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Gambling

Casino Bill was Defeated by Large Margin, 199-164 [Updated and Bumped]

From Spec Bowers…

Casino bill was defeated by large margin, 199-164. I thought it would be close.

I thought it would be closer as well but gambling is one of those issues that has broad bi-partisan opposition.    There are factions on the left that are hard core progressive wellsprings that oppose gambling as if they actually had morals or something.  And I think Hassan over-reached when she presented a budget as if the gambling money was a given.

Bad idea.   I think that turned the Democrats who might have considered easing into it on the other side of a fence they were too pissed off to cross.

And let us face facts. Gambling is just not a good fit for the Granite state given the dynamics of the region, it has not delivered on its promises in the Northeast, and in the end it is a crutch for growing government on more false promises.

Update: According to Jim Rubens from the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, after the Casino vote there was a motion to reconsider.  That motion failed 212-155.

Jim’s email on the jump

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Majority Report on SB152 The Casino Gambling Bill

Will Republians roll the dice on Gambling in New Hampshire

I don’t typically post reports from the House Journal because I am not flush with the time necessary to read them on any sort of regular basis. But the committee vote on SB152, the most recent effort to plop a Casino somewhere on the New Hampshire landscape, was close–and just happened to go my way.  What better incentive than that to report the results of that report…?

…to see what the bipartisan committee saw that inspired them to suggest, not so much that any Casino would be bad for New Hampshire–which is my position–but that SB152 was just a lousy effort at getting one even if you were in favor of it.

So here is the where and why of how the bill fails and should, by Rep Mary Jane Wallner.

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Gambling Addiction

From the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling…

The “no proof” meme was laid to completely rest yesterday at hearings before the community impacts subcommittee of the House special joint SB152 committee. Here is the Nashua Telegraph’s story on these hearings.

Dr. Rachel Volberg, the world’s most widely published gambling addiction expert, presented the most current data from her 2012 meta-analysis of all 202 gambling addiction studies worldwide conducted since 1975. These findings disappoint both pro- and anti-casino advocates, but the findings are abundantly clear:

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Maybe Maggie “Squats With Lobbyists” Hassan Just Wants A Casino Bailout?

As our Democrat Governor tries to improve her odds at winning a bet on a state gambling monopoly in northern New England, AP is reporting hard times for the Indian Casino monopoly in the southern part of New England.  The Indian tribes, who got the law changed to allow them to put up casinos as a way to pay for their needs way back when, got so busy relying on other peoples gambling money for their free ride that when that money dried up, (down economy, waste, bad spending decisisons, abuse, because they are entitield) they figured they’d go running back to Uncle Sam for a bailout.

It’s millions of dollars, just sitting there, to which the ‘law’ entitles them, and as the song goes, they aint too proud to beg.

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NH House Kills Casino Bill HB 665

From Jim Rubens for the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling.

Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenu

Immediate Release: House Kills 2-Casino Bill By Nearly 4-1 Margin
Contact: Jim Rubens, (603) 359-3300

This morning the House killed HB665 by a 249-65. HB665 would have permitted two casinos, one in the North Country and one along the Massachusetts border.

“Today’s vote shows how little support exists for a casino bill lacking the muscle provided by the construction unions and Millennium Gaming’s fleet of lobbyists and PR flaks,” said Jim Rubens, chairman of Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling. “On its objective merit, casino gambling utterly fails among legislators weighing the arguments on both sides.”

Jim goes on to point out some things about another gambling bill, SB152.

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So How is The NH Democrats ‘New Civility’ Working Out?

So how is the New Hampshire  Democrats ‘New Civility’ Working Out?  Just ask Democrat Peter Sullivan… So the Democrat governor’s lackeys are writing down the names of reps who oppose her agenda.  Was that supposed to be part of that whole “New Civility” thing you lefties said you’d pile up on your donkeys and bring … Read more

Troopers Admit – They Just Want the Money

The New Hampshire Troopers Association and the New Hampshire Police Association agree.

Legalizing casino gambling wouldn’t endanger public safety but would in fact be a boon to law enforcement budgets, New Hampshire state police and police officers argued Monday.

