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Do you support the governor’s plan to more than double the number of positions at existing Illinois casinos to fund education? Why or why not?

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 4:37 am

Comments

Let’s see, Blagoof manages to piss off all sides of the gaming issues with one swipe. Yah gotta give that Tusk credit I am surprised he did not limit the new positions to Indian reservations. It will be tempting not to declare this DOA, but that might giving DOA a bad image

Comment by reddbyrd Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 6:28 am
On the political side: wtf?! This explicitly breaks a major campaign commitment, allowing anyone to paint G-Rod as a typical lying politician. It devalues the one consistent theme in G-Rod’s ongoing re-election campaign (i.e., I kept my promise not to raise taxes) by making his campaign promises less valuable. Did the polling numbers on how people view gambling change dramatically recently?

On the policy end, I just don’t like it. Gaming revenues were easy money when there were few venues for legal gambling. Now, gaming is all over. Is there really a market for doubling the number of gaming positions? At what social cost? Remember, we’re not talking about people traveling from all over the country to Aurora or Elgin or Peoria. This is local gambling.

It’s a poor way to fund education because the gaming industry today is no longer a near-monopoly. The source of income is unstable, subject to outside competition, and could dry up fairly quickly in an economic downturn.

Oh, and how long before somebody makes the comparison between lottery money being set aside for education (”shell game” was the criticism) and this plan?

Of course, I’m a Democrat, so I pretty much hate everything Blagojevich does these days.

Comment by the Other Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 7:59 am
Absolutely. It is a courageous stand to help our children in a meaningful way without raising sales or income tax. He is willing to take the heat for doing what is right.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 7:59 am
And have these new employees do what? Have you visited the boats? I don’t think the over 50 crowd is going to increase anytime soon.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 8:14 am
I have to question the amount of revenue that is projected from increasing the “gaming positions.” I haven’t been to the boats for a while, but the last time I was there I didn’t notice lines of people waiting to play the slot machines.

I believe we may need a task force to study the propoosal. I’m sure there are more Blago contributors out there who still need appointments to something. What do you think…

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 8:24 am
Create half as many new positions — but put them on five new boats!

I agree with those who think the market’s mostly tapped out. I would rather the Rod just raise taxes and guarantee his loss in the next election. Solves all of my political problems.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 8:25 am
At this point, anything that raises revenue is intriguing. But my question is this: how in the heck do we know that the money raised will actually go toward education?

We don’t.

If Blago keeps raiding “excess funds” — what’s to say that he won’t raid the gaming dollars and simply dump them into the GR slush fund?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 8:49 am
Whatever happened to the lottery money? I thought that was supposed to fund schools.

Everytime I’m in a convenience store, there’s a line of people buying lottery tickets. There must be a boatload of money coming in. Where is that going, exactly?

And if the lottery sales aren’t enough — why will a bunch of slot machines be enough?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:01 am
Gov. Blagojevich is making a pretty courageous stand here. Like most, I would rather see a more predictable revenue stream, but hey, we’ll take what we can get!

And for those that think gaming is bad public policy, please get over yourself. The fact is, the State of Illinois has taken in more than 15 billion from riverboat gaming since it’s inception. If the idots trying to ban riverboat gambling get their way, we’ll be find oursleves further in the whole than we currently are!

Who knows, maybe Rod will turn into a good governor after all!

Comment by theheadusher Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:13 am
Re: post from 8:25 a.m. anonymous

Rich, I didn’t know the Speaker commented on your blog.

Comment by the Other Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:23 am
Just a question to the critical (and this isn’t a flame — it is a legit question -sorry Rich, if I’m overstepping bounds with a question within a question):

What proposal to increase funding would you NOT criticize?

Comment by BuckTurgidson Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:36 am
All I can say is:

Make it right for the gambler!

Comment by Jack Binion Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:38 am
It seems to me that more positions will permit the casinos to add more poker tables. These games are skyrocketing in popularity (judging from all the cable programs), but are less profitable to casinos. An increase positions permit operators to expand poker without giving up more profitable positions.

Of course, $300 million to the schools will be proportionally offset by a decrease in funding from traditional sources…just like the lottery.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:41 am
A previous poster stated Rod had the courage to do what is right….

How increadibly misinformed is that…

First Rod has no conviction of any kind, look at the gambling issue alone people called John Kerry a flip-flopper he has nothing on Blago. Rod has been back and forth on the gaming issue so many times!

Remember when he compared himself to Odyesses ignoring the sirens song of gambling expansion?

Maybe the polling showed he is in real trouble….

Now thats conviction Blago style!

Comment by PrairieStateDem Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 9:56 am
My question is:

Given that Blago is going to extend the 70% tax rate on the higher-revenue casinos, why would any casinos actually want the extra positions, if the extra positions push them into the higher tax bracket?

If I were a boat owner, I’d be trying to maximize my revenue right up to the 70% rate, and then I’d just close the doors of my boat and send everyone home.

Comment by IlliniPundit Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 10:20 am
Buck asks a fair question: if you criticize using gaming expansion to fund gambling, what do you support?

For the past dozen years or so, a lot of us have been supporting some version of the property tax-income tax swap that’s now contained in HB 750.

I’d also look into any income tax reforms that make the system more progressive and increase revenues. Our 3% flat tax is relatively high for low-income earners and relatively low for high incomes.

There are plenty of ways to fix the fiscal crisis in Illinois. They all require real courage. With all due respect to theheadusher, expanding gaming positions is not politically courageous.

What would be courageous is saying that Illinois income taxes are low compared to other states. What would be courageous is saying that, in the long term, we attract jobs and businesses by building quality infrastructure (including great public schools), not by cutting deals on tax breaks.

