Will Question 7 fund Md Schools? by increasing casinos?

[Anonymous]

I normally vote just the opposite of all Post endorsements.

On this one the Post endorsed a YES vote. I was shocked but its good enough for me.

I am voting YES.

[Anonymous]

The only real opposition to this question has been provided by Penn National who stands to lose a lot of money if Maryland gamblers stay home to gamble.

Now today we find out that Penn National has dumped another seven million dollars into the mix.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/penn-national-gaming-kicks-in-another-6-million-in-bid-to-defeat-question-7/2012/11/02/9194f44a-252d-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am voting big YES!

Me too, I think it will provide undesirables with a nice distraction and keep them corralled in PG county.

I hope this is a joke - sarcasm.

However, if now, you're really scum.

And I live in Mo Co.

[Anonymous]

if NOT, I meant

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am voting big YES!

Me too, I think it will provide undesirables with a nice distraction and keep them corralled in PG county.

I hope this is a joke - sarcasm.

However, if now, you're really scum.

And I live in Mo Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only real opposition to this question has been provided by Penn National who stands to lose a lot of money if Maryland gamblers stay home to gamble.

Now today we find out that Penn National has dumped another seven million dollars into the mix.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/penn-national-gaming-kicks-in-another-6-million-in-bid-to-defeat-question-7/2012/11/02/9194f44a-252d-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

I think what you meant to say was "the only people spending money on the no campaign" is Penn National. There are lots of people that either don't think we should try to build the PG county economy on gambling, or else support gambling but think the legislature gave away the store to the casinos. MD could easily end up with less money and more problems a few years down the road.

[Anonymous]

Governor O'Malley links on FB to a fact check that he says confirms the money will go to schools.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/politics/Expanded-gambling-ad-fact-checked/-/9379266/17120680/-/oh048hz/-/index.html#.UIivvvQ3FQs.facebook

[Anonymous]

This doesn't suggest more money will be spent on education, only that the funds will be used for current spending.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if this is the Question 7 thread that has the stupid strawman downtown Bethesda question in it or whether it's the other one. I might not support a gigantic casino in downtown Bethesda, because that area is already completely overwhelmed by the expansion of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center among other things, and lacks the horl room and parking capacity to support anything of that size. I would have fought something like Strathmore Hall in downtown Bethesda, too. But National Harbor was pretty much designed to have a gigantic casino in it. There are a number of hotels there, as well as enough parking, restaurants, convention business, a new interstate ramp, et cetera. That is why there should be a casino there, if there needs to be a casino at all. And since we arty have terrible slot machine casinos, an upscale one with table games is an improvement and that location will attract money from gamblers in DC, Virginia, and all over (tourists.)

I voted yes already.

[Anonymous]

horl=hotel; arty=already. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if this is the Question 7 thread that has the stupid strawman downtown Bethesda question in it or whether it's the other one. I might not support a gigantic casino in downtown Bethesda, because that area is already completely overwhelmed by the expansion of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center among other things, and lacks the horl room and parking capacity to support anything of that size. I would have fought something like Strathmore Hall in downtown Bethesda, too. But National Harbor was pretty much designed to have a gigantic casino in it. There are a number of hotels there, as well as enough parking, restaurants, convention business, a new interstate ramp, et cetera. That is why there should be a casino there, if there needs to be a casino at all. And since we arty have terrible slot machine casinos, an upscale one with table games is an improvement and that location will attract money from gamblers in DC, Virginia, and all over (tourists.)

I voted yes already.

