“Reject expanded casino and video lottery gambling as a means to balance the budget or increase spending”
That’s from the Republican Party Platform. Guess NH State Senator Tim Lang, in his exuberance of being more than a State Rep, decided to “exercise his muscles” and forgot that Republicans are supposed to be known for a number of things. You know, “branding”?
Obviously, not much difference at all. Lou has been trying for years to get casino gambling into NH in a big way. A big part of it was to establish a new revenue stream for the State that would provide MORE money to the State coffers. And of course, being a Democrat, he already had ideas about how those millions of dollars would be spent – those dollars wouldn’t be around to burn a hole in anyone’s pockets they’d be in and out so fast. More money = Bigger Government.
And then there is Tim Lang (now my State Senator – such a bonus!). How is he any different from “The Democrat Lion” of the Senate in this regard? From the Union Leader: if it sounds like a duck, if it walks like a duck, then….but FIRST, a message from his Republican Party’s Platform (Lang does call himself a Republican, right?):
We, the people of the New Hampshire Republican Party, do stand united in our dedication to preserving freedom, limited government, and unlimited opportunity for all.
We believe in free people, free markets, and free enterprise.
We believe that low taxes are the result of low spending; that government has a moral obligation to the people to be as cost-effective as possible, to always limit spending and growth of government, and to cut spending and cost of government at every possible turn.
We, the people of the New Hampshire Republican Party, pledge to our neighbors across our great, beautiful and proud state, that we remain dedicated to maintaining a limited, affordable government,
So what does Lang want to do? Well, first thing, using that shopworn Democrat phrase of “It’s for the children!” is a quick giveaway. And as always, reformatted and emphasis mine:
New Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, said it’s time New Hampshire joined six other states in regulating all gambling that takes place online in the state. Currently, residents spend millions each year visiting online sites to place bets on poker and other games of chance despite it being illegal here. As a result, Lang said it’s buyer beware, meaning if a rogue website takes a gambler’s money and fails to pay off a winning bet, the gambler has no recourse.
So first, he wants extend the reach of government into the Free Market (because that’s what it is right now) Which means that he must enlarge Government via headcount and cost to do that regulation.
And then decides that HE must make the Nanny State overreach even more. What, those gamblers don’t realize that Caveat Emptor doesn’t apply to them? That Lang believes that HE must protect citizens from themselves?
Hubris. Condescending.
The New Hampshire Lottery doesn’t permit bets to be placed with a credit card. Bettors must pay cash or provide a debit card.
And that prevents them from losing money they don’t have (using a credit card that would run up debt). Isn’t that enough? But here’s the Incoming Money Tide that has Lang running TOWARD it instead of running from it
The American Gaming Association estimates New Hampshire could collect $17 million to $48 million annually by having the lottery control these online bets.
And the “it’s for the children” hook to make it palatable. A never fail option of scoundrels all over:
Lang’s plan is to use all profits to support a scholarship fund for income-eligible students to attend two-year community colleges in New Hampshire.
No mention of the overhead costs which I WILL remind y’all makes Government larger. And those costs will never go away. EVAH!
Remember, the Colorado Democrats want to do the same thing there by dangling out the education Shiny Object,by stripping its TABOR (“It’s ALWAYS About Democrats Keeping YOUR Money – Law Doesn’t Matter. Bait and Switch, Baby!”) – Taxpayer Bill of Rights – that returns “over-taxed monies” back to those that had been “over-taxed” in the first place. Those Democrats don’t want to return that money back to its rightful owners – taxpayers. And Lang doubles down:
“I think this would generate enough money to pay full tuition for every income-eligible student to attend community college, helping us fill a chronic need for skilled workforce in New Hampshire,” Lang said.
Sorry, Education is more than putting a person in front of a bench in some factory or office. Education is supposed to be in creating a responsible Citizen that can completely join in the process of Self-Governance for our Society – NOT to just be an economic cog in his wheel. Once again, he declares that the Free Market isn’t able to remedy the problem
And again, a bit of self-justification that immediately brought back to mind the earliest history of the Democrat based income tax: it will only tax the richest amongst us. After all, how many “impulse bettors” can there be in NH
“We’re talking about an impulse bettor, someone who plays 15 minutes of Texas Hold ‘Em while they are waiting for a meeting,” Lang said. “These aren’t people who are going to spend an hour or more visiting a charity casino.
And this says that there is NO difference between him and D’Allesandro
We’d be tapping into a whole new source of state revenue.”
And let’s return to the “Application” part of the Platform:
- Keep state government lean to allow lower business taxes
- Strongly oppose new taxes and fees, including an income, s, ales and capital gains tax
- Limit the growth of state spending to not more than the rate of inflation plus population growth
- Require super-majorities to raise taxes
So, there’s all that for the required background lesson on being a Republican. So there will be those that will actively attack me for writing these words. Well, let’s return to the Platform again:
We believe that we the people are strongest when we stand together, that it is our responsibility to hold government accountable and that it is through the integrity of the ballot box that we do so.
And so we shall. And having the Free Speech to do so, GraniteGrok has the Right to point out the differences between the Parties – and when there should be and when there aren’t.
