WCN Mid-April to Mid-May 2024 Edition

Volume 25, Issue 1

WisconsinChristianNews.com

Page 11

What Happens In Kenosha Stays in Kenosha?

ConstitutionPartyOfWisconsin.com

By Michaeljon Murphy, Vice Chairman Constitution Party of Wisconsin April 2024 It has been troubling to watch the progress of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, in part- nership with Hard Rock Interna- tional, march forward in plans for a new Kenosha casino. The proj-

abling tribal casinos in our state. A Modest Proposal One of the best illustra- tions of the true nature of legalized gambling came from offbeat comedian Emo Philips. On June 1, 1992, The Chicago Sun-Times printed his editorial with the biting wit of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Pro- posal.” I leave you with Emo’s commentary. Since the Illinois lottery, riverboat gambling and le- galized horse racing have already provided Illinois

ect is planned for a spot west of Interstate 94 near Highway 50. It will include 1,500 slot machines, more than fifty table games, and the ability to make on-site bets on sporting events. To make the gambling more palatable, the site will feature restaurants, a hotel and a Hard Rock Cafe with live entertainment. Not in My Backyard? On January 3, the proposal was approved by the Kenosha City Common Council in an 11-6 vote. Common Council President Rocco Lamacchia said he had heard from a num- ber of constituents prior to the vote, with about half in sup- port and half in opposition. He ended up supporting the proposal. “It’s hard for me as an alderman to turn down the money that they say they're going to give us, 3% of sales, which could be anywhere from $3 million to $8.5 million a year. It’s hard to say no to that,” Lamacchia said. John Bush of the local group Citizens Against Expanded Gaming (citizensagainstgambling.com) commented, “Why do we have to rely on something that brings addiction, that brings negative consequences to bring union jobs? Why can’t we find something positive for the community?” Lamacchia ap- peared to paint the opposition as coming from outsiders however, saying, “We had a lot of people from outside of the city like Somers, Pleasant Prairie, Bristol, against it, but it’s not in their territory. It’s in the city of Kenosha.” Apparently, Mr. Lamaccchia is borrowing a line from an- other famous gambling city: “What happens in Kenosha stays in Kenosha.” However, this talisman may not have the power he hopes for. I’m sure he is expecting that the tax revenue will remain in Kenosha, but will the litany of ills that gambling brings with it remain there as well? Some of the Ills of Gambling • 65% of compulsive gamblers commit crimes to finance their gambling. • Gambling related embezzlements continue to rise in Wis- consin. Will the crime stay in Kenosha? • Suicide rates are 20 times higher among pathological gam- blers compared to non-gamblers. Will these tragic deaths stay in Kenosha? • Studies show that the Wisconsin casino market is already over-saturated; having a casino within 10 miles of home cre- ates a 90% increase in the odds of someone becoming a pathological or problem gambler. Will the gambling addic- tions stay in Kenosha? The stats on this one seem to favor Lamacchia. One of the selling points of the tribe is that the develop- ment will bring tourism (they estimate over 2 million visitors yearly), so it is not a good bet that the problems will stay in Kenosha. Many other areas will pay for the bad decisions of the local government. It is a sad state that most politi- cians seem easily swayed by the glittering gold of tax dollars and overlook the social impacts of their policies. They will likely find that they are panning for fool’s gold. Citizens Against Gambling says, “A 2022 economic brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond examined the impact of casinos from a variety of social and economic perspec- tives. They found that, ‘despite tax revenues being a major motivator for state legalization of casinos, there is little ev- idence that they boost state taxes.’” The Next Steps The Kenosha County Board later moved the project for- ward with a close 10-9 vote that was finally decided after 1:00am on January 17 following hours of debate. On Feb- ruary 6, the tribe signed an intergovernmental agreement with city and county officials. These documents will be part of the tribe’s application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which will need to designate the land as a reservation, then the process will require the signature of Governor Evers. Ronald J. Corn, Sr., the Menominee Tribe chairman is hope- ful that the process ends in approval within in a year or two. The Constitution Party of Wisconsin recognizes gambling as a social evil and calls for the repeal of legislation en-

