both TonyRo76 and LasVegasDave.
Posted on 09/04/2009 7:35:52 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- U.S. Sen. George Voinovich used biblical verse Thursday to blast gambling proponents, including Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, who is an ordained minister.
Voinovich, the former Republican governor, joined forces with the Ohio Roundtable and Methodist churches to announce a lawsuit they filed Thursday at the Ohio Supreme Court against Strickland's plan to place slots-like video lottery terminals at Ohio racetracks.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Voinovich, who has been an active opponent of expanded gambling for decades, quoted the Lord's Prayer - "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" - at a news conference announcing the suit.
Notice where my entertainment dollars go.
Shut up Voinobitch. What a repulsive RINO who cares what you think as you’ve squandered a governorship and a senate seat just for the chance to be labeled a RINO.
Dammit, can we have a few things without some government ass telling us where it “am at” to us? If a guy wants to drop a few bucks in the slots, what is the freaking problem? The only danger is when the old lady sits down after you’ve been pumping dollars into a machine for a half hour and hits seventy thousand bucks on her third try (as happened to me).
As an Ohioan, I am a little torn on this issue. When I go to Wheeling Downs or Mountaineer (which is rarely), the people I see playing slots are senior citizens, poor, or both. The money from gambling is supposed to go to social programs, but those on social programs gamble.
Vegas is different. I go to Vegas every year, but not to gamble. Vegas is a poor example because it is a tourist destination.
Ohio, PING!
Ohio has voted 4 times on gambling in past years. Each time gambling was turned away.
I live in Ohio too and we’ve had several casinos trying to set up in different locations. All have been defeated by voters.
The reason I found from doing marketing surveys is that people feel the gambling places are within close drive of any place in Ohio and the fact that the money never goes to the schools. Most of these places breed corruption and crime.
While I’m all for free choice of what and where people can spend their money, I, too, oppose these things. I’ve seen people buy hundreds and hundreds of scratch off tickets and lose most of it. That’s money that could be spent better elsewhere, such as if they wanted it to go to schools, then just make a donation.
This was the lie they sold Ohio when they voted for the lottery in this state. It would fund education, and yet every school district is in the red every year and begging for more.
Voinovich is just reflecting the views of his constituents. Ohioans do not want slots. We keep voting them down.
They never claimed that the lottery would fully or even mostly fund education, just that all the profits from the lottery would go to education. Education is expensive as shown by my two thousand dollar property tax bill that probably goes about 3/4 to the schools. I (or most sane people) wouldn't buy the $70/week of lottery tickets necessary to create the $1500 net lottery revenue for schools. I'll spend a few bucks when the lotto gets big (because who wants to waste their time with a mere $50 million in winnings) and I'm part of a $2/week pool.
The other problem is that money is fungible, so if the state originally allocates $1 million to a school district which then gets $100,000 of lottery allocated to that school, the state can still claim that all the lottery money went to the school even if they cut the money from the general fund to $900,000. So the school "gets" the lottery money, but some other program gets the $100,000 boost in its budget.
Also, even if the school had enough money for everything including solid gold toilets, they would claim poverty because they can't meet their budget need for platinum toilets. "Poverty" in a government program doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have enough money, just that they want more.
What a jackass . . . the same marooon who cried big tears when Bolton’s name was suggested for United Nations Ambassador. Can’t wait to get this fool out of Washington . . . yeah, I know, and replaced with another buffoon.
I live in Ohio. Last weekend we went to the newly opened Hollywood Casino across the border in Lawerenceburg, Indiana. We like to visit the casinos once or twice a year. The parking garage was packed full cars with OHIO license plates!
As the saying goes: “There’s no fool like an old fool”
Voinovich is an old fool.
Having season tickets to the Bengals or Browns is probably a bigger waste of money than an occasional trip to the casino. Everyone chooses their own form of fun and entertainment and where they want to waste their money.
I sure would like to see the "marketing surveys' that shows these places breed corruption and crime. Have you actually driven to Lawrenceburg, Indiania and seen all the new hotels, restaurants, roads and schools? If you ever go, count the Ohio license plates.
That’s okay George.
Detroit needs the money.
Gamblers from Ohio will just continue coming here.
Many of the same pols who oppose casinos which bring in revenue without taxation are the same ones supporting sweetheart deals for new sports arenas, which cost the taxpayers billions.
I wonder how much of the funding for the Ohio anti-casino movement is coming from casino owners in Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Obviously, this isn't the problem. The problem is with people who spend their rent payments or grocery money on slot machines, and then become a burden for the rest of society.
Allowing more casinos to be built enables this behavior and, perhaps more importantly, attracts the types of people to the area that are undesireable for rebuilding cities.
Don't kid yourself. It's a tax on the perpetually stupid and obsessed.
Most, if not all.
You nailed it! They bring up the poor and/or old people who waste their money mindlessly at the slot machines, but fail to mention the taxes we are all forced to pay to let shamelessly over-paid athletes play ballgames.
