Vote NO on Slots in Maryland

With Election Day just around the corner, I wanted to reiterate my position on the upcoming vote on the Constitutional Amendment to allow video slot machines at five locations around the state.  My position has not changed since this post from April titled "Gambling the Future". 

I oppose the slot regime layed out by O'Guvnah and his dark servants because I think it is heinous that they are using a constitutional amendment to circumvent the Maryland Constitution.  Moreover, I think the General Assembly (including, unfortunately, a few Republicans) displayed their cowardice and fecklnessness in punting this issue to the people.  They should show up and prove they "have a pair" and do their jobs.  Or they can send their paychecks back and pack it in. 

But I also oppose the proposed slot regime because a) I don't think it goes far enough, b) why should we bail out horseracing, and c) it makes too many assumptions.

For "how far" I think we should go, check out my post "Gambling the Future".

As for horseracing... it is a dying industry.  It's an old man's sport.  It is struggling because it does not have a customer base.  Why are propping up an industry without a viable market?  While we are doing that, are we going to prop up analog TV manufacturers?  What about VHS makers?  Eight track tape makers?  Where does it stop?  If you want to preserve the agricultural down industries -- in other words, you want Monkton to remain horse country -- than let us work diligently to reform our idiotic property tax regime to make it easier for farm owners to stay farm owners.

As for "too many assumptions", I think unholy dark servants think that slots will be like manna from heaven.  Unfortunately, since they are dictating the locations of the slots licenses -- instead of letting the markets choose -- they are gaming the system (no pun intended).  Yes, Ocean Downs might make a great location... but what folks going to Ocean City stop spending their disposable income there?  What if people going to the slots parlor downtown start ignoring the retail and dining options in Baltimore's Harbor Harbor?  What if they stop going to the Science Center, the Acquarium, or the B&O Railroad Museum?  What about Harborplace, the Galleria, or the 600,000 square feet of retail they want to add?

What if people aren't willing to drive to Laurel, or to Rocky Gap, or to Cecil County?

Moreover, what if some slots operators are better than others-- and so performance isn't equal.  The location of the city Slots Parlor -- down in the hood near Wicomico Street -- is silly and stupid.  Who really wants to go there late at night?

I don't think slots are a bad idea.  I don't buy into the moral issues.  I don't buy into the "we'll create more addicts" issues.  I don't buy into the crime issues.  I just don't buy into the belief that the morons down in Soddom on the Severn know what they are doing, and I resent their abuse of the Maryland Constitution to create another revenue stream to enable their addictive hyperspending.