Maryland Question 7: Why I Vote "No" to More Casinos.

There have been 100s of ads and newspaper articles about Maryland's Question 7 to approve another casino. Every major area newspaper says adding another casino will be bad for Maryland.

The casinos are spending millions ($24M per one article) on ads that could better be used to feed the homeless, the hungry, and the unemployed.

The Maryland-casino supporters want you to think that casinos are great because "some" money "might" go to Maryland education. They want you to think these will be "good" jobs. They want you to think it's a "fight" between West Virginia and Maryland.

All these proposals are crap, plain and simple.

Even after 20 years living here, I still find it hard to believe folks just do NOT know right from wrong. Gambling was, isn't, and never will be a good thing. Gambling is not a form of entertainment. While there are a few people who play for fun, most gamblers have addictive-leaning personalities, if not an actual addiction.

At my nail salon a month ago, one manicurist mentioned her mom only plays cards for nickels and dimes. I asked her how much a day does her mom lose and the manicurist said $5. While that doesn't sound like a lot, $5 a day is $150 a month. When I pointed that out, everyone in the shop was shocked.

Let's talk about what kind of jobs casinos offer. These days, employers get away with too much just by shouting "jobs" in a way similar to shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater. Watch which jobs you run to. You may be heading into the flames, not away from them. Casino ads say the average salary is $55,000. If you have 2000 employees, the CEO can make hundreds of thousands of dollars while the rest of the casino workers make only $20,000. Did you read the fine print? It notes that this salary includes benefits (i.e., no moeny directly in your pocket) and tips! How much in tips do you get from losers/ Remember, casinos are a business and they can't stay in business if players win too much or too often.

It is also true that the casino doesn't have to hire Marylanders. (They will have to bring people in from other places to at least train the locals.)

We are finally getting details on these 12,000 jobs: hotel staff, restaurant employees, some accountants and engineers. Do you like cleaning toilets? How about busing tables? What about being a bouncer? That's what the bulk of the casino jobs are. I am not an accountant or engineer so those few positions won't work for my masters degree in research.

And, have you ever provided customer support? How well do you deal with people who are drunk, people who yell because they are losing, or people who lost all of their money and have no way to get home? What if somone asks you to help them cheat? This is what it's really like to work at a casino per friends of mine who lived outside Los Vegas for decades.

The goal to provide for education from something I consider immoral is like covering candy with yogurt - some of it is good for you but most of it isn't. Today's Washington Examiner has an article about how DC agencies fail to follow Watchdog’s advice. There is no guarantee that the money will be spent the way you intended. If you want money to go to a specific place, then send it there yourself.

And since when are we at "war" with West Virginia? Aren't casinos already catering to your dark side if they want to get you to engage in an imaginary fight?

How should you vote?

"Against the Additional Forms and Expansion of Commercial Gaming"

See more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/letters-to-the-editor-sept.-28-2012/article/2509233
See more: http://improvemaryland.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-ill-vote-no-for-maryland-question-7.html

 

Updated 10/07/2012

PEPCO Feedback: Facebook Option

I can't believe PEPCO's arrogance in earning billions in profits and still asking for more money.

Here's an easy way to make a comment on Facebook using local channel TV 9, USA:

VOTE 2012 – Why You Need to Consider this

Yes. I am a born and bred Democrat but in my first US Presidential election, I voted for John Anderson who converted from being a Republican to an Independent. I vote on the issues, and, echoing debates with my dearly departed husband (a political science major), when I vote, it’s mostly to change from the current administration – whoever they may be.

Do you really want to know why the US is in the financial mess we are in? If so, read on but I issue fair warning, what I say will be harsh.

We are in the financial mess we are today because of Republican hands-off  business legislation, narcissistic-level feelings of entitlement,  the “old boys” network which in modern time even contains women, and rich people avoiding their fair share of taxes.

We have two perfect examples of where old meets new in this regard. I love Facebook but I have serious complaints about how they are handling their US taxes.

Co-founder Eduardo Saverin did NOT have to renounce his US Citizenship to work in Singapore. (If you believe that, I have a sea front property in Arizona I can let you have at a good price.) He did have to renounce his US citizenship to avoid paying his full fair share of US taxes. FYI: “Singapore does not have capital gains taxes,…”1

He would still pay but “According to Bloomberg analysis, Saverin could save $67 million in U.S. taxes by trading in his citizenship ahead of Facebook's IPO.” 2

Zuckerberg is not any better: “While Zuckerberg will pay a hefty tax bill right off the bat if he follows through on his plan to sell $5 billion in Facebook stock options, as the New York Times noted, he may then never pay a dime of taxes on the rest of his Facebook wealth. “Instead, he can simply use his stock as collateral to borrow against his tremendous wealth and avoid all tax,” the Times reported.”3

In April, I ended up chatting for half an hour with a man who works for the US government. His take on the economy wasn’t that we spend too much but we don’t take in enough! Too many people with enough money to ease the burden for all are only easing it for themselves. Yet, they get the same benefits and protections the rest of us do. Not two weeks later the news broke about Facebook.

Mr. Saverin, Mr. Zuckerberg shame on you both for avoiding you fair share in this flaring worldwide economic mess!

Sources:

1,2: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57435318-501465/facebook-co-founder-saverin-may-avoid-$67-million-in-u.s-taxes/3: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/05/15/484452/facebook-zuckerberg-avoid-taxes/?mobile=nc