On Tuesday, November 3rd 2009, Ohio became the 38th state to allow casino gambling. In celebration of that step toward progress, I invoke the age old wisdom of Mother Goose in the following.
This is the country that Jack built.
This is the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the steel
That forms the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This the is foundry
That forged the steel
That goes in the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the town
That surrounded the foundry
That forged the steel
That goes in the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the grocer
That supplies the town
That surrounds the foundry
That forged the steel
That goes in the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
This is the daughter of the grocer
Who went to college to become a doctor
And worked in the town
That surrounded the foundry
That forged the steel
That goes in the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lays in the country that Jack built
This is the teacher who taught in the school
That married the daughter
Who went to college to become a doctor
And worked in the town
That surrounded the foundry
That forged the steel
That goes in the engine
That runs the car
That goes down the road
That lay in the country that Jack built
--or--
This is the casino that Jack built
This is the dollar
That was spent in the casino that Jack built
This is the offshore bank account
That received the dollar
That was spent in the casino that Jack built
-The End-
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Glenn Farrington
Juliet Waters
Monsieur Chariot
SuznMaree
ChicagoLawyer78
Joan K
Salon.com
Comments
Add in the lines, this is the tax made on the dollar, spent in the casino that Jack built.
Yes, casinos have service jobs. They will never compare to a manufacturing economy. We bought into the "outsourcing nonsense. That was supposed to create "insourcing". That was a lie. What we now have in 38 states is casinos. Enjoy the rust.
The religious love to believe in absolutist terms but ignore the wisdoms that were intended to be handed down. We are reaping the whirlwind.
But let's face it: Casinos and lotteries are taxes for people who don't do math.
And my objection is not "ethical". I have no objection to gambling on moral grounds. I dont gamble because it is stupid. But I dont think it sends anyone to hell or any such superstition.
Casinos collect money and send it to offshore accounts. The money does not circulate. Casinos are parasitic. But that is water under the bridge now.
Then again, I may be the only one who watches billiards on tv and wishes that Ohio had casinos that would draw billiards events.
As for the "argument", casinos dont produce anything. Take the example of a car. There is a LONG list of suppliers that attaches to each construction of each vehicle. Gambling does not do that. It also removes money that might otherwise circulate. This is not in doubt. You are right, other forms of entertainment also basically drain dollars. Entertainment is not productive either. But the money that goes into entertainment cant compare to a casino. People dont get addicted to going to movies or concerts. And f they did, you're not likely to lose a mortgage over excessive purchase of concert tickets.
It may not be the lifestyle you choose to live, but you base your objection to others living that lifestyle based on your own moral framework, therefore it IS a moral objection.
In other words, so what if someone else gets addicted or loses their house or their livelihood? Unless you are paying for their recovery, how does it affect you?
By the way... is there some reason that you completely ignore the LOCAL businesses that benefit from casinos? I'm SURE that there's many a "local" farmer who sells their produce to the casinos (from fruits and veggies to milk, meat, cheese, wine, beer, etc... ) and that their doing so is of benefit to the economy... It may not be on the same scale as auto manufacturing BUT then again MOST manufacturing is detrimental rather than beneficial.
That new car you are so worried about being manufactured... I and millions of people like me will NEVER buy another car made by either GM or Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge. NEVER. Guaranteed. I have been a LOYAL Chrysler new vehicle purchaser since I bought a little lemon yellow 1982 Plymouth Horizon Mizer off the lot at Arbor Dodge in Ann Arbor Michigan in December of 1981. I'll NEVER give Chrysler another dime...not even for PARTS. On the other hand I DID buy a brand spanking new KIA yesterday. Under different circumstances it would have been a Chrysler product (well, more specifically it would have been a Dodge).
Rated.
To me, addiction is addiction. Whether it takes one hand of poker or 20 years of concert tickets and concert paraphernalia is somewhat irrelevant when the end result is the same, and intervention does not occur in either case.
Your argument, which seems to be in favor of absolute prohibition of gambling never works. It didn't work with alcohol, it wouldn't work with guns, or gambling, or any other luxury commodity. The best we can do for society is to have the resources available for those who would end up abusing such services.
Now, the fact that we never WILL have the proper resources to deal with the potential abue of these powers is a totally different discussion for another time. But, history has shown us, prohibition simply never works, and often causes more problems than regulated allowance of such things
"Your argument which seems..." Why not just ask me if I favor the prohibition of gambling. Here is my answer. I dont. Second, I am not writing, nor am I concerned with addiction, or any other medical or psychological aspect. I am addressing this issue in Ohio as an economic issue.