Here's how Maryland works: the wealthy people of lower Montgomery County (including Sliver Spring) wanted Strathmore and since they pretty much run the county now, it was a done deal as soon as Bathsheba said "David, I'm tired of driving downtown to see the NSO, I sure wish there was a closer venue" and it was so; the surrounding neighborhood couldn't do a damn thing about it. Port America, I mean National Harbor, has been on the master plan for at least the last 30 years, the boys in Annapolis want the revenue and have been waiting patiently for the right time to strike and they knew the only county in the DC Metro Area that is stupid enough to allow a full blown casino is PG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I were just discussing this..ok so the state raided the education fund..will not having casinos stop that? No they will just be raiding a smaller fund. What did they raid it for? TO feed the hungry? To improve roads? Just because $$ was transferred from education doesn't mean it was wasted. Most of the anti advertising is coming from WV casinos

Exactly. I'm holding my nose and voting yes on Q7. I don't like gaming as a revenue source, yet I think Maryland needs the jobs and money that would otherwise go to West Virginia. Life's full of imperfect choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the casino were to be built in downtown Bethesda, would you vote for Question 7?

Why dabble in "if/then's"? A casino will not be built in MoCo. It will be built in National Harbor,and PG needs the stimulus such a casino would provide in terms of both short term (construction) and long term jobs. Are they great jobs in the long term? Of course not. Fact is, though, that Q7 will keep MD $$ here in MD. So what if it's "only" $100 or so million, and so what if it just supplants what is already spent on education rather than an addition. It's still $100 million MORE than the state of MD had before!

Longterm it may reduce $ from gambling, because of the lowering of the state's share, and it might hurt PG's prospects for better development, not to mention that gambling does have social costs. We can do a lot better.

I don't follow your argument about the lowering of the state's share over the longterm. Is there wording in the referendum that specifically states that will happen, or is it conjecture on your part? I agree that gmbling has social costs and that's why I voted against gambling when it first came up. The casinos already exist in MD. Yes, an additional one would be built in PG should Q7 pass and yes table games are an addition. I believe the social costs of the additional casino and of adding table games is most likely miniscule compared to the benefit of the increased revenue to the state.

The central piece of Question 7 is that it provides tax breaks to the existing casinos of up to 27%. The reasoning was to offset loss of income from a new competitor in PG. Also the measure allows for the state to pay for costs associated with development of PG casino (for road improvements and infrastructure), not the developer of the casino. And there is nothing stating that PG casino must hire Maryland workers. I'm not necessarily against letting table games in, or opening up a new casino - but I don't think this was the best deal MD could get. We let gambling into MD, let's be smart about how we mange its growth.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I were just discussing this..ok so the state raided the education fund..will not having casinos stop that? No they will just be raiding a smaller fund. What did they raid it for? TO feed the hungry? To improve roads? Just because $$ was transferred from education doesn't mean it was wasted. Most of the anti advertising is coming from WV casinos

You're being foolish. Do you think the PRO advertising was coming from in-state? No, it was coming from out of state casinos looking to have a presence in MD.

First O'Malley gets/supports legislation to allow in-state tuition for illegal aliens, 6 months later he pushes to raise income taxes under the guise of "keeping tuition low." Then to make matters worse he pressed for spreading the presence of casinos in our state (bad for Maryland in the long run).

At least Peter Franchot, the man that actually watches Maryland's money (our Comptroller) understood the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Governor O'Malley links on FB to a fact check that he says confirms the money will go to schools.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/politics/Expanded-gambling-ad-fact-checked/-/9379266/17120680/-/oh048hz/-/index.html#.UIivvvQ3FQs.facebook

Strange - O'Malley doesn't actually doll the money out to schools. Peter Franchot, the state comptroller (look it up) does, and he is/was vehemently OPPOSED to this question. We don't need any more O'Malley shills in this forum. Thanks, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Governor O'Malley links on FB to a fact check that he says confirms the money will go to schools.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/politics/Expanded-gambling-ad-fact-checked/-/9379266/17120680/-/oh048hz/-/index.html#.UIivvvQ3FQs.facebook

Strange - O'Malley doesn't actually doll the money out to schools. Peter Franchot, the state comptroller (look it up) does, and he is/was vehemently OPPOSED to this question. We don't need any more O'Malley shills in this forum. Thanks, anyway.

I know O'Malley doesn't dole out money to schools. I know Franchot opposed Question 7. And I'm not a shill for O'Malley; I actually don't like him. I just posted a link. Sorry if that offends you!