This came up in my political mailbox and I thought it would be an interesting item to chew on for a midday post.
A group called “For Maryland – For Our Future” is looking for opinions on this November’s slots referendum, which calls for amending the Constitution of Maryland to allow video slot machines in ceratin designated locations. Fair enough – we all know opinions are like rectal cavities and everybody has one. But something tells me that there’s a bias afoot when I read this little “spread the word” message:
Facing a $700 million hole in the budget, Maryland has a new way to pay for our kids’ education without slashing vital state services or raising taxes. The Referendum for Maryland’s Future will keep Maryland’s money in Maryland with a limited expansion of video lottery machines in just five specified locations. It’s a responsible and reasonable approach to protecting our children’s and Maryland’s future.
They want my opinion? They got it – and so do you.
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Personally, I think it’s the right idea but the wrong approach. There was no need to amend the Constitution of Maryland to have slots happen; during the Ehrlich Administration a legislative effort was made and thwarted several times. Achieving slots in the manner advocated on this site will make it difficult to adjust for changing circumstances and limits the options on the table to just a few specific locations with a finite number of machines for the state as a whole. We won’t have the flexibility to compete with other states as easily if changes can only be made every two years at a General Election.
Moreover, the dollar figures that state beancounters have come up with of late seem to be rosily optimistic in a number of cases and I don’t see the massive amounts of money being devoted to all these causes actually being created as droves of thrillseekers flock to Maryland to play a few video games. Being a former beancounter himself under the Glendening Administration Mr. Puddester should know this! It almost seems like getting just video slots now is too little, too late. We need to vote NO on this amendment and think about different, bolder ideas for gambling, such as sports betting or full-fledged casinos like several other states have.
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So count me in as a NO but don’t tell me I’m against Maryland. I’m for fiscal sanity.
