Flaming Mad
There are many things I appreciate about my county government. They do a good job with their schools, which is no short order considering our urban environment. They have done well in the last few years when it comes to economic development, pretty much trumping all other development projects in the metro area. Overall, I am a satisfied citizen. Though, as big a supporter as I am, I am currently disgruntled over one issue.
Gambling.
Wyandotte County is proposing two questions for the June 26th election. The first is whether or not we should have a $250 million casino and the second is a request to put electronic slots out at one of our classiest destinations, the local horse track. I'd be slightly annoyed if it was a fair fight and they were giving people space to explore the issues, but that is far from the case. The local government has turned into the biggest cheerleader for the passing of both questions and has thrown all of their resources into promoting their cause.
The main website that is promoting gambling in Wyandotte County tells you all you need to know. It's a really slick site. Sharp and well done. My favorite part is the About Us page. First and foremost it lists the Citizens for Gaming in WyCo Honorary Chairs. Clausie Smith, Heinz Rodgers, Joe Reardon are listed under that heading which is interesting because they also happen to be the mayors of the three cities that make up Wyandotte County. Classic.
But that's not the worst part. The thing that really infuriated me was when an official Wyandotte County newsletter showed up at my house the other day. The thing was practically an infomercial dedicated to getting these two questions passed.
I was pissed. And I don't say that lightly. But seriously, it made me want to cuss. Nothing like your tax dollars at work to support gambling.
At the end of the day, gambling is a justice issue for me. I don't think that God wants us to get caught up in the idea that we should seek opportunities to get a lot of money really quickly. This obviously sounds a little hypocritical coming from a guy who made a butt load of cash in 30 minutes on national television, but for the first time ever I'm going to play the trump card that most of those winnings were funneled back into something that I believe honored God and the paradigms of restorative justice that run throughout the Bible. If I'm out of line and being a hypocrite, then call me out.
I also have a big problem with people benefiting from somebody in a way that feeds into addiction and values that are not helpful to sustaining and building strong families and communities. But that's what casino's do. Yeah. I'm really impressed that 2% of the casino earnings will go to fight gambling addiction. Someone certainly deserves a cookie for that. I'm not sure that one of the kingdom ethics we see in scripture is that it's ok to contribute to social dysfunction as long as you make a half-hearted effort to help the people you are hurting.
What really disappoints me is that I used to go to church with one of the honorary chairs mentioned above. It's sad to see Christians in government who throw their entire weight behind principles that are anti-justice. And it makes me really mad. So mad that if this thing passes, I will absolutely refuse to vote Reardon back into office.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to call MTV. I'm going to ask them to make a reality show out of this whole deal. We'll call it Pimp My Constituency. It'll be a huge hit.
Fair Dinkum
Gambling.
Wyandotte County is proposing two questions for the June 26th election. The first is whether or not we should have a $250 million casino and the second is a request to put electronic slots out at one of our classiest destinations, the local horse track. I'd be slightly annoyed if it was a fair fight and they were giving people space to explore the issues, but that is far from the case. The local government has turned into the biggest cheerleader for the passing of both questions and has thrown all of their resources into promoting their cause.
The main website that is promoting gambling in Wyandotte County tells you all you need to know. It's a really slick site. Sharp and well done. My favorite part is the About Us page. First and foremost it lists the Citizens for Gaming in WyCo Honorary Chairs. Clausie Smith, Heinz Rodgers, Joe Reardon are listed under that heading which is interesting because they also happen to be the mayors of the three cities that make up Wyandotte County. Classic.
But that's not the worst part. The thing that really infuriated me was when an official Wyandotte County newsletter showed up at my house the other day. The thing was practically an infomercial dedicated to getting these two questions passed.
I was pissed. And I don't say that lightly. But seriously, it made me want to cuss. Nothing like your tax dollars at work to support gambling.
At the end of the day, gambling is a justice issue for me. I don't think that God wants us to get caught up in the idea that we should seek opportunities to get a lot of money really quickly. This obviously sounds a little hypocritical coming from a guy who made a butt load of cash in 30 minutes on national television, but for the first time ever I'm going to play the trump card that most of those winnings were funneled back into something that I believe honored God and the paradigms of restorative justice that run throughout the Bible. If I'm out of line and being a hypocrite, then call me out.
I also have a big problem with people benefiting from somebody in a way that feeds into addiction and values that are not helpful to sustaining and building strong families and communities. But that's what casino's do. Yeah. I'm really impressed that 2% of the casino earnings will go to fight gambling addiction. Someone certainly deserves a cookie for that. I'm not sure that one of the kingdom ethics we see in scripture is that it's ok to contribute to social dysfunction as long as you make a half-hearted effort to help the people you are hurting.
What really disappoints me is that I used to go to church with one of the honorary chairs mentioned above. It's sad to see Christians in government who throw their entire weight behind principles that are anti-justice. And it makes me really mad. So mad that if this thing passes, I will absolutely refuse to vote Reardon back into office.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to call MTV. I'm going to ask them to make a reality show out of this whole deal. We'll call it Pimp My Constituency. It'll be a huge hit.
Fair Dinkum