Gambling. Alcohol. Tax relief. Tuition relief.
Those subjects keep raising their heads here in the Commonwealth.
Governor Rendell is proposing the legalization of video poker in all establishments that currently have liquor licenses in Pennsylvania. He is saying that the video poker machines are already here, why not make some money off of them?
Sounds reasonable.
But then there is the problem of mixing alcohol and gambling. We ran into the same situation a couple of years ago when he ok’d the casino’s to serve free alcohol to their patrons. That raised a shit storm of protest that quickly went away. Regardless, there is a concern with folks drinking and having the capability to flush their savings down the rabbit hole of instant winnings.
And lets make this clear. I like to play slot machines. I think that they are very entertaining. But I do know what I have to spend, and what I don’t have to spend. Not everyone has the capability to make those distinctions. And being drunk pretty much takes away your inhibitions, now doesn’t it?
So which side are you on?
Do you see the good that can come from the Commonwealth looking for ways to grab some of the cash that is already being spent out there? Or are you concerned with folks who don’t know when to say when?
With those questions in mind, keep it in the back of your head the numbers of folks out there driving around on suspended licenses because of drinking and driving.
Hmmm…..