When Jim Edgar faced a similar fiscal crisis, he took the political heat for an income tax increase and pretty steep budget cuts. That was political courage. (PS — I’m not a huge Edgar fan.)

I don’t expect anything courageous from this Administration anymore. And I now realize I was foolish for ever expecting anything bold and courageous.

Comment by the Other Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 10:23 am
Fifteen years ago, I told you this would happen, gambling is an addiction, not only for the poor saps sticking their nickles in the machine, but for the state that craves the revenue.

Comment by Ralph Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 11:17 am
This proposal serves to divert the attention of the Legislature, especially President Jones, the media, interest groups, bloggers and other members of the peanut gallery, as the Governor (Barnumevich)and the Speaker (Bailey) quietly fashion a workable, election year budget. It keeps all the hired guns busy, busy, busy and out of real mischief. Everyone loves the circus!

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 11:23 am
Rod throws a new “bold initiative” at every one of the editorial problems he faces - now almost on a weekly basis.

Catch some grief from the Trib for waffling on the Mayor’s gun safety agenda? Answer: issue a press release supporting a “bold gun control agenda” and spend more money on enforcement officers.

Stung by reports that your education funding scheme is just another empty shell-game? Answer: issue a press release touting the doubling of poistions to pay for it…hmm, higher taxes on gambling to “fix’ the education funding problem…haven’t heard that one before…guess if we do it again THAT will finally fix the funding problem…

Get spanked by statewide media for supporting SBC and ComEd’s legislative agenda whle appointing industry shills to regulatory commissions? Answer: appoint one “pro-consumer” commissioner to a grossly compromised Illinois Commerce Commission.

Taken to task for maintaining a ne’er-do-well and highly controversial Gaming Board by the Chicago Tribune and electonic media for weeks on end? Answer: Drag your feet, hoping the Illinois media becomes distracted from how that Board was staffed and why…then dump the Board and re-appoint (admittedly) a decent panel of credible individuals…but don’t forget, the media scrutiny made that happen…

Really needing a boost while mired in bad publicity? Answer: Search the headlines to find that there’s a national flu vaccine shortage - issue a press release announcing plans to buy millions of dollars worth of the vaccine - only for it to be completely wasted…but, sorry taxpayers - Rod’s gonna pay for his bungled, multi-million dollar flu vaccine press release…on your dime!

I’ve got a job and don’t have time to flesh-out the long litany of of Rod’s “govern by press release” foibles…but you get the point…this is getting just plain ridiculous.

Comment by Tom DeLay's Mom Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 11:54 am
Fox Butterfield’s article on the states’ use of gambling as a revenue source, in yesterday’s New York Times, is worth reading and
alarming as well.

This is another one of the guv’s quick fixes which he is recommending in hopes that when problems with this unstable source of revenue arise, hopefully not for a few years, he will be long gone. He doesn’t seem to be able to get past accounting tricks
(example, the pension proposal)
and quick fixes.

And it’s not necessary, nor is a tax increase. He needs a new financial team, one that is willing to recommend some responsible choices that he can present to the electorate.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 2:01 pm
I think it’s a great idea. People like to gamble, ever been to Vegas.

We need more money for education and this is a way to get more funds without taxing the people of Illinois who are already overtaxed.

Governor Blagojivich said he would not increase sales tax or income tax and that is why the people of Illinois voted for him.

He has kept his promise unlike the previous three Governors and that is why he will be re-elected.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 1, 05 @ 8:22 pm
I also think it is a good idea because I am the Devil. The more opportunity to tempt the poor, the greedy, and the downtrodden out of their money, and to keep them chasing after the wind with vexated spirits, the better.

Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 2, 05 @ 1:13 am
Politcal courage forces a public servant to do what they don’t necessarily want to do. Such is the case here with Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich has stated time and time again that he doesn’t want to do a gaming bill, but here is “courageous Rod” publicly mulling the idea over in his head.

Now I know a lot of folks want to see our great Governor fall flat on his face, but I wouldn’t hold my breath here. One thing I have learned about Rod, he tends to land on his feet.

Now you and I don’t have to like it, but if Rod runs, he is likely to be re-elected. Consequently, all of us here may better serve by finding ways to work with Rod, rather than fight him at every turn. I am not falling for his “new way” rhetoric, but we had better to learn to meet his needs, as it’s apperant that he doesn’t give a sh*t about ours.

As my grandma use to tell me, “It’s all in how you look at it!”

The question is — does Rod run for re-election, or head for the White House now?

Rod going for a casion suggests to me that he’s staying. Imagine the sheer joy of four more years of this!

Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 2, 05 @ 7:40 am
Pretty savvy move, actually. Let’s the Gov be in favor of $300M for education. Otherwise, his anti-new-casino stance would have been painted as anti-education from everyone in the City and the burbs for the next 8 weeks. Now he has staked out a dollar $ that is significant for education without giving in too much on new boats. And other than the most die-hard anti-gambling advocates, no one will know the difference if his proposal comes to pass. The places with boats already will like it, the places without boats will get a little bit of educ. $ to placate them.

Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 3, 05 @ 7:49 pm
Pretty savvy move, actually. Let’s the Gov be in favor of $300M for education. Otherwise, his anti-new-casino stance would have been painted as anti-education from everyone in the City and the burbs for the next 8 weeks. Now he has staked out a dollar $ that is significant for education without giving in too much on new boats. And other than the most die-hard anti-gambling advocates, no one will know the difference if his proposal comes to pass. The places with boats already will like it, the places without boats will get a little bit of educ. $ to placate them.

Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 3, 05 @ 7:50 pm