No more crime than adding a large mall.  Troopers are stretched thinn.  There are even plea’s for concern over your loved ones waiting for help at the scene of an accident.  All because Maggie Hassan’s budget relies on 80 million dollars from a revenue source that does not yet exist?

So you people in New Hampshire, you better forget about any other problem gambling might bring with it because there is no other way to pay for more troopers.  Got it.

One more thing.

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Gambling Study Says Not Big Money For State

Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenu
Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenue

The Union Leader is reporting on a much anticipated study about the future of gambling Revenue for New Hampshire.

The news is not good for proponents.

According to the study done by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies (NHCPPS), because of the social costs of gambling, the state would not receive a net benefit if the gambling income is taxed at 30 percent or less. 

Taxed at 40%, it’s supporters claimed we could see $152 million per year but,  NHCPPS says that number is less than 50 million per year for the $425 million dollar casino in the plan.   Off by 100 million.  Sounds about right.

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Hassan’s Budget Gamble Takes Heat From Her Left

Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenu
Maggie Hassan Rolls the Dice on Imaginary Gambling Revenue

No one should be surprised to see Maggie Hassan’s budget has millions of dollars in revenue from a source that does not even exist.

In this instance it is gambling, but a few years ago Senator Hassan was part and parcel to repeated budget balancing fiascoes that relied on non existent revenue.

She voted for budgets “balanced” with revenues from taxes that had not even been through the committee process or had a hearing.  She voted for budgets that relied on revenue from the sale of land even though no one knew what land or how much they might get for it.    She was a gold medal recipient in the Granite-State-Left-Wing-Fiscal Gymnastics Finals, helping execute chess master like moves to create the illusion of paying for what had not been paid for.  She even continues to insist to this day that the 800 million dollars in spending she helped accumulate in the Majority Democrat legislature–for which there was no money to pay for in successive fiscal years–was not a deficit nor evidence of fiscal malfeasance on the part of her or her party.  So why, WHY would we be surprised when her first budget as governor relies on at least $80 million in gambling industry dollars for casinos that do not even exist?

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Gambling On Our Future

A few days ago I wrote this (among other things) about the risk of bringing casinos to New Hampshire… Years of Casino ‘revenue’ in Concord would inevitably create the opportunity for entrenched incumbency and make every race about money, and who can spend it.   The special interest money would favor those who support Casino interests … Read more

Gambling? Seriously?

Will Republians roll the dice on Gambling in New HampshireThe success of any move to add Casinos to New Hampshire will hinge on the Libertarian Republicans currently crowding the House and their ability to override a likely Lynch veto.  While I am on their side in almost every other case, when it comes to casinos we part ways, and not for the reasons you might think.

This is not an issue of social conservatism for me, not exactly, not the way it is a social issue for some Democrats like Governor John Lynch or the left wing social justice cabal at the New Hampshire Council of Communist Churches (NHCcC).   I see this as a matter of personal restraint, not because I object to people gambling, but because I am willing to pay a personal price, and forgo the risk of casino revenue, to ensure the liberty and freedom that I am convinced a casino culture in the halls of the State House would inevitably destroy.

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The Red Herring Of Granite State Gambling

“I don’t gamble, because winning a hundred dollars doesn’t give me great pleasure. But losing a hundred dollars pisses me off.” — Alex Trebek

Slot%20MachinesGROKNHI.jpg

 Back in the early 90’s while attending college at night, I took an elective course called Public Policy. At that time, I was a staunch advocate for expanded gaming in the Granite State.  “Put a couple of Casinos up around Breton Woods and the North Country!” I made all the usual pro-gambling arguments we see here today. Since that time, I have changed my position. I am against expanded gambling in New Hampshire now, but for the very narrowest of reasons, chiefly, that we are all being lied to.  

Conditions in the late 80’s and early 90’s were excellent to consider and adopt expanded gambling in the Granite State. Now it is not.  New Hampshire missed the boat on this big opportunity and the reasoning for the push now is faulty. One simply cannot advocate for something simply because Massachusetts is doing it. That logic fails right out of the gate. There is a shared sentiment in the Granite State that if Massachusetts does it, New Hampshire ought not to.

