4 billion dollars stimulate the economy and create jobs?  What constitutes as stimulating to a tax and spend government should never be taken as economic common sense to anyone with a full cranium.  Raising the sales tax spurs business growth?  Raising the gas tax helps consumer spending positively?  It spurs the government to consume more of yours and my hard earned cash.  That is what it does.

 

This same faulty logic is used in the casino debate here in the Commonwealth and across the nation.  More is never enough.  Delaware and other states with already casinos are looking to sports betting.  U. S. Congressman Barney Frank is sponsoring an internet gambling bill.  RI wants to expand Twin Rivers into a full casino (because MA is a looming threat) and Twin River owners wanted to but were denied being able to dump the not profitable hounds.  Won’t Ourway Realty want to do that eventually to harness racing at Plainridge, if they get slots?  It is bad enough that we have the Lottery here where 80% of the tickets are bought by only 20% of the players.  We know the history of the Lottery.  It started as a 4 number game played once a week and is now so large that State Treasurer Timothy Cahill is having issues.  The money taken in is spent not solely for education spending to relieve the real estate tax burden of home owners as originally advertised, but on anything the state government sees fit.  Is that not the same reason Governor Deval Patrick gave to expand gambling with his failed 3 casino resort deal?

 

That was when the economy was good.  Now that we are in a recession, the cry is to bring in more revenue & jobs with casinos, racinos and/or slots.  You mean we are going to replace jobs lost in the financial, technology and professional services sectors with temporary construction workers, black jack dealers, janitors and hotel maids and expect a positive net increase in tax revenues?  What is very interesting about this economic downturn is that 47 out of the 50 states are experiencing state budget shortfalls.  Even curiously noted is Pennsylvania, the darling of many Mass. pro-casino types, is projected to have an almost 17% shortfall in 2010 on top of this year’s 7% drop from the year before.   PA is only 3 years old in the slot arena and I thought that by putting in slots NEW revenue was supposed to be flowing in like milk & honey.  With gambling addiction on the rise in this recession, is it any wonder of it all that the only ones gaining revenues are the slots and casino owners and not the states, the surrounding communities nor the patrons foolish enough to think they can survive financially from elusive gambling winnings?

 

And this from CasinosNo!:

 

Hollywood Slots hasn't worked. We no longer have to speculate about the economic impact of a casino. We've got one right in downtown Bangor, and it hasn't lived up to its promises. Remember their claims? A "racino" in Bangor would revive harness racing in Maine. It would create jobs and economic development. Crime would not increase. So what's happened? The yearly handle for live racing (which reflects the number of people betting on harness racing) continues to fall, from $7 million in 2005 (the year Hollywood Slots opened) to $4.7 million last year, according the Maine Harness Racing Commission. Unemployment in Bangor has grown from 4.6% in 2005 to 7.5% today, and downtown restaurants are closing (the ones that have stayed open say they've seen no effect from the casino). Retail sales are down, crime is up (of course the casino and its supporters say the casino isn't to blame, but crime is down in every other non-casino city in Maine and hey, they promised no increase in crime). So the next time someone tries to tell you casinos bring jobs and economic development, ask them how come it hasn't worked in Bangor?

 

It doesn’t seem to be working much anywhere, but then again More Is Never Enough.

 

“It was not the defendant’s idea; it was the result of the defendant’s naïveté as opposed to criminal intent.” - Marshall’s attorney, Paul F. Markham