February 3, 2003
EDITORIAL:
No matter how tempting, don't bite the gambling apple
___Now, the gambling lobbyist was more cunning than any creature of the capitol. And he asked the legislator, "What do you fear most?"___People have been suckers for temptation since the serpent whispered to Eve, who winked at Adam, who hid from God and said, in effect, "The devil made me do it." But the last time a snake struck a deal with a person, the world went to hell in an applecart.
___"Two things do I fear," the legislator replied: "First, I fear reneging on the 'no new taxes' promise I made to my constituents so that I might roam this capitol. And second, I'm terrified of the $9.9 billion budget deficit that will overshadow all my days here."
___"Fear not, my friend," the serpent hissed. "Grant them more gambling. Tell them it's not only painless, but patriotic. Promote it on the 10 o'clock news. Promise them they'll all become millionaires."
___Don't expect much to be different this spring in Austin. This time, the temptation isn't to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. No, it's to swallow a poison pill and call it a growth-stimulating vitamin.
___Texas lawmakers, many of whom probably now question the wisdom of running for office last fall, face the terrifying task ofbalancing a budget that's almost $10 billion in the hole before they ever start. Most got to Austin by promising not to raise Texans' taxes, but now they're realizing those constituents also expect to retain basic services, like education, highways, prisons and other infrastructure.
"George Washington ... called gambling, 'the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity and the father of mischief.' Had he lived long enough, he might have added, 'the seducer of government.'"
---Bill Tammeus, Kansas City Star
___So, gambling gofers are sitting pretty. Sound familiar? A similar budget fiasco propelled Texas to get into the gambling biz in1991, attempting to patch a $4.8 billion budget deficit. Now that we're in an even deeper hole, don't be surprised if politicians start describing expanded gambling as the magic ladder that can lead Texas to daylight.
___A recent Dallas Morning News article detailed five possible gambling initiatives that could start looking as delectable as Eve's apple to Texas politicians. The horse- and dog-racing backers want to turn their tracks into "racinos," where bettors can throw their money down video gambling machines when they're not throwing it at animals. A House member from Houston wants to turn the Astrodome into the "world's largest casino." A couple of Indian tribes want help reopening the doors on casinos on their reservations. Some promoters will continue to push for legal video-slot machines in all kinds of venues. And lottery lobbyists will push for Texas participation in a multi-state game, like Powerball.
___However, "gambling pays poorly for state economies, as it does for most gamblers," according to research gathered by the Christian Science Monitor: State-sponsored lotteries reduce the amount of money poor people have for food, clothing and housing. Gambling "damages most non-gambling businesses" by reallocating funds, and also lowers the tax revenues generated by those businesses. Although lotteries may be seen as a "voluntary tax," they are funded disproportionately by the poor and the poorly educated. When casinos are opened, auto thefts, property and violent crime, and bankruptcies increase by about 10 percent within four years. And while a new casino generates $75 per adult in jobs, profits and taxes, it generates costs that range from $140 to $221.
___The New York Times adds: "States are eyeing expansion of legalized gambling. The gleeful lobbyists portray the issue as a choice between voluntary and involuntary taxes. What they don't add is that this so-called voluntary tax is regressive and saddles communities with unacceptably high social costs. ... States should know better by now. Opposing ill-advised expansion of legalized gambling will be a true test of leadership for governors and state legislators."
___The Texas Legislature should resist making a deal with the devil. It's a bad bet.
--Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___
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