Promises, Promises

As many of my readers know, although I am a West Virginia native, and serve a church on the "Almost Heaven" side of the river, for the last 28 years I have been a proud resident of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I grew up in West Virginia, and my parents and one brother still live there. I went to West Virginia public schools and enrolled in Marshall University as an 18 year old, and have been a Thundering Herd fan all my life. Even while I served as President of the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists, my residence was in Kentucky.

My kids grew up in the Bluegrass State and went to Kentucky schools. Linda and I have been active in school and community activities here in Ashland for many years. She is presently a member of the Ashland Kiwanis Club (noon club) and serves as a member of the Ashland Human Rights Commission. She was heavily involved in PTA and was a PTA State Officer for a number of years.

I did a four year term as a member of the Ashland Independent School District Board of Education, served on the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the City of Ashland, and was involved for years in the Tomcat Booster Club, Ashland Band Parents, and was a coach and league officer in the Ashland American Little League and the Ashland Babe Ruth League (even after our kids were up and gone from those programs). A past President of the Ashland Optimist Club, I also volunteered for several years as the PA announcer and "voice" of Putnam Stadium and James A. Anderson Gymnasium.

Please forgive me if I feel that I hold somewhat of a dual citizenship. I have strong feelings for both states and if asked where I am from, it's actually hard to decide which answer is correct. I pay taxes in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the city of Ashland, and the "user fee" to the city of Huntington. I regularly read the "Daily Independent" of Ashland as well as Huntington's "Herald-Dispatch". Both states are important to me, and I am fascinated by the political workings of both. Over the years I have heard enough political promises (local, state, and national) to realize that many of those promises would best fit in the "Honey Wagon" pictured above.

The promises are already abounding in what is proving to be the longest presidential campaign in the history of the United States. One only has to listen for a few minutes to the major candidates in both parties, to realize that some of the stuff they are promising are pure fantasy. The congressional and senatorial candidates will soon be be adding their voices to the chorus of promises about what they are going to do for us.

Here in the Commonwealth, our new Governor is promising us the gold mine but we're getting ready to get the shaft. I wrote about this at some length in my February 11th Blog post, "Bought and Paid For".

On Thursday, Governor Steve Beshear unveiled his proposed ammendment to allow Casino gambling in Kentucky. Gambling is nothing new in the Commonwealth, with its horse race tracks and the state Lottery, but Casino Gambling is forbidden by law. Seems as though the Governor is concerned that Indiana and it's river boat gambling casinos, and West Virginia's recent plans to open a large casino in Cross Lanes will get too big of a piece of the gambling pie. He wants Kentucky to get in on the action. His proposal would have 12 casinos opening all around the Commonwealth. It would allow casinos at the existing race tracks, but also propose free standing casinos in Boyd, Greenup, Kenton, Campbell, Daviess, Christian, Laurel or Whitley counties.

Beshear's proposed ammendment (if passed by the General Assembly) would go on the ballot for approval of the voters in Kentucky. If it clears those two hurldles, then voters in the cities and/or counties where the free standing casinos are proposed would have to pass a local referendum. No referendum would be required in the counties where the race tracks are located. State and local politicians are generally being "political" in their comments about the Governor's proposal. Most say they are taking a "wait and see" attitude, but some, like Rocky Adkins D, Sandy Hook (no relation to this writer) openly favor putting the issue on the ballot.

Beshear has done a good job in fear mongering by presenting a bleak revenue picture that will frighten many voters. The Governor, hoping that loathing higher taxes, the voters would jump on the band wagon to approve the "easy money" that legalized casino gambling would supposedly bring. He presents it as an either/or situation. Beshear promises that the state would take in around $500 million in fiscal year 2009, $482 million in 2010, and $600 million after five years. He promises that "50% of the take will go to education, 20% for health care, 13% for local government, and 17% for a variety of purposes including economic development, agricultural research, veterans programs, and substance abuse treatment" according to newspaper reports.

Here's a thought for the Honorable Governor Beshear. If casino gambling is the answer to all of our financial woes, maybe that first quarter of a million dollars for education would go toward a new curriculum in our schools. Instead of math and science, perhaps our kids need to learn how to deal blackjack or spin a roulette wheel. Slot machine maintenance would also be a big new career field for our youngsters as well, if all of these casinos are in our future.

While we are at it, there seem to be some other vices that naturally go hand in hand with legalized gambling. A quick look at Nevada, that gambling haven, reveals that legalized prostitution also has the potential to bring in big bucks. Then there is the drug trade. Huntington, WV officials have talked openly about the huge amounts of dope money that is flowing out of the Jewel City to the Columbus and Detroit connections. Maybe we could legalize that trade, take it out of the hands of criminals, and add millions to the state's coffers. School kids could study to learn the finer points of turning tricks and dealing drugs.

Well, there's an ancient Hebrew expression for all of that - "Hogwash!"

If Beshear and his cronies want to save Kentucky, how about doing what needs to be done to attract legitimate businesses? Why not set a high moral tone which honors the value of hard work and determination instead of hitching our financial wagon to the star of empty promises? Nothing worthwhile is easy, but does that mean we should settle for mediocrity? Why not have the intestinal fortitude to do what's right for our people, rather than take the easy quick fix, and continue "slouching toward Gomorrah"? When are we going to say "Enough is enough"?

Gambling is a bad bet. It teaches our children to trust in chance rather than honesty and hard work. The relatively few "winnings" that gambling produces, comes from the losses of thousands of people. Gambling is as dangerously addictive as smoking, drinking, drugs and pornography and those who can least afford it are the ones who are hurt most by it.

Voters in three counties of my beloved native state of West Virginia have already approved table games. The die is cast there. Now if the Governor has his way, my beloved adopted state of Kentucky seems to be headed in the same direction. My prayer is that our General Assembly members will do what is right. Take a stand for once. Declare that enough is enough and place the proper values and virtues that once made this country great.

And that's one West Virginia/Kentuckian's opinion - "For What It's Worth".