Friday, February 09, 2007

Gambling won't save West Virginia, but it may drag it a little closer to
hell. The juggernaut in favor of table games seems unstoppable, leading to
further expansion of gambling in the state. Yes, revenues from the addition
of table games will likely shore up the state's coffers for a while, leading
to a sense of satisfaction among legislators who supported the bill. Yet in
the long run, the expansion of gambling will turn out to be just another in
a long list of dead ends that keep this state last in almost everything.
Over time, once Maryland and Pennsylvania expand their gambling operations,
West Virginia could be become a gambling ghetto. Our state would probably be
the third choice for those seeking to spend their money on games of chance.
Maryland and Pennsylvania too, have diverse and healthy economies. West
Virginia is co-dependent with coal and more recently, gambling, to fill
state coffers. "Gambling creates more problems than it solves. Gambling is
dragging this state down. It's not giving us hope," said the Rev. Dennis
Sparks, of the West Virginia Council of Churches, in an Associated Press
story published in Monday's Journal. He's right, of course. Gambling gives
an appearance of hope, that lady luck will bring a big payout out the
roulette wheel or from the slot machine. But the house always wins and the
few lucky winners often end up with many problems of their own. "Our future
really needs to be about other economic investments, and diversification in
West Virginia so we're not reliant solely on one economy or two economies,"
Sparks said, and by gosh, he's right. Soon, West Virginia will have every
imaginable type of gaming establishment. We'll have little street corner mom
and pop shops with gray machines turned angelic glowing white by legislative
fiat, huge casinos like that growing up in Charles Town, and the ubiquitous
lottery retailers. Vice attracts vice, so certainly besides more strip clubs
we'll probably see a growth industry in massage parlors and bars. Instead of
pursuing real solutions to the state's economic problems, this legislative
session will be focused on table games legislation. Another lost opportunity
and nary a voice, except those of a few preachers, to oppose the very idea
of table games legislation. Yes, there are a few legislators against the
idea, but table games could only be stopped by a public outcry and not a few
votes in the Capitol. There is no public outcry, except an outcry for
government services, for which no one wants to pay. Some gambling opponents
believe West Virginia is simply being used by gambling interests. Big
gambling companies have simply used us to get into better markets in states
with better economies and more population, according to an Associated Press
story.

Henry Thaxton said: "If you are not careful, you will project the image that
you are bought and paid for... . (The tracks) work both sides of the street.
They have no shame."

It's not the gaming interests that should be ashamed, they're capitalists
out to make money. We should be ashamed that our state is so weak that every
few years we grovel at the feet of big gambling hoping they expand to help
the state's pitiful economy. Why can West Virginia not do better?

This state relies too much on Big Daddy, big government and big coal
companies to provide jobs and fill state coffers. And where have 50 years of
reliance and groveling brought us? They've brought us to nearly last in
everything. If there was something about our economy to celebrate, it could
be celebrated, but I don't think the fact that anyone can get a job at
Sheetz or Wal-Mart is something to celebrate.

What almost everyone concedes is that the state needs a massive economic and
legal overhaul, but there's no time for that when table games are on the
agenda.

Instead, West Virginia will spin the roulette wheel again, hoping for the
best.