In some recent discussions online, I have gotten some grief for my support of State Issue 2. It was a follow-on issue from the Casino gambling initiative that passed in the last election cycle. A powerful nimby, (not in my backyard), movement forced Penn National to move the Casino site from downtown Columbus, to an abandoned automobile plant on the far west side of Columbus. This move forced another vote of the people of Ohio, since the original initiative had spelled out precisely where the casinos would be built, and builing the casino anywhere else would not have been Constitutional.
I supported the original amendment and this most recent follow-on. Some have given me grief for this position. Some have even gone so far as to question the substance of my faith, because I support it. Regardless of whether or not it is fair to do so, in the ebb and flow of the initiative process a lot of things get bandied about, some valid and some not. And I assure you of two things, I am a big boy and I can take scurilous accusations like that, and the state of my faith is fine. On this issue, I have taken a pragmatic approach. Saying no to gambling again, would not have prevented Ohioians from gambling. In fact, Ohio is the only major state in the region that didn't allow it. Billions of dollars left our state every year to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Canada. In some cases, the casinos outside of Ohio are just over the border. A couple had connected hotels in Ohio and the casino was in the state that allowed the gambling. Saying no to gambling was going to do nothing more than to allow other states to reap massive windfalls of tax dollars off the backs of Ohioians while Ohio had to foot the bill for all the problems that gambling creates. At least under this amendment, Ohio gets a fair deal, and everyone benefits. Sticking our collective head in the sand, and saying 'no' to gambling wasn't in the best interests of Ohio. And in this case, the state received hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees for the casinos, much needed construction jobs, and a portion of the profit goes to where it is needed most; the counties. The profits will pay for things like putting more cops on the streets, and more fire and ems services. This amendment was a win-win for Ohio. Any effort to paint it otherwise just doesn't wash. In the direct case of this amendment, I was angry that a group of people were allowed to win a victory that they didn't win at the ballot box. The nimby movement that forced Penn National to move to the West side of Columbus. I really despise these movements, as they run counter to the collective good, and are never focused on anything other than short term gains, or the gains of a very select few people. In this case, a group didn't want their view of the Scioto ruined from the expensive condos in the arena district. Never mind that the site is right now a hot mess of a former industrial site, turned abandoned festering hole. How the existing state is preferable to a developed casino is beyond me? But I digress... This new amendment had its own nimby's lobbying against its passage. They made outrageous claims about a casino coming to their area. And again, I had no sympathy for them. The new site is abandoned right now. The area it will be located in is economically depressed to say the least. There is a wealth of vacant commerical space in the general vicinity. And there is little to no residential development in within a quarter mile of the site. I voted for it, because building a casino now, is a good long term asset that will help our community's flagging economic position. I know some people won't be happy with Tuesday's result, but with open democratic processes some people never are. The last tally I saw, showed overwhelming support for the initiative with nearly 70% voting in the affirmative. Regardless of how you slice it, that's a landslide. And if you are a nimby out there, console yourself with the following items. 1. This initiative will put more cops on the streets of Franklin County. 2. This initiative will add more fire and ems capacity. (In a time of shrinking budgets no less.) 3. Your local econonmy will be bolstered by a casino development, whose initial price tag is likely to be close to half a billion dollars. That's money that will be poured into the local economy. 4. Your local economy will be bolstered by the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs both to construct and operate the casino. 5. The profits will benefit your community directly in ways that you can't even to begin to imagine right now. So let's all stop bickering about the casino and look forward to the positives this situation will provide. |