For the fifth time in 19 years, The United Methodist Church and the Ohio Council of Churches are successfully mobilizing tens of thousands of voters from many faith communities to vote against casino gambling in Ohio. The gambling industry has mounted a well funded and deceptive marketing campaign to introduce predatory gambling into our neighborhoods. Issue 3, on the ballot in November, is a dangerous proposal which inserts new language into the Ohio Constitution, and creates a monopoly to run casinos in four Ohio communities. We call for an extensive effort to stop casino gambling from harming our citizens for these reasons:
Our position on gambling is consistent with our beliefs as United Methodists.
The United Methodist Church is very clear. Our Social Principles state that "gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life and destructive of good government."-2008 United Methodist Discipline, Paragraph 163,G. We also live by these Three Simples Rules from the founder of Methodism, John Wesley - Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. Gambling does harm to families, economies, business and changes the fabric of life in communities.
Casinos create an illusion of free money.
The lingering economic downturn in our state and around the globe is frightening and devastating to individuals, families and institutions. There is incredible pressure on our state and community leaders to turn to the lure of casino gambling as the answer to our economic woes. We understand this. Noted economists call this "casino capitalism." Casino capitalism contributes to an illusion of free money by preying on those least able to afford it. Across America, predatory gambling has helped create a culture based on financial gimmicks, false hopes and pure chance. This culture has led to and perpetuates the massive economic crisis we find ourselves in today.
Casinos do not bring positive economic development or create additional jobs.
This fact is documented once again in a report on the statewide economic and social factors of Issue 3 recently published by Ohio's Hiram College. Casinos have the opposite effect by ultimately pulling money out of the local economy. This harms existing businesses and causes thousands of hard working citizens to lose their current jobs. The out of state companies that will operate these casinos will deplete the Ohio economy further as they take their profits elsewhere. Casinos ultimately lead to the loss of jobs and small businesses in the communities in which they are located.
Casinos are predatory by their very nature.
Casinos make windfall profits for their owners from the gambling losses of our most vulnerable neighbors, deriving much of their profits from the poor who spend more than they can afford to lose. Proximity to a casino also increases the levels of addiction. National studies indicate that people who live within 50 miles of a casino are twice as likely to become gambling addicts.
The social costs as a result of casino gambling will exceed revenue 3 to 1.
Let this sink in - for every dollar gambling generates, it will cost the taxpayers of Ohio three dollars in social costs. Problem gamblers ruin their lives and harm their families through increased debt, bankruptcy, home foreclosures, divorce, spousal abuse, child abuse and suicide. Casino gambling always does more harm than good to families. This amendment is economic nonsense in a time when we most desperately need sound, sustainable economic policies.
Law enforcement will need increased budgets and manpower to manage higher crime rates.
Nationwide, studies of existing casinos and surrounding communities have consistently found that crime rates increase by 10% each year after a casino opens, including violent crimes against people. In addition, 40% of all white collar crime is rooted in the gambling industry.
The casino owners do not care about our state or our citizens.
The proponents of Issue 3, just like their predecessors, allege they want to operate casinos in order to help the citizens of Ohio. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their well crafted promises of economic development, jobs and millions in revenue are motivated by greed, not by good will. In reality, they are seeking extravagant profits for themselves and are fear-mongers, not benefactors.
It is bad public policy to allow for-profit casino interests to write their own section of the Ohio Constitution.
Yet, this is precisely what they have done. They wrote the language in the proposed amendment and they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to gather signatures to place their self-serving proposal on this November's ballot. Their language not only grants them an exclusive monopoly on casino gambling for all time, it also dramatically limits the ability of the Ohio General Assembly to regulate their activities. The amendment specifically prohibits our state government from controlling the days or hours of operation, the size of the bets or even the types of gambling that will be allowed.
The language of the constitutional amendment is frightening and has loopholes.
In fact, the language states these monopolies can inflict on our citizens any type of gambling that is currently allowed in any other adjoining state or any new types of gambling these states may experiment with in the future, including live sports betting. These casino interests even dictated the maximum amount they will pay in taxes and wrote in an amount that is dramatically lower than in some of the surrounding states. Other language in the amendment creates a loophole stipulating they will not pay any taxes when cash is directly used to place the bets.
We understand that the gambling industry is well organized and well funded to exploit the current economic pain and fear experienced by so many Ohioans. Issue 3 is not about jobs. It is about altering the very fabric of our life together. That is why Ohio citizens have voted consistently and overwhelmingly against bringing predatory casino gambling into our communities each of the previous four times this has been on the ballot.
We urge every United Methodist congregation in Ohio to be a public witness against Issue 3. There is no legal prohibition against churches taking a stance on ballot issues. Please join us in this endeavor as we abide by our Social Principles and live out our Three Simple Rules - Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.
