ohio casinos

[South Range Family]

This reminds me of the concealed carry law a few years ago. There were many stupid provisions in the law that we gun owners didn't like. Many gun supporters were going to vote against concealed carry because of these provisions. Luckily, enough people realised that we needed to get our foot in the door first. After the law was passed we were able to go back and make the proper changes. Even though Governor Taft tried to veto those changes, the legislature came through.

Gambling is the same way. If you support gambling in Ohio, you should have voted for the law. We could have gone back and made the proper changes later. The way it is now, Casinos will lose interest in Ohio because they have been shot down too many times. I personally don't gamble. I never had an interest in it. However, I fully support gambling in Ohio and all other States. I voted for gambling. I look at it as a stupidity tax. If you are dumb enough to play, that is your business not mine. Nobody has a right to tell people how they should or shouldn't spend their money. If Grandma wants to eat cat food so she can play the slots, that's HER business. She's had 70 years to decide how to spend her money. It's none of my business.

If I were Governor of Ohio, I would find an empty area in the middle of the State. I would then allow the casinos to build an entire gambling city that could go head to head with Las Vegas. Full blown gambling and entertainment, including prostitution. (It already happens, we may as well control it and make some money.) If you're going to compete against Vegas, you'd better play to win. The problem with todays legislature is they have no vision for the future, and they have no fresh ideas. They can't see beyond getting themselves elected. Couple that with the people that want to legislate their own morality, Ohio will never get ahead.

I can see at least three stages of job creation that gambling would bring.

1) Planning, architecture, real estate sales. People earn a living doing this.

2) The actual ground breaking. There's excavation, utilities, road work, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, concrete workers, iron workers, painters, interior decorators, secondary businesses that supply all of the materials, deliver it, and feed the workers. This list could go on and on.

3) Operations. It's built and open. Now you need Managers, dealers, trainers, waitresses, security, customer service, maids, cooks, bakers, bartenders, money handlers, parking attendants, accountants, doctors, lawyers, logistics people to order the everyday supplies, delivery people, and most importantly MAINTENANCE people. You have to repair the slots, change light bulbs, fix doors, elevators, plugged toilets. The list goes on and on people. This is a multi-BILLION dollar industry, and we are missing out because narrow minded people have their heads in the sand. Instead, the hillbillies of West Virginia are taking your money.

[South Range Family]

Here are a few more thoughts on gambling.
Since "Casino City" is located in the middle of the State, All of the above mentioned employees will be discouraged from living out of State and commuting. (Which is something I do.) That means that every single one of them is paying State income taxes. They will all eventually buy houses and pay property taxes. Which will in turn pay for your precious schools and social programs that people are concerned about. The gambling taxes become secondary and the whole program supports itself.

Casinos and contractors bidding for rights to build will be told up front that Immigration officials will be on duty, and illegal labor will not be tolerated. If they know that beforehand, bids will be adjusted. Lay out the ground rules in plain English, and there will be no surprises. Everybody knows what is expected of them.

Most street crime is committed in neighborhoods of decay and no hope. The criminals work where they live. Casino City would have no neighborhoods to live in, and would have NO public transportation from other neighborhoods.
Public transportation is the downfall of every community. Once petty criminals become mobile, they spread like cancer.

Airports will expand, Airlines will now provide nonstop service to just about any place you want to go. Ask Pittsburghers how much they miss that now that USAirways has slashed service in Pit. Limo and taxi companies will expand, and more tax revenue will be generated. The secondary businesses are endless. I wouldn't mind being the guy that sells the sheets and pillowcases, or the guy that changes the light bulbs. Who wants to be the farmer that supplies just the lettuce and tomatoes?

You have to envision the big picture to understand what we missed out on. By focusing on the pittance of a tax that the casinos would have paid directly to the State, Ohioans were done a disservice. For that, we should all be PO'd.

[htlong]

federal funding for our schools??? govt run schools is the major problem in this country, i say privatize the schools take our taxes and turn them into vouchers and see how smart our children get, competition not compensation will be the only thing to improve our schools, how much money has been dumped into govt run schools in the last 10 years? see any improvement?
my nephew went to st Vincent in Akron and when he started college he said it was easy compared to st v! what does that tell you