Ballot Question 2 - MD Democrats pimping gambling again -- of course for the children <wink><wink> (Laurel: house, schools)

[NJ2MDdude]

Maryland Senate sports bettingMaryland Senate OKs sports betting bill on 47-0 vote - Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

The Maryland Senate March 10 passed a sports betting bill by a vote of 47-0 and will send it to the House of Delegates for consideration.

...

“This has been an outcome of many working groups in a bipartisan way,” said Sen. Craig Zucker, who sponsored the legislation. “This ensures that Maryland stays competitive with other states and that Maryland invests in its future.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjsgedmYg-8

The YT commenter is right. The video does remind me of the MOM video below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKFqzMFBpw

[North Beach Person]

In all honesty it's not just Democrats but many Republicans too. Ehrlich pushed for slots his entire term and neither House would consider it because both then Speaker of the House Mike Busch and then Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller had moral qualms about gambling. Those qualms abated when O'Malley was elected and slots were passed.

[NJ2MDdude]

The Republicans are just as corrupt, but the Democrats are leading the way in this campaign as they have done in the past. They claim to be the party of the little man but are exploiting the weaknesses of a certain group of people and, by extension, the families of these people.

Throwing money at education is not going to solve the issues many have with public education. What we need is a cultural shift towards education. Not everyone is college material. We need to recognize that and provide an alternative path like the technology intensive vocational schools that are in Germany.

Not sure why the State of Maryland is trying to save the horse racing industry. I used to go to Laurel in the late 1980s to watch my friends throw away their hard earned money. It was a dying industry back then with just a handful of old men there placing bets.

The two Mikes having moral qualms about gambling is a good one.

[bufflove]

If you think gambling is evil just wait till you find out who's president.

[NJ2MDdude]

Originally Posted by bufflove

If you think gambling is evil just wait till you find out who's president.

And do you actually believe that honest politicians exist?

Hate to break it to you, but that's an oxymoron.

[DaveinMtAiry]

I voted for this and I'm convinced it will pass. I find it odd that a conservative poster, the party who is always screaming about the rights of citizens, is so against people having the right to gamble. It's their choice, and a huge windfall for the state at a time of need. This just in: if they do not gamble this way they will find another way and the state loses out on a huge revenue stream.

I really don't care if it does not all go to education, it's going to roads or other needs of the state.

[NJ2MDdude]

I’m a taxpayer and much more practical than I’m conservative. To the extent that I'll eventually have to pay for social programs out of my own pocket to help those affected by social problems caused by gambling, then I’ll oppose gambling. To that end, I’ll cite Atlantic City, where 45 years of legalized gambling has done more to hurt the beach city and make the state addicted to gambling revenues.

Unfortunately, liberals generally believe the needs of the state (or in this case, the children) take precedence over what’s good for society, even if it causes collateral damage. As you’ve stated, you really don’t care where the money is spent as long as its collected. Tax and spend without accountability will eventually erode democracy. The state should be working for us, not the other way around. In this case, its time to stop feeding the machine.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I voted for this and I'm convinced it will pass. I find it odd that a conservative poster, the party who is always screaming about the rights of citizens, is so against people having the right to gamble. It's their choice, and a huge windfall for the state at a time of need. This just in: if they do not gamble this way they will find another way and the state loses out on a huge revenue stream.

I really don't care if it does not all go to education, it's going to roads or other needs of the state.

What you have to understand is that elected officials, of any political party, absolutely can't stand seeing money sitting around in account not being used even if it's supposed to be set aside for a future use.

That's how come the pension fund and highway trust fund got raided over the years and now both have to be paid back from general tax revenues. There's always some cause that someone wants funded.

When the last last round of gambling legislation got passed that legalized slots permanently we got a slice from the machines in Chesapeake Beach (although those aren't technically slot machines but video lottery terminals).

Good God when that news came out you should have seen the special pleading. Best case scenario was that we would get $300K/year with the first $100K already appropriated through the legislation for the Boy's and Girl's Club (that was subsequently dropped to $50K because they pissed the $100K away like they've done with every penny they've gotten over the years). All told the special requests totaled almost $2Million from community groups (some we didn't even know existed) plus another $2Million from my Council colleagues.

State level gambling money is the same, can't let it sit. That's why the lockbox legislation had to be adopted a couple years ago mandating that it did indeed go to education.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

What you have to understand is that elected officials, of any political party, absolutely can't stand seeing money sitting around in account not being used even if it's supposed to be set aside for a future use.

That's how come the pension fund and highway trust fund got raided over the years and now both have to be paid back from general tax revenues. There's always some cause that someone wants funded.

When the last last round of gambling legislation got passed that legalized slots permanently we got a slice from the machines in Chesapeake Beach (although those aren't technically slot machines but video lottery terminals).

Good God when that news came out you should have seen the special pleading. Best case scenario was that we would get $300K/year with the first $100K already appropriated through the legislation for the Boy's and Girl's Club (that was subsequently dropped to $50K because they pissed the $100K away like they've done with every penny they've gotten over the years). All told the special requests totaled almost $2Million from community groups (some we didn't even know existed) plus another $2Million from my Council colleagues.

State level gambling money is the same, can't let it sit. That's why the lockbox legislation had to be adopted a couple years ago mandating that it did indeed go to education.

None of this surprises me. But that still doesn't change the fact that there will be revenue generated from this to the state at a time they can really use it regardless of the use.

And to believe this will turn Maryland into Atlantic City is nonsense. The thought that more tax money will be needed for social problems connected to the damage from gambling than there will revenue from the gambling will produce is a real reach.

People are going to gamble. If they don't do it here they will spend their money elsewhere. I'm for here.

[Noble Savage]

As a conservative, I voted For this. Afterall it will be my money, or not that will be going to Draftkings.