Yes on Issue 3
Election day is coming, and here in Cleveland there is an initiative on the ballot to allow casinos. Well, I think it's time for me to dust off my soapbox and put in my two cents.
I say vote yes on Issue 3. Opponents to Issue 3 may try to sway you by pointing out that gambling is a tax on the poor (only those that can't afford to lose money tend to lose lots of money), that it leads to higher levels of crime, and that substance abuse and other health issues may result from the culture of casinos. They may try to point to Las Vegas, and point out how crime increases for local gamblers, and how while the median income of visiting gamblers is higher than average, the median income of local gamblers is lower than average (so rich out-of-staters will come and lose money here, but the local poor are also losing money here).
No, I say vote yes because, as they say, it will bring jobs to Cleveland. Mind you, if the skilled workforce they are looking for does not already exist in Cleveland, then they will bring people in from outside Cleveland, and if these people stay outside the city and commute in, then Cleveland itself will not financially benefit from these new workers, and the unemployment rate in Cleveland will remain essentially unchanged.
Also, it will bring retail sales to Cleveland. Mind you, the entertainment dollars that people would otherwise be spending on local theaters, sports venues, or gyms will instead be spent at casinos, but it's not like the Browns are winning, right?
But the real reason why I want to vote yes on Issue 3 is because I love CSI. Seriously. Don't much care for CSI:Miami (mostly because of Horatio Caine), and find CSI: New York too dark, but the original one...love it. And what could be better for Cleveland than having a tv show based here? And a wildly popular one at that, too. It's just that so far, the crimes here are too midwestern for CSI. We need to go hard-core. Sure, the corruption in county government helps, and having 3 major sports teams (never mind their records) and a large hospital system offer plenty of plot ideas. And a river that burned, and the downfall of industry. Sure, all good plot points. But what we really need to earn us the level of depravity worthy of hosting a crime show of the caliber of CSI would be best, and most quickly, obtained by bringing casinos into town.
So I say, vote Yes on Issue 3, and stay tuned for links to my online petition to the writers of CSI to create CSI: Cleveland.
I say vote yes on Issue 3. Opponents to Issue 3 may try to sway you by pointing out that gambling is a tax on the poor (only those that can't afford to lose money tend to lose lots of money), that it leads to higher levels of crime, and that substance abuse and other health issues may result from the culture of casinos. They may try to point to Las Vegas, and point out how crime increases for local gamblers, and how while the median income of visiting gamblers is higher than average, the median income of local gamblers is lower than average (so rich out-of-staters will come and lose money here, but the local poor are also losing money here).
No, I say vote yes because, as they say, it will bring jobs to Cleveland. Mind you, if the skilled workforce they are looking for does not already exist in Cleveland, then they will bring people in from outside Cleveland, and if these people stay outside the city and commute in, then Cleveland itself will not financially benefit from these new workers, and the unemployment rate in Cleveland will remain essentially unchanged.
Also, it will bring retail sales to Cleveland. Mind you, the entertainment dollars that people would otherwise be spending on local theaters, sports venues, or gyms will instead be spent at casinos, but it's not like the Browns are winning, right?
But the real reason why I want to vote yes on Issue 3 is because I love CSI. Seriously. Don't much care for CSI:Miami (mostly because of Horatio Caine), and find CSI: New York too dark, but the original one...love it. And what could be better for Cleveland than having a tv show based here? And a wildly popular one at that, too. It's just that so far, the crimes here are too midwestern for CSI. We need to go hard-core. Sure, the corruption in county government helps, and having 3 major sports teams (never mind their records) and a large hospital system offer plenty of plot ideas. And a river that burned, and the downfall of industry. Sure, all good plot points. But what we really need to earn us the level of depravity worthy of hosting a crime show of the caliber of CSI would be best, and most quickly, obtained by bringing casinos into town.
So I say, vote Yes on Issue 3, and stay tuned for links to my online petition to the writers of CSI to create CSI: Cleveland.
posted by BrainHickey | 1:35 PM
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