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I find it odd that a church would be against issue 3. When you choose a religion you are taking the largest gamble. Palin in 2012!
ReplyDeleteReligion has no place in politics. Period. Two seperate entities entirely.
ReplyDeleteI really don't want to see Casino's in Ohio either, The number of jobs that the pro-crowd is touting is way too high, I'll bet it will not even be close to 35,000.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of nonsense. By the same argument we shouldn't have bars in the State of Ohio, and the State certainly shouldn't engage in the sale of liquor.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, crime is higher is areas that have bars. Bar fights are violent crime. If we didn't have alcohol readily available then less people would be alcoholics. Alcoholism destroys families! People tend to over indulge in hard liquor and become more intoxicated than if they only consumed beer or wine. Everyone with me to amend the Constitution to prohibit alcohol to be consumed in any public place (outlaw bars) and ban all hard liquor?
You know what, let's ban hunting too. It's dangerous, people are accidently shot and some die. Oh, what about motorcycles? Those can be dangerous. Probably should ban swimming pools too, they kill hundreds of people each year! Let's reduce speed limits from 55 to 45...the numbers don't lie, lower speeds save lives. And of course, the absolute worst...cigarettes! These are terrible poison, cause lots of health conditions, and lead to huge dollars spent on healthcare. And they get stolen, which causes increased police work.
I'm being sarcastic of course. There are potentially bad and dangerous things all around us. But do we prohibit them all? Of course not. Casinos will cause some problems, yes. But most people are going to gamble responsibly and enjoy it as a recreational activity. And it WILL generate big dollars for the counties and public schools, and it WILL generate a lot of jobs.
Unemployment is bad for Ohio. Underfunded schools are bad for Ohio. Lack of government monies are bad for Ohio. Casino gambling won't fix the problems entirely, but it will help more than it hurts.
In that case, let's legalize drugs and prostitution while we're at it. People do it anyway, and we need to jobs and tax money from it. May as well make it legal.
ReplyDeleteDon't be fooled into thinking casino gambling will "generate big dollars for the counties and public schools." What it will do is generate big bucks for the casino operators. The lottery was supposed to help our schools too, but it didn't.
"It does not help the economy; in fact it cannibalizes the economy." ~ Prof. John Kindt, University of Illinois. Watch this interview of Prof. Kindt. Note that he was not compensated for making these comments.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6QbFsjWiOI
Churches are against Issue 3 until it comes time for Monte Carlo night to raise funds !!!
ReplyDeleteThe Problem with ISSUE 2 and 3 is they want to put it in the constitution. That means to make any changes, another amendment would have to pass by voters and I think we can see from all the discussions on DJ that trying to get most people on the same page is difficult at best, if not impossible. I just don't get why some people are OK with this.
ReplyDelete"The lottery was supposed to help our schools too, but it didn't."
ReplyDeleteYou can say that, but it's false statement. For 2008 the number was $672,000,000 to Ohio schools from the Ohio Lottery. And unlike other State funding to the schools, the money from the lottery can't be cut when the State has a tight budget. Issue 3 will provide another guaranteed stream of funding.
Actually, it's a very complicated accounting analysis but that $672,000,000 number is misleading...especially in the face of state appropriations that USED to go to education that were removed because of the lottery funds moved in.
ReplyDeleteYes, but there is no guarantee that the state wouldn't have still cut education funding, even without a replacement source. The more sources of education funding we have that can't be cut the safer I feel.
ReplyDelete"In that case, let's legalize drugs and prostitution while we're at it."
ReplyDeleteBe reasonable. Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota all have commercial casino gambling. That's 12 states. Only part of one has legal prostitution, and none have widespread drug legalization.
That $672,000,000 sounds like a lot of money, but it represents only about 7% of the total state funding toward schools. State funding accounts for about 46% of the total funding (federal 8%, local 46%). So what seems like a substantial figure actually represents about 3.5% of the total budget for schools. Yippee.
ReplyDelete5:19, you don't get it. I'm saying if it's ONLY jobs and money we're concerned about, without regard to any other issues, let's go ahead and legalize other forms of entertainment. It's a rhetorical argument.
Gambling doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. But do we want to change the constitution to get it going? The Columbus Dispatch says Vote No on Issue 3 because the wording would benefit the casinos and not the state.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Katrina... the founding fathers of our constitution didn't believe that religion has no place in politics and government. They aren't two separate entities... check out our court buildings, Pledge of Allegiance and the money in your wallet!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that no matter where you stand on this issue... a change to the constitution to create a monopoly for only two companies is not a benefit for our state.
Also, no matter how much money comes in from "other" sources, if education isn't a priority in our state the money can always be creatively redirected.
