I spent most of my weekend staying out of the rain and watching videos of the lefty Lonnies who have been marching in various Blue cities at the “No Kings Rallies”, chanting and dancing dressed as everything from furry animals to the Statue of Liberty. All of these people were protesting against our president, Donald Trump, but I will tell you that few, if any of them, actually knew what or why they were protesting about. I will grant you that there were one or two who actually had a limited understanding of why they were marching in the streets, chanting various slogans, but for the most part, these protesters didn’t have a clue.
It makes you ask the question, how many of these protests were bought and paid for by liberal NGOs, and who are the money people behind them? I was somewhat surprised to see so many seniors in these marches, but then again, my bet is that most of them were being paid to join the circus. Thankfully, AG Bondi has started an investigation into who is behind all of these protests, and you can bet that Soros will be at the top of the list. I guess these protesters got tired of smoking weed, watching Netflix, and making dumb videos about Trump on TikTok.
Idaho once again made the news both locally and nationally with the gambling bust in Wilder, along with the new training base for Qatar pilots, and how about a new Casino in the Treasure Valley? So, while the FBI are arresting people in Wilder for gambling at a legitimate race track where gambling is not legal, our Governor was pondering approval of a new Gambling Casino between Boise and Mountain Home. The Shoshone and Paiute Tribes are the only ones who do not have gaming revenue. This new casino, if approved, they say could generate tens of millions of dollars annually for Idaho’s economy and create thousands of regional jobs, generating more tax dollars for our governor and legislators to spend. Oh, I forgot, first they have to make up the 56 million shortfall in the budget for this year, then they can continue spending.
You will find an interesting article in this week’s news Gem State Patriot newsletter in which our good friend Mike Bass did a deep dive into the pros and cons of gambling that we think you will be interested in. There is also a podcast with me and Dylan Stocker, the host of The Great Idaho Show on 580KIDO talking about gambling and how it can affect the people who live a short drive from this new casino. Personally, I’m against having another casino, especially in the valley, as I have seen the problems they bring with them, everything from criminal activity to bankruptcies. I watched what happened in Atlantic City, and while it was great for a short time, in the long ru,n it was a literal trap for those who thought they could solve their problems by winning a jackpot. I also remember vividly watching seniors cashing in their social security checks in for a stack of casino chips, hoping that this would be their lucky day. Voters were told the casinos would generate wealth without consequence, but the evidence and past history clearly show the social and economic costs when gambling becomes an addiction.
I believe that having such close access to a gambling casino will be like legalizing marijuana, and we already know what that has done to places like Colorado, Oregon, and New Jersey. The gambling addiction is not much different than a marijuana addiction in its consequences. While Idaho already has gambling casinos in other parts of the state, putting one in such close proximity to the largest populated area in our state would bring nothing but problems to our beloved Treasure Valley. It has been proven that gambling addiction uses the same neurological pathways as substance addiction.
The problems and indirect costs associated with gambling are many, starting with bankruptcy, domestic violence, mental health issues, and the soaring costs in social and medical services. Those who sponsor these gambling facilities will try to make it look like Christmas in July, boasting about the huge revenues that will flow into the state and local coffers. What they won’t tell you is the horror and hardship they bring to so many who become addicted to gambling and the criminal element that will certainly develop over time. It is the lower-income families that are most affected by these casinos, as they will spend disproportionately higher percentages of their income on lottery tickets, casino games, and other gambling products. Will our legislators and governor be ok with relying on budgets that are supported by extracting wealth from our most economically vulnerable families, much like the grocery tax hurts those at the bottom of the economic ladder?
Just look what has happened to Atlantic City, where for a decade or two the lights were bright, the boardwalks were full, construction jobs were abundant, and the tax revenues were overflowing. But five decades later, Atlantic City is one of New Jersey’s poorest cities with a decaying infrastructure, high unemployment, and vacant storefronts. I will leave you with thoughts of my own personal experience with gambling, as my stepfather was a gambler and regularly bet on the ponies for years, and yes, every once in a while, he would win, but those times were few and far between. The fact is, his gambling was the cause of his divorce, the loss of our home, and his being arrested for theft. Not a real good scenario when you’re raising a family.
All I will say is don’t believe all of the delusions of grandeur they will pour on you about how these casinos will benefit everyone, because it has been proven time and again that they will destroy the most vulnerable in our communities. We don’t need another casino in Idaho; what we need are good-paying jobs and lower taxes. Don’t think for a minute that revenues from a new casino will be effective in lowering your taxes because you can be sure that our governor and legislators have already decided on how that money will be spent before a casino foundation is even established. We heard a lot of promises like how they were going to eliminate the grocery tax back in 2017, and how our governor and legislators promised it would be gone. You can expect the same kind of promise about this casino and how it will bring in millions to lower our taxes. Remember the infamous words of President Ronald Reagan’s the “Most Terrifying Words” are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”.
“We Get the Government We Deserve”
