If you watch TV, you can't have
missed the advertising battle over Maryland's "Question
7." This summary is from an online post:
"Question 7 is an effort to expand
commercial gaming in Maryland. Lawmakers argue expanded gambling will raise
revenue for education. A vote for Question 7 would be in favor of three
attempts to expand gambling.
1) Authorization of
table games
2) Increase from 15,000
to 16,000 allowable lottery machines
3) An increase in the
number of video lottery machine operation licenses allowed in Maryland from
five to six – allowing a proposed casino in Prince George’s County." (Posted: 09/12/2012. Copyright 2012 Scripps
Media, Inc.)
OpEd:
I will vote No to approve
another Maryland casino.
1) My husband racked up $60,000 on
his credit cards because he was addicted
to gambling. To cover debt exceeding
his gross annual salary, he ran a shell
game moving money from one of 17
credit card account to another to meet the minimum monthly payment. (FYI: Maryland law allows credit card companies to
pursue spouses even if they are not on the account!) He died not long after
filing bankruptcy.
2) Gambling is NEVER a good thing.
In a bad economy, desperate people do desperate things. Instead of food, one
Union Station pan handler buys hundreds of DC lottery tickets but loses
99% of the time! Casinos odds are worse than state lotteries because their machines are programmed to favor “the
house.”
My advice: gamble for free on your computer, donate directly
to your local school system, and, if you want a job, do something that won’t
prey on others’weaknesses.
How should you vote?
"Against the Additional Forms and
Expansion of Commercial Gaming"
[The OpEd portion of this post was published to the Washington Examiner on 09/27/2012 online, 09/28/12 paper with different subtitle.http://washingtonexaminer.com/letters-to-the-editor-sept.-28-2012/article/2509233] See also Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/VoteNoOn7
[The OpEd portion of this post was published to the Washington Examiner on 09/27/2012 online, 09/28/12 paper with different subtitle.http://washingtonexaminer.com/letters-to-the-editor-sept.-28-2012/article/2509233] See also Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/VoteNoOn7
I will vote yes. Many people like to gamble and do so responsibly. My mother lives very near to an out-of-state casino and goes there on an almost daily and has been doing so for years. She plays quarter slots and blackjack for hours on end, socializes with her friends, has an inexpensive meal and comes home happy!
ReplyDeleteI ask her how she affords to this on a continuous basis and she says she wins a little and loses a little. Just sort of chases the winnings (and losings) around. Does it more for fun and relaxation then anything else. She's not the bingo or church going type and never will be.
I am sorry your husband has a problem. Two people in my family also have been hit very hard by gambling problems. They have been to G.A., other counselors and have even tried to cut down, but never quit. They both still go fairly regularly to their local California casinos.
My reasoning for voting yes is this: Gambling, like drugs, alcohol, prostitution and any other vice will continue to happen whether it is in Maryland or just over the border somewhere nearby. I am a firm believer in letting people make their own decisions about how they want to conduct their lives be it right or wrong and yes, sometimes these decisions have major impacts on those around them - loved ones or otherwise it is a reality of life.
You just have to help those who abuse these distractions and hope for the best. Banning it, or curtailing it won't stop it, and a vast majority of people who frequent casinos will never have a problem and play in moderation.
This may or may not be good for our state in the long run, but casinos are going to exist no matter how the people vote here and it will make no real difference to the gambler who wants to play, other than having to drive a few extra miles over a state line to do so if the measure doesn't pass here.
Herman, I am sorry about your relatives. The reason I made my personal feelings public is because my husband is dead! He died penniless almost bringing me to ruin because of his gambling.
DeleteI am also sorry because your reasons for approving gambling don’t hold water. Just because the other kids did it, doesn’t mean you have to join them.
Several people accused me of stepping on rights and freedoms. First, gambling is not a right. Second, in the US, we vote on our freedoms. More importantly, I expressed my opinion without insult and made a suggestion to do likewise. I am not twisting anyone else’s arm. Opposers need to get off that horse.
Several commenters act like this casino is the only game in town. It isn’t. No one is going to die if it doesn’t get approved. In fact, I think Maryland has five casinos. The casinos are pretending something good (education funding) will come from something bad. Gambling is a recognized addiction. And, addicts never think they’re addicted. An independent party needs to point it out to them.
Prostitution is not comparable to gambling. There is no way the two are in the same ballpark! (And, I can’t believe you threw that in there.) While some may try to call gambling a game, prostitution is just filthy and immoral. All this tells me is that outsiders are right. Too many Marylanders don’t know right from wrong.
Finally, I work with psychologists and ignoring bad behaviors does not make them go away. That’s why Maryland is such a mess. There are places to get help. See the links in my Public Service page.
Disclaimers:
ReplyDeleteRead my Terms of Use page before submitting your Comment.
Preference is given to Comments that are not submitted anonymously.
Preference is given to “constructive” comments.
If you are merely insulting or mean-spirited, your comment will not be posted.
If you repeatedly make inappropriate comments, you will be reported to Google. And, I suggest you get some help. The American Psychological Association Help Center is a great resource. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/index.aspx