Last weeks Baptist Message carried information about an open letter signed
by 220 “religious leaders” and sent to the United States president
and members of Congress concerning the destructive impact of gambling in this
nation.
The letter evoked mixed responses from this editor.
Last weeks Baptist Message carried information about an open letter signed
by 220 “religious leaders” and sent to the United States president
and members of Congress concerning the destructive impact of gambling in this
nation.
The letter evoked mixed responses from this editor.
The first was: “Amen! Religious leaders, whoever they are, should be asking
lawmakers to address the devastation that gambling has wrought on our
children, families, communities and nation.”
Gambling certainly is not the only acid eating away at the human fiber of our
nation, but it definitely deserves any condemnation and correction anyone can
muster. One would need to be morally and socially blind not to see what gambling
does to multitudes of our people. Just as divorce has directly or indirectly
placed its decaying hand on every family in our nation, gambling has now lent
its destructive touch to just about every family.
In Louisiana and other states, the chilling breath of gambling is ignored in
favor for the dropping of its winnings into the coffers of those who operate
the gambling parlors, the state government and, in frightening numbers, the
pockets of politicians. The lives that gambling ruins are considered inconsequential
costs of doing gambling as a revenue producer.
Now, state governments that are to protect their citizens are lockstep partners
with gambling houses. States governments and politicians now promote,
encourage, enable, profit from and love gambling because it seems to provide
dollars without direct taxes. Some politicians become as addicted to the revenue
from gambling and its contributions to their elections as multitudes become
addicted to gambling itself.
What are the changes of the open letter bringing any significant efforts to
do anything about gambling in America? Two: Nil and none.
Why? Because people do not break addictions until the pain and suffering it
brings can no longer be tolerated, and until functioning at an acceptable level
is no longer possible. In other words, the damage of gambling compared to the
financial pleasure it provides citizens and politicians is not great enough
yet to demand breaking the addiction.
That brings us to the second emotion, which is frustration.
When one reads the display of the damages gambling inflicts upon American society,
one wonders, “Where was the outcry from the religious leaders when states
were initially considering legalizing gambling?”
If other states that were deciding whether or not to open their doors to legalized
gambling were like Louisiana, many churches of all faiths were remarkably silent.
Attendance at anti-gambling rallies was smaller than at a rained-out church
picnic. Churches simply did not respond to anti-gambling efforts, for whatever
reasons. Perhaps members thought those who spoke against gambling were moralizing
about the insignificant. Whatever, for the lack of convictions and actions,
far too many churches suffered moral laryngitis when they could have voted and
spoken “no” on gambling.
To date, one looks for the gold lining legalized gambling promised. There have
been some employment booms in areas immediately surrounding the land-based casinos
and gambling boats. But answer these: Have your state taxes gone down because
legalized gambling has come to our state? Has education improved? Are our roads
any better because of gambling revenue? Is your lifestyle better?
While the answer to these questions is a resounding “No,” what people
of insight said would happen negatively has happened. Gambling-related crime
is up. Divorces are up. The number of addicted gamblers has skyrocketed. Spousal
and child abuse are up.
We were told by some these negatives would happen, but we thought the messengers
were just party-poopers trying to push their “Puritan morality” off
on the rest of the states population.
Is there hope of freeing ourselves from the clutches of legalized gambling?
Only if the good people of Louisiana unite to do something.
For instance, State Representative Charles Riddle of Marksville has presented
HB 261 to the state House of Representatives that would require monies derived
from taxes on gambling over the next 20 years to go into a Gambling Revenue
Phase Out Fund. The goal of this bill and the fund is to make possible the elimination
of gambling in Louisiana by removing the states dependence upon the revenue
generated by legalized gambling.
The thought of legalized gambling in Louisiana being around for the next 20
years is not appealing, but Rep. Riddle thinks it may take that long to break
the states addiction to gambling revenue. One thing is for sure, legislators
and the governor have not been willing to give any serious consideration to
any other effort to do anything but increase the presence of gambling.
Hopefully, the United States Congress will begin to do something about the
destructive presence of gambling in America. And hopefully, Louisianians will
one day wake up and stop dead in its tracks gambling.