Pennsylvania teaches a lesson Illinois refuses to learn.
More revenue, lower taxes, education funding. All lies sold in years past every time politicians want a taste of back room money and power, want to cement campaign donors to a steady diet of cash kickbacks to keep those in office, in office as long as they wish, not as long as the electorate wishes.
Money wins election in Illinois, and the gambling industry delivers that cash. In return, IL lawmakers turned the spigot wide open with HB255, a disaster for Illinois that will change our state. For the worse.
I have several friends who say “What’s the harm of playing a little video poker at the Moose?” What about at the convenience store next to the school? The gas stations at every corner? Grocery stores?
Any place with a license to sell alcohol will be eligible to install video gambling machines. They will become part of the fabric of society here in IL. Try teaching your children to be fiscally responsible when video gambling entices them with the lie of easy riches. Every day. Every time they go in for a slushee, or a candy bar. Every time you take them grocery shopping. Expanded gambling will expand two things in Illinois we least need: greed, and corruption.
Get ready for an onslaught of politicians expanding programs for the poor that will be the hardest hit by video gambling. Those who barely have the means to keep their heads above water, which here in Illinois is topping 22% of the population (10%+ unemployed, 12% in working poverty) are the specific victims of advertising campaigns that cajole and convince them that the winning is easy. And the desperate want to believe, so they gamble. And lose.
But IL pols don’t care about that. They care about money. And if the poor get poorer because the politicians take their money, well, they’ll just tax the rest who do have money. More welfare, more programs, more help-help needed because the politicians stole what little the poor have.
Read about how well this has all worked out for Pennslyvania here.
