I've written before about the dangers of government by manufactured crisis - which is all too familiar under the Harper Cons and the Wall Sask Party alike.
But in light of recent events, I feel compelled to add that an inexplicable "you must accept our plan NOW! NOW! NOW!" only gets worse when followed by a gleeful "MWAHAHAHAHA!!!".
On the casinos front . . . I don't suppose any party has explored the viewpoint that casinos basically represent a form of regressive taxation with the added drawback of fostering gambling addiction and corruption? I've never really understood the widespread multi-party approval for expanding as much as feasible an institution that represents basically a negative sum game practised, on average, more at the expense of the most vulnerable. Casinos don't, lest we forget, actually create money from nothing. They take people's money and give it to casino owners--in this case the government. I suppose if you're going to have casinos, better the public take the money than some foreign huckster, but it seems to me something to minimize.
ReplyDeleteThe Ontario Liberal government purposed a casino or two in Toronto, but Toronto city council voted it down by a wide margin (with the Fords among the few that supported it). Then all the surrounding municipalities rejected it too. Concern about addiction and crime where the main reasons it was rejected.
DeletePLG: A very good point which I briefly mention in my subsequent column on the subject: http://accidentaldeliberations.blogspot.ca/2014/02/new-column-day_13.html
DeleteThe "why" seems like a fairly easy answer, as it's one of the few forms of gross revenue which isn't normally subject to as much right-wing opposition as taxes. But we should definitely recognize the danger that the costs will outweigh any benefit.