I know for a fact that some religious people go to the Boat every once in awhile
ReplyDeleteYou cannot legislate morality. If you could, everything from cigarettes to tv shows would be illegal. Prostitution is legal in Nevada, and in several states, medical marijuana is legal. All of you "religious" types may get your bible in a twist over this but just because something is illegal doesn't mean people don't do it. (GASP!)
ReplyDeleteAs far as they whole the social costs will exceed the revenue 3 to 1 is BS. That's like saying it doesn't affect us currently because Ohioans don't gamble because we don't have casinos in Ohio... really!?! Lots of Ohioans gamble in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Windsor!!! If you are stupid enough to go to the casino and blow your life savings... well that's your deal then isn't it?
I'll be voting yes on 3.
I don't care about "religion" and "Morals"
ReplyDeleteThis is about what's right for Ohio.
So far, I haven't read anything positive about the long range benefit of expanding gambling in our state. 34,000 jobs? A dubious number, at best. Money for the state? There's only so much money to go around. As the professor stated, there's only so much money to go around. Money normally spent on legitimate goods and services will go toward mostly empty promises and into the pockets of a few casino owners. Yes, we have gambling established in some form already. That doesn't make it right, and there's no sense in adding to the problem. Sure, there are "religious types" that gamble. Still doesn't make it right. "Religious types" disagree about many issues, including this one. Read the facts. Who will gain the most from the passage of Issue 3? It sure won't be the state. Be wise and vote "NO."
If the group or person gaining the most from the establishment of a business was the state government then I believe that would be called communism.
ReplyDeleteOf course the corporation will profit greatly, but they will pay higher taxes than a typical non-casino business. It's part of the deal, we allow them to open their casinos and we get a higher than average cut in the form of taxes. Nobody is going to spend billions of dollars opening casinos if they don't a big potential pay off. That's capitalism.
The way people talk you'd think they expect these companies to open the casinos but the State get most of the profit.
As far as amending the constitution, that's a requirement. The only way we can have any form of casino gambling in Ohio is to amend its current prohibition. And making the amendment specific to the situation is smart too. We know WHO will be opening them, WHERE, and HOW MANY. Would you prefer a generic legalization of casinos in Ohio that would allow any company to come in and open a casino anywhere they pleased?
7:13: FYI, Ammendment 3 is an ammendment to the Ohio constitution that will create a private monopoly controlled by four casino owners. Not sure I would call that "capitalism."
ReplyDeleteAgain, read the facts. Check out the video posted by Joe, above. We can all learn something.
Be wise. Vote No on 3.
Seperation of church and state...all churches should keep their mouth shut. Stick to spreading the good word about our Lord, and work to bring people in to your flock.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to vote FOR Issue 2 - Darke Co. depends on it's passage!
Vote however you want for Issue 3 - It's a personal choice, not a religious belief.
amen brother
ReplyDelete8:46 and 11:36...
ReplyDeleteWe ARE spreading "the good word about our Lord,"
This really isn't about little church folk. This is about doing the right thing for all people, regardless of their religious beliefs. It's about justice, which is really what the LORD calls us to work toward.
The Church is not about staying huddled inside the walls of some church building. That's why it was the church that opened the first hospitals, and the first schools. That's why people in need are led to find help from the church. That's why churches offer meals, and clothing, and help with other essentials. It was the church that worked to bring about an end to slavery, and it was the church that worked tirelessly for the rights of women to vote. It's the church who responds when disaster strikes, and who remains long after the newspaper reporters leave the scene.
It's the church who is called to "go to bat" for the oppressed, and who is called to work for the rights of all people.
If you're Christians, you need to read your Bibles. If you aren't, I hope you'll forgive those so called Christians who stay huddled inside their church walls, refusing to get involved.
"refusing to get involved"?????
ReplyDeleteHA! Christians not getting involved?!? That's the funniest thing I have heard all day. (Besides, isn't this whole article the complete opposite of that?)
Issue 3 is a terrible idea, the jobs promised will not even be close to what the pro-crowd is saying.
ReplyDeleteAmending the State constitution for this is a really bad idea, I don't care one way or the other about gambling, but this is not the answer.
If we do gambling they should advertise for bids and let the one with the best idea go forward.
6:42:
ReplyDeleteSo, it's a bad thing that we want to be involved in the community?
To 8:46am, Thanks for your permission to vote the way I want on issue 3 and telling how to vote on issue 2....without your guidance I would be lost!
ReplyDelete9:13pm. I don't recall writing that and now that I re-read what I wrote, it certainly doesn't say that.
ReplyDeleteTo whoever posted on October 29, 2009 8:46 AM, telling churches to keep thier mouthes shut. YOU ARE A DUMBASS!!! Where do you get off telling them to shut up? This is a free country dumbass!
ReplyDeleteI would say a whole lot of members in churches fought in the many wars over the years. Yes, they fought for the freedom to say what they want.