how Chicago’s education coffers would soon overflow. To those who question whether our government should be involved in these admittedly more aggressive revenue pursuits, I would remind them that people are going to play the shell game anyway. They are going to fall victim to con men anyway. They are going to follow beautiful women into deserted stairwells and get their skulls bashed in anyway. At least with my proposal, the state can control these activ- ities and can skim money from them for our school sys- tem...money that would otherwise be going to unsavory characters. Contact us today at 608-561-7996 or email: member- ship@constitutionpartyofwisconsin.com to receive your free, no-obligation information packet. Thank you. ConstitutionPartyOfWisconsin.com (608) 561-7996

with jobs and revenue, I see no reason not to implement the Chicago casino proposal immediately. In fact, there are many kindred opportunities. The simplest of these would be the shell game. After com- pleting an approved two-week course in slight-of-hand, the state-licensed operators could give all our public areas a taste of casino action. A personable, yet aggressive opera- tor would cajole people into wagering who otherwise would not even have been thinking about it. The take to the state easily would dwarf the massive percentage it skims off the Lottery. Another opportunity for Illinois to enrich itself is through the classic “pigeon-drop” con. In this maneuver, a potential victim or “mark” finds a briefcase at the same time as do two state-employed con artists, who pretend not to know each other. They all open the briefcase and discover it is

full of cash, along with some indication that the money is il- licit. One of the con men runs off to “consult a trusted lawyer.” When he returns, he informs the other two that the money can be legally theirs if it is held for 30 days. The mark is elected to hold the money, in return for leaving a smaller amount of his own money with the con men as “good faith.” As soon as he gives his money to the con men, they depart, and when the mark opens the suit- case...he finds it has been switched to one containing shredded newspaper! Sadly, a trip to the casinos is out of the question for most elderly invalids. The Land of Lincoln should service this neglected segment by send- ing out shady repairmen who would come right to the doors of the invalids, convince them that without expensive repairs their furnaces could blow at any moment and then cut out immediately after receiving several thousand dollars. To get money from well- heeled visitors to our state, I would stock Chicago’s hotels and convention centers with alluring females whom I would dub “Daley Girls.” A Daley Girl would lure a pros- perous-looking tourist or con- ventioneer into a deserted stairway, alley or parking garage, where another city employee would bash him over the head. Assume an av- erage return of $200 on each visitor (not including his watch!) and it is easy to see

Pray For God’s Forgiveness and Healing Of Our Land

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Our Backyard Constitutional Patriot rallies will again be going around WI! With your contact info, we can let you know when we will be in your region of WI – maybe even in your backyard. Listen to great speakers and have great conversations with pa- triots who share your values and who will fight for your consti- tutional rights always! T;D=D%43D%@>434?6DD=%4?J%E37C<=D=%:D%43D%4BB%677%;4EE5%67%KDDE]%'>3=%<=%4%E4365%78%6;D% :<BB<?@I%O73D%4?J%C73D%A7?=6<6>6<7?4B%A;3<=6<4?=%43D%3D[>D=6<?@%7>3%<?873C46<7?%E4GKD6=I%O4?5% =<?GD%;4FD%4?J%43D%G7?6<?><?@%67%b7<?%>=%PDG4>=D%6;D5%K?7:%6;D%63>6;I%N76;%6;D%)7?KD5%4?J%6;D% .BDE;4?6%E436<D=%;4FD%=>33D?JD3DJ%67%6;D%:73BJ%=5=6DC%4?J%43D%3766DJ%837C%6;D%<?=<JD%7>6I%QD% ?DDJ%(7JR8D43<?@%=646D=CD?9%?76%G43DD39%P<@%=ED?J<?@%E7B<6<G<4?=I%% Q;D?%57>%G7?64G6%>=9%4=K%>=%4P7>6%7>3%>EG7C<?@%DFD?6=9%<?GB>J<?@%7>3%4??>4B%A7?FD?6<7?%c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`I%% aI ! $7>3%G7?64G6%<?87%G4?%PD%3DC7FDJ%>E7?%57>3%3D[>D=6I%

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