RonC
RonC
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August 25th, 2012 at 6:31:21 AM permalink
This is a gambling forum and I enjoy gambling just a bit, but I think that politicians are consistently being allowed to get away with misleading the public when they say that the proceeds from gambling legalization (casinos, lotteries, etc.) will be used to support improvements in education. The latest city trying to rationalize casinos is Chicago, and they are using "education" as a reason:

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Rahm-on-Casino-I-Want-it-For-Our-Kids--167231175.html

While there may be some economic impact from gambling, i just don't see it leading to huge increases in funding for, and the subsequent improvement of, the educational systems that are used as justification to allow it.

I'm not saying that gambling shouldn't be legalized and that casinos should not be allowed, but I believe that the money pretty much ends up either in the general fund or displaces other money for education which is then shifted back to the general fund to make it LOOK like it is funding education.

To me, gambling funding education would mean that the education budget would be increased based on the tax revenue from gambling.

There is a whole additional discussion on how much money we spend on education and what we get for our money; that isn't the point of this thread.

How do you feel about this subject?
bigfoot66
bigfoot66
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August 25th, 2012 at 11:58:16 AM permalink
Everything the state claims is a lie. What are they gonna say? We need this money to pay off our political allies? Or we are going to waste the money on X Y and Z boondoogle? Money is fungible and the politicians choose how it gets spent. In CA, all of the lotto money goes to education, but the general fund money is reduced in proportion to the lotto revenue. This is another example of how the wasteful and corrupt government scams the people it is supposed to be serving.
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RaleighCraps
RaleighCraps
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August 25th, 2012 at 12:00:15 PM permalink
I lived on the edge of the NY state border when the Lottery was trying to get legalized. It was finally approved when the concession was made that all proceeds of the Lottery would go to education. It took about 2 years, and then all of the reports came out showing that education was getting the same amount of money as it always had been. When questioned the answer was, Education is getting all of the lottery proceeds. But since education is getting all of the Lottery money, what the state used to contribute is no longer needed, so that money has been put back into the general fund. The old shell game.

Then I moved to NC, and a few years ago they were fighting to try and get the Lottery in this state. Failed the first couple of times, but then they created the convincing argument that all of the proceeds would go to education, less the expenses of running the lottery and advertising. (this was a new wrinkle). Of course, the same thing happened. As soon as they determined the Lottery brought in xx millions for education, they reduced the general budget contribution by those same xx millions.

Politicians and casinos...Both play by stacked rules
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Wizard
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Wizard 
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August 25th, 2012 at 12:33:46 PM permalink
The rule of thumb is that whenever gambling is supposed to direct extra dollars to a particular purpose, quietly that same function loses about the same amount of money from general funds that they get from the lottery/slots/whatever. I would have more respect for government if they just said that gambling money went directly to the general fund to begin with.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
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