Thanks for continuing here. I hope you enjoy the rest of this discussion and can perhaps add something to it below.
I guess I need to remind this individual that the areas he is concerned with,
mentioned in this next quote:
|
Some private company has already bought the Roscroft racetrack in PG
and also the National Harbor is opening in PG. Both are about 2 or 3 miles from
each other. If one gets slots, it's inevitable that other will follow suit
shortly therafter. |
... are clear at
the other end of the county he lives in. 20+ miles away from where he lives.
With a host of other crime troubled areas (which he actually acknowledges in a
bit) between where he lives and where this legalized gambling would take place
at. Areas such as the one his wife works in or near that are known as some
of the most dangerous areas of the state of Maryland, with drug-dens,
prostitution to help fund drug habits, meth labs, numbers running (oops, that
would be illegal gambling), and a host of other problems that already make the
areas completely undesirable and already bring down the value of homes in the
surrounding areas, as well as very negatively impacting the school systems in
the county thanks to youth that looks for the easy way to make money and get the
glamourous tennis shoes and other worldly possessions that youth want.
I hesitate to count and consider the number of problem areas between where
this friend's home is, and where these gambling halls might be allowed at, but I
know there are many of them. There are some problem areas quite literally just a
few miles from these folks home. Exit on to the main roadway from where they
live, head towards D.C. and go towards Palmer Park, or Landover Hills, or a few
other areas and enjoy the fun -- NOT!
Anyway, my friend had continued:
|
This will result in higher crime (if that's even possible), higher
bankruptcy for people (primarily low income latino's and blacks and seniors) who
should never be gambling in the first place. It's tantamount to an unfair tax on
the poor. |
... which is where he
notes that the county already has a tremendous crime problem. Continued
(the crime problem) in part because there just isn't enough money to fund the
necessary law enforcement efforts, and not enough money to help improve the
school systems, and definitely not enough money out there to beat sense into the
parents in the county that let their children become hoodlums because they just
don't care about escaping the cycle and helping their family to a better life,
at least not if there is work involved.
But that is a different issue entirely (the issue of people that always seek
the easy way, refusing to work, hoping to hit the lottery, etc.)
I guess it circles back around into my own point though, which is that if
people are stupid enough to be gambling their money away, which the original
article already points out is true (except that these people are spending even
more money to go out of state to gamble!), then I have absolutely no qualms
about letting the state take that money from those people. Some of that
money should be spent on anti-gambling or gambling-education and
debt-management/money-management education for sure, and hopefully it would help
educate people to avoid falling into the traps of gambling to begin with, but
again it's not my problem if people are too stupid to not do something they know
is taking advantage of them.
What is my problem is the idea that at least $150 million is leaving my home
state and flying into the neighboring states to help pay for their school
systems, their law enforcement activities, etc., helping to leave my state short
of funding to cover these needs and others, and leaving me responsible for
paying for these items when I shouldn't have to. Yeah, I know, that is my
being selfish which is precisely what NIMBYism is. So sue me.
My friend continues:
|
All the other counties (Montgomery, Howard, Charles, etc.) want slots
soooo badly because they know they won't have to worry about them being in their
county. |
I would answer here, uh,
Howard County has race tracks and/or closely borders Laurel Raceway and would be
directly affected if crime did increase in the area, but the idea of crime
increasing in the area is a false argument (which my friend uses again in a
bit...)
People argue that crime would increase, but that is not necessarily the case.
Given the situation in much of Prince Georges County, it is really hard to
imagine that would even be possible. Arguing that perhaps some people
would turn to crime to fuel a gambling habit is perhaps supportable with
research and statistics, but I would still doubt the numbers as there is
absolutely no proof that the individuals that participate in crime to fuel a
gambling addiction aren't already or wouldn't already be inclined to be
criminals that are doing crimes to pay for other addictions or habits.
More from my friend:
|
Just look at Atlantic City. Do you think the surrounding communities
therre are benefitting from the gambling mecca that Trump built? They are
filthy, rundown, and severely crime infested communities. They were hoodwinked
by fast talking politicians that promised them a signifcant piece of the
gambling revenues. |
Something tells
me that my friend hasn't been near Atlantic City and hasn't driven in the areas
around there as he is spouting off absolute crap here. I am not a gambler,
but I have been to Atlantic City and have driven in the surrounding areas and
around the town. Atlantic City and it's surrounding areas are really no
different than Ocean City, Maryland, or Fenwick Beach, Delaware, or Virginia
Beach, Virginia. The streets are safe, and the areas around the town are
what they are, older surburbs of a beach town. For many of these areas,
they may be somewhat run-down, and they may not have seen the urban renewal that
was supposed to have been a benefit of allowing legalized gambling, but that
isn't the fault of the casinos. In many cases it is the fault of people
refusing to leave their homes in favor of selling out to developers, and
developers that don't want to come into an area unless they can be assured that
they can buy enough of an area to build-up and create a renewed area that will
return their investment.
There are several nice areas that are 'new' around Atlantic City. Areas
that were built after gambling returned to Atlantic City. Areas that would
certainly not exist and/or wouldn't be as valuable if not for the money that
Atlantic City has fed into the state coffers that has helped keep taxes lower in
other areas.
And the final thoughts from my friend:
|
If I were living in another county, I would probably have a different
stance on this issue, but I don't have that luxury. I can't and won't allow
Maryland state to fix it's poor economic planning on the back of PG County's
future. We can't be dumping ground for the
state. |
Ah, so we get back to the
admission that this is all about you, you, you, my friend. NIMBY-ism.
Short-sighted NIMBY-ism. Concerns over what happens 20+ miles away
from you, while ignoring the more direct needs that could be taken care of with
the money that might be generated and kept in state here. Money that would
help your more immediate back-yard if it was spent on improving the schools in
your area. Schools you already deem so inadequate that you can't possibly
send your child to them and instead pay thousands of dollars in private school
tuition for even as you also pay very burdensome property taxes that cause your
household problems in keeping enough income coming in to afford other luxuries
(like cable TV, which I know isn't a necessity, but is a staple in most
homes).
It hasn't been that long ago that my friend's wife was a co-worker. A
co-worker I really enjoyed working with. One that I wrote a good-bye for
in a prior article. One I was very sad to see leaving my work-place and
going on to greener pastures. Greener because her family really needed
that additional income to handle the costs of their new home. A home that
my friend has basically said would be the last one he would buy in PG County
given the crime situation, the education situation, etc.
There were other reasons (that I very much respect) that my co-worker left,
but a big reason was flat-out money. I hate to think that the
short-sightedness of my friend is part of the reason that was the case, but I
have to think that if they weren't being asked to pay so much in state income
taxes, and other taxes, perhaps their financial situation would have been
better. If the school system in their area was better, then, again, they'd
be thousands of dollars to the good and could actually be putting those
thousands of dollars into education trust funds that could go towards paying for
the future College education of their very bright eldest child.
There's also the idea that within a few years their youngest will be headed
off to school, and he too will likely be going to private school as the school
systems in PG County probably won't improve much in the next few years,
especially given the fact that Maryland can't find all of the money that they
have commited, or should I say were supposed to have commited towards education, and PG County continues to have to find money
to spend on solving crimes in the neighborhoods between the horse racing tracks
and where my friends live.
Yup, pretty short-sighted from my perspective.
Other opinions welcomed though, so please feel free to speak up below.
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