The problem is that society thinks it has an obligation to support these ne'er do wells.
To follow your logic further, then they also need to ban the lottery, booze and tobacco. It's OK for the state to be in the gambling business, but not private industry? You're a conservative?
And now there are casinos in Pennsylvania!! Ohio’s completely surrounded by evil gambling states!
As I said before: Voinovich is an old fool.
I’ll go to Vegas and Pennsylvania as well.
It’s a shame that some of this money can’t be kept here in Ohio.
It’s time for us in this nanny-state to stop telling each other what we can and cannot do.
If one doesn’t want to do a certain thing, then don’t. What’s the problem? DUH!
I disagree. Vegas is gambling, and gambling is gambling no matter where it is. You don’t think I go there and don’t play slots?
LOL. LOVE THAT TAG LINE!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Had he been governor this year, Voinovich said, "I would have raised taxes." He recalled taking that path in 1992.
No fool like an old fool.
Ohio has voted 4 times on gambling in past years. Each time gambling was turned away.
Yup.
Perhaps Ohioans enjoy getting out of this state for a few hours or a few days. I sure do. I’ve been to Detroit and Erie.
Nice day trips to clear one’s head; relax a little, etc..
I’d rather have a crying senator than a snooping governor.
I am against them too but only for the reason that it should be open to anyone who can afford the licensing and not just the few selected fortunate ones. That is what I object to!
“I’d rather have a crying senator than a snooping governor.”
I’d rather have neither . . . good riddance to a RINO of the worst kind
At Presque Isle Downs, about 75% of the cars in the lot are from Ohio. You’ll find a healthy proportion of the cars at Mountaineer, Wheeling, the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and the other Indiana casino are also from Ohio. Let people spend there money where they want it.
The casinos in all of these cities don’t breed crime, they are the safest and nicest areas in town.
What about Motown? (It has been a several years since my last visit, it was "OK" then.)
I didn’t say the cities were safe, just that the areas around the casinos were. The safest place in Detroit is immediately outside one of the casinos.
Gambling in Ohio is a joke.
I have no problem with gambling in Ohio. I have a problem with letting just one or a few special elites get the licenses for gambling.
The last election they wanted to add thousands of words to the Ohio constitution, a lawyer’s dream, just so ONLY ONE PERSON/GR0UP in all the state of Ohio could benefit by ownership from a change in the Constitution.
That is elitism at its worst.
A truly libertarian law would simply say “Gambling shall be legal in the state of Ohio.”
I don’t want it restricted to one person, one group, one city, or even just four.
If we seek liberty and freedom, then let’s really do it and not pretend we are by huge additions to the constitution for the benefit of selected elites/oligarchs.
Let’s make the poker game in Uncle Joe’s garage just as legal as the slot in O’Malley’s Pub as in the casino in any town that feels like building one.
If we’re going to swallow freedom and reject nanny statism, then let’s be honest about it. Let’s make it free and fair for all.
Voinovich is right to oppose this travesty, but for the wrong reason.
You do realize that most of the casinos in Vegas are run by only a few individuals/corporations, don’t you?
I can appreciate that, my fellow Ohioan. :-)
Sheesh! Another pol pissing and moaning ‘cuz he did’nt get “his” cut....
Let me repeat, Voinoivich and the Ohio Roundtable do not want ANY type of gambling in this state.
That's quite alright by me, because I get free rooms and meals in Vegas. Stuff it, you stuffy people.
It doesn’t matter that other states aren’t honest enough to simply make gambling legal.
There is no reason Ohio should follow their lead.
I’ll not vote for any law that grants special gambling privilege to others.
Personally, I don’t see any reason for states to be controlling gambling in the first place. Seems like if I feel like playing poker at Uncle Joe’s Bar & Grill, then it really isn’t anyone else’s business.
I didn’t vote for the smoking law either. In fact, I’ll not vote for any ridiculous changes to the state constitution that involve thousands and thousands of added words. Do you remember the election with 5 of 6 constitutional changes each involved thousands of words.
I didn’t vote for any of them.
I don’t give a fig how much Las Vegas makes at gambling since if it involves the by law enriching of a limited number of people or cities.
It is simple to propose a fair law. It should say simply:
“Gambling shall be legal in the State of Ohio”
Now, if you don’t belive in nanny states, then you’ll support those simple 9 words above. If you do believe in nanny states then you’ll support the nanny telling us which 4 or 5 citizens out of millions that it’s going to let run gambling.
Nanny, isn’t just telling us what to eat, it’s telling it who we have to go to to get the food.
“Gambling shall be legal in the State of Ohio”
I’m with you 100%!!!
If only the simplest solutions would ever be possible. :-)
It’s time for US AND OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS to get spines.
So anything that constitutes “temptation” should be banned by law? So much for liberty, huh?
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