This quote above is an example of where the problem lies. If people are going into economic distress from the presence of a casino, then economies can be ruined. Again, staying within the context of the statement that you made. Economies are zero sum. There is a certain amount of money circulating at any given point. If the current state of affairs, whatever they may be, is attracting game players who are losing their financial stability to the gamers, then instability will be introduced into the community. A person, or large group of persons who lose their home (per the example for clarity) will lack the cash to support the other businesses of the community. Those businesses will go into economic distress and possibly fail. Then gradually the diversity of the business community will evaporate and the last thing standing will be the gaming place. Casinos have the potential to be a malignancy in a community. They offer steaks at a discount below cost to attract gamblers. Then the restaurant across the street who uses the steak to make money is undercut, and goes into economic distress, etc, etc, etc. Per your example, if the casino causes a huge economic wake, like an aircraft carrier sailing thru a pond, then the effect can be disastrous. Addiction is not the focus of my concern. Addiction is just one more fuel to a fire of bad economic decisions. It is analogous to a wild fire. Hot and dry has a certain negative potential. Hot and dry and windy is increased negative potential. Addiction would be the high winds. Winds in and of themselves are not bad. But added to the other things as a fire is rising can contribute to a disaster. It is not about the morality. It is about the combination of elements which can destroy a community's economy.
Voters in Ohio voted to change the State Constitution for the benefit of ONE company? (Bill please excuse my language for a moment)
HOW in SAM HELL did they pull THAT off? I think I spent too long as an election official... there's not a hope in Hell they went about THAT one honestly. It darn sure isn't in the best interests of the VOTERS for a change to be made to the State Constitution that benefits ONE company.
Forget the economics questions and the moral questions... where the heck are the Sherman Anti-Trust laws when you NEED them?
If could rate this one again I would. Thanks for standing up for Ohio, Bill.
And if you don't abolish them completely how do you prevent those types of businesses from being parasitic to the community?
Also, I did not advocate for the abolition of anything. To put it differently with an analogy, lets use cars. I use cars. I support their use. But do oppose their use on sidewalks. I think it is reasonable and necessary to limit their use to roads. Just because I think they should be kept off of sidewalks does not mean I advocate for their "abolition".
And THAT is the point. Economies *ARE* circular. Hell, the US has endured through a recession every 15 or 20 years since the great depression. And neither manufacturing jobs, or luxury commodities (Casinos etc) can prevent that, when OTHER states economies affect ours
As for the circular nature of "products no longer wanted", factories can retool and produce NEW products. There are highways, freeways, and canals which extend north to south along the eastern and western borders of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania respectively. Those roads connect DOZENS of towns and cities which contained factories which produced wealth, incomes, and maintained the middle class for a century. A few of those factories remain. Many of those people remaining have gone from metal workers to sandwich artists. The products are still being made, they have just been "outsourced" to various countries around the globe.
I sense that you are just pulling my leg with your series of comments. They are fairly easily debunked, and the common theme seems to be that you like gambling. That's cool. I know some people like gambling. I have NO PROBLEM with that. My point is, gambling is no good way to make a foundation for your economy. It is not good at a poker table, and it is not good as credit default swaps and other forms of derivatives. Those are non productive "games" which only push paper. A productive manufacturing economy is a stable foundation. To paraphrase a woman from Detroit, "we are living in a material world, and we are material {beings}."
And 9 times out of 10, the answer is no. 9 times out of 10, when a product or service is no longer needed, or is outsourced to another country, the original company usually just up and leaves, instead of retooling their company to fit the ever changing needs of the community, and when a company leaves, they take the money they earned with them, thus it becomes linear. And when that company leaves, it is replaced by a new upstart company that will accomodate the new needs of the community, until that product or service is no longer wanted or needed, then that company will leave or fold.
that pattern is one of the factors in what causes the "Bubbles" in the economy that occur every 15-20 years. Far too many companies, regardless of the product or service they provide, are all too often satisfied with reeping the people of their money, then leaving and essentially doing the same somewhere else. Let's see how outsourcing affects Mexico and India in 20 years, I suspect the results will not be as positive to their economy as it curently is. But, yes, even that money does eventually circulate back into the economy in small ways, even if it takes years for that money to be released from off shore accounts, the money eventually does to back into the system.
Contrary to popular belief, money does not just POOF and disappear into thin air unless it is physically destroyed. Look at the number of people now who are finding that the government, in one form or another is holding onto money for them. That money may have been saved in bank accounts for decades, and yet, once the money is discovered by its rightful owner, that money is then put back into the economy.
In other words,yes, there may be stops and starts to the circulation, but the circulation does happen eventually
You said "when a product or service is no longer needed....it is outsourced..." That is absolutely wrong. If it is "outsourced" it is still needed, it is just being moved to reduce the cost of production. Your premise is entirely false. Entirely, completely, utterly wrong.
You said, "the circulation stops and starts....but it returns eventually." Circulation is necessary to be maintained. It is circulation analogous to the circulation of blood in the body. It is necessary that it be maintained continually. When it is not maintained, poor health ensues. Yes, a civilization may fall and then eons later another may rise on the same location. But the context of maintaining a healthy economy is about health now, not eventually. Circulation starting again someday is not acceptable in the context of this question.