 The reason for the change of mind is not only simple, but quite logical. In the 80’s and 90’s there were far fewer gambling venues for Granite Staters to enjoy. Casino Gambling meant taking a trip to Atlantic City, Las Vegas or Down to Connecticut. However,  Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 literally saturated the gambling market with options. Since then, Rhode Island, Maine and Connecticut have jumped on board and now offer venues.  The market is saturated. More casinos means less revenue for all as each one fights and lobbies for those dollars.

 For years, I have watched busloads of seasoned citizens leave New Hampshire for Casino destinations. Now pro-gambling advocates warn that a Bay State Plan could siphon off Granite State gambling revenues. Well, not so much…dollars already leave the state “en mass” so in reality we have been losing this revenue all along….and now it is a big issue?  

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A Sure Bet

  The New Hampshire State Senate has made it’s position clear.  Everything goes better with Gambling.  That pesky Lyme disease thing–probably get that passed with gambling.  And they would be more than willing to overturn any lingering Blue Laws if people could gamble on Sunday.  Want to make sure money is a form of free … Read more

Does Prohibition Work?

On the question of using gambling revenue to hide irresponsible democrat spending, State Senator Maggie Hassan was quoted in this mornings Union Leader saying. "My question is, does prohibition work? I don’t think it does." It’s quite entertaining, the things desperate people say when they are under the gun to cover their own ass. The … Read more

No Gambling

In the smoldering ruin of SB 489–this years gambling bill, even after a massive campaign by Millennium gaming and its big-money FixItNow NH campaign quarter-backed by their Public relations goo-roo Richard Killion, (whom I suspect is this guy), we get comments like this, from this morning’s Union Leader.

“What’s clear is that today’s vote runs contrary to the will of the people, who, overwhelmingly support expanded gaming and see it as the only acceptable new revenue option,” he said. “The people do not want higher taxes.”

The people do not want higher taxes.  But nothing else he says makes any sense unless he means the will of "the minority of" people who overwhelmingly support expanded gaming, and see it as the only acceptable option."  Isn’t language fun?

Richard really should have been around New England long enough to know that the one thing you can count on in New Hampshire is for voters to contact their state reps and let them know how they feel about an issue.  So from square one this statement is at the very least disingenuous.  Before we even get to square two we know that that is exactly what the people did, and the product of that opinion (how the House voted) is clearly represented in the roll call.  Consider the following.

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The Gamble

Just a reminder as the pro-gambling lobby turns up the heat in a defict ridden era of irresponsible liberal management; the debate is not about rights, or revenue, it is about the gambling lobby buying up your state government. The pro-gamblers argue that we’ve had gambling for years, and while that’s technically true,  we’ve not had … Read more

Where Do We Put The Vagina?

Desperation has been known to drive good people to do bad things.  “Bad” is of course subjective.  You have to be willing to accept that humans are flawed and prone to weakness.   It is also imperative that you are not in awe of the power of the state as a beacon of morality or as … Read more

Recovery from the disaster in Concord IS possible, but it depends on good people getting active.

lifeline

 

Disaster in Concord

Guest post by Karen Testerman

NH’s General Court is proposing to tax anything that is moving or breathing.  However, you the taxpayer know their focus is misdirected.  The whole of the current administration is looking at the symptoms, what they term, "a lack of revenue."

However, the current economic disaster with a growing $150 million deficit is in reality a SPENDING problem. 

It is a sad commentary that the Governor continues to speak out of both sides of his mouth.  On the one hand he told the residents of this great state that we are facing a budget deficit and he would not approve further spending.  Oh, by the way that was several months ago while the corner office worked with both houses to make social reconstruction the number one issue in our state. 

Taking advantage of a self-created "crisis" to re-engineer the foundational institution of society to divert your attention, while the General Court passed spending measure after spending measure to create the current $150 million disaster.  One wonders what underlying activities are taking place while the attention is now focused on the self created "spending spree" crisis.

And now, to address the created budget deficit, the Governor and both houses are proposing tax increase after tax increase and other potential ONE TIME revenue resources like gambling to make up the difference.

However, any of you who sits at the kitchen table knows that if there isn’t enough coming in (revenue) then some how the spending (proposed budget) must be reduced.

 

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