First, casinos drain circulation to themselves. Production of whatever, not just cars, spreads circulation widely. The proof of the multiple layers of a production economy are spread across the country, and throughout our state. This is physical, historical fact. This is not a theory.
Second, I did not say "luxury commodities". You said that. many luxury commodities are manufactured. You are making up statements and arguing with yourself. The distinction I made was manufacturing and gaming. Dont put words in my mouth. The issue was about gaming and industry. The comparison is that of Ohio's past......INDUSTRY, and Ohio's future......casinos. And further, I did not say that casinos WILL be the foundation. I compared the two types to demonstrate the differences. major manufacturing brings with it supplemental manufacturing. I can show you rows of aluminum cape cod houses in Bedford Hts. that were used to house a couple of generations of middle class workers who built the standard of living that was the envy of the world. Manufacturing economies have ripples of supply production. Gaming does not. Plain and simple.
Lets put it another way. Gaming has existed for centuries. Gaming does not require a major infrastructure. There are guys in Times Square in New York City who have gaming operations. Guys with weekly poker games in their basements. If gaming can build a country the way that industry can, why would Cornelius Vanderbilt risk millions to construct a railroad when he could much more easily construct a card table? Why would Edison make a light bulb, and General Electric when he would just make a roulette table? Why would Carnegie make a blast furnace when he could more easily, more safely, and more cheaply make a slot machine? The reason is industry builds civilizations. Gaming does not. Dice do not span the distance over the San Francisco Bay. Sports betting did not dig the Panama Canal. It takes builders to build neighborhoods. Its takes hammers and nails. Casinos are a house of cards.
Wander over to my blog and using ONLY the information there compile a list of 10 things manufactured ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD that I absolutely CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT.
Your contention is that Manufacturing is NECESSARY because we can't live without STUFF. Trust me... we do NOT NEED STUFF. We DO however NEED the dirt on which we ALL live. A quick look at the SuperFund Cleanup list SHOULD demonstrate just how much DAMAGE manufacturing does... NO amount of regulation is going to "fix" the damage... and YES, this ball of dirt IS more important than mere money.
Yes, I admit to being unusual in society today... there's NOTHING manufactured anywhere in the WORLD that I absolutely can't live without. It's just STUFF and if I am going to count coups I'm going to do it WITH HONOR.
I honestly do not know where you get that understanding of what I said. Granted, I quoted Madonna, but that was slightly in jest.
This post is about economy types. This is not a philosophical discussion of whether or not it is necessary to have "stuff".
Do you get the distinction I am making? Gambling versus production in the context of an economic basis for a state or a country is the context of this discussion.
There are about 8 million people in Ohio, and about 30o million in the United States. At some point about 150 years ago, we began switching over from a mostly agrarian society to a industrial society. Production of everything from food to textiles became centralized and removed from the common daily lives of everyone. In other words, we dont make our own clothing and grow our own food, etc. Some do more than others, but the society as a whole is not characteristically that way. In the question, "do we need stuff" , spiritually, no. Logistically and realistically, yes. If you removed grocery stores and transportation suddenly tomorrow, chaos would ensue. Take the aftermath of the hurricane in New Orleans as an example. It was not the the weather that was the main problem. It was the shut down on the functioning of modern society for just a few days. Things were thrown into crisis.
Can we evolve into a society with fewer things? Yes, of course. But that would take an effort. We cant just shut down. This discussion is about the collapse of one economic paradigm in the midwest that has existed for a century. It is not a plea, or a cry for more physical things. I dont see how you could think that is what I was saying.
I KNOW the history and how we got here. Thanks for the history though. I can tell that we are going to disagree on this one. *I* view manufacturing in the same manner that others view the "war on terror".
"Chaos" wouldn't ensue for long because SMART people would figure out fairly quickly that they CAN do a lot with a lot LESS than they currently do. 3 people do NOT "need" a 4500 square foot 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house packed to the rafters with gizmos and gadgets. 2 people do NOT "need" 4 vehicles (and the assortment of insurance and plates that goes on them). NONE of us "needs" instant potatoes, "french fries", Tyson Chicken, ice cream, cool whip, margarine and a wealth of other CRAP that is found in the average grocery store. We WANT it because we are convinced that we "need" it by people who are more interested in THEIR bottom line and stampeding us like a herd of buffalo over the edge of a cliff than they are anyone's ACTUAL well-being.
The ONLY thing that keeps a manufacturing economy going is people who are willing to sell their soul for either STUFF or to conform to what they believe to be "normal". "I have to go to work to make STUFF so that I can get money to buy STUFF that someone else made to get money so that they can buy the STUFF that I got paid to make." (Kind of reminds one of the old Dunkin Donuts commercial.) THAT is manufacturing... and it's based ENTIRELY on WANT rather than NEED.
We do not NEED any of the CRAP that is manufactured... We WANT it because it is (mostly) convenient and we believe that possessing it makes us "normal". Both are a whole different kettle of fish than whether or not we NEED something.