My father for the last several years has worked as a dealer at Hollywood Casino in Aurora, IL. Because he needed the income to supplement my mother's in the raising of their 3-year-old granddaughter (among other things), it wasn't as if his job was his dream job, but at his age, what's he going to do? McDonald's?

He made some good money there, even though his work scheduled sucked (8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. four nights a week).

Well, as many folks here may have read, Blagojevich and the Democratically-controled Illinois General Assembly just jacked up Illinois' casino tax to a confiscatory rate of 70%. Wow!

Already at the highest in the nation at 50% the last two years, the new rate of 70% goes into effect July 1, 2003. Plus, the "admission charge" goes from $3 to $5 per person. Patrons never had to actually pay this charge, because the casinos just paid it based on number of people attending. Now, however, the casinos are going to charge admission just to get in.

My father has informed me that at his casino alone, 130 people were laid off this past Wednesday, the 25th. Another 170 people were called at home and told they're history. My father was in Human Resources Wednesday and was told his last shift is this Sunday night. One of his friends there who just bought a house got the axe.

Now they're all going to be added to Illinois' unemployment rolls, lining up to collect unemployment insurance from Illinois' already in-the-red unemployment insurance fund.

A total of 300 people are being fired from the Hollywood Casino alone. Furthermore, they increased the cost of parking there by 100%. They are eliminating over half their table games and all their "revenue sharing" slot machines (that's where casinos share slot revenue w/ the machines' manufacturers).

The other Illinois casinos are following suit--all because of the outrageous tax rate of 70%. Our greedy governor is convinced that this increased tax will bring in several hundred million dollars of additional revenue for the state. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that this will not only NOT happen, but that even LESS tax revenue than before will be the result.

Another stupid idea on his part: In the tax increase Blagojevich opposed the lifting of gaming positions in Illinois casinos. Illinois is the only state in the nation whose casinos are limited to a fixed number of gaming positions: 1200 per casino. One slot machine = one gaming position. One card table game = seven positions. One craps table = 15 positions.

Neighboring Indiana, whose casinos number 2500 to 3000 or more positions, is raking in the money, thereby producing increased tax revenue for that state. Furthermore, increasingly more Illinois residents are going to Indiana's casinos for this and the above reasons. Moreover, Indiana for the first time ever surpassed Illinois' casino revenue for the year 2002.

But our governor is blind to this, stupidly thinking that increased taxes results in more revenue. You see why this isn't the case? Heck, in NY, the increase in the cigarette tax has had the opposite effect, driving people to New Jersey and other underground places to buy their smokes.

Even Illinois' AFL-CIO president Margaret Blackshere opposed this tax increase. As she put it: "It's all about jobs."

She's right. Both her organization and the Republicans in the Illinois Legislature--an odd partnership there, indeed--vehemently fought this tax increase, but the Democrats saw dollar signs in their eyes.

Now my father has experienced this first-hand. Thanks, Governor, for causing him--and hundreds of others--to lose their job.

[ June 29, 2003, 01:29 AM: Message edited by: MIB ]

you are being far too generous to the current governor; he deserves only a very small portion of the credit, not all of it.

some credit should go to the previous governors who, when times were flush didn't hold spending in check as much as they should have. they made the absurd mistake so many others did; they believed the good times would last forever. and they weren't fiscally prudent.

and certainly some credit goes to our president's job-creating (oh, the irony) tax cuts, which, because of cuts in aid to states and municipalities didn't really cut taxes at all, but merely shifted them to the local level.

so, i think you owe governor ryan and president bush an apology for not acknowledging their contribution to your father's unfortunate circumstance.

Such a typical response. I'm not surprised.

Bush isn't at fault for Illinois' fiscal woes; and I despise former Governor Lyin' Ryan anyway. He's to blame for a lot of schit in this state. However, NONE of this excuses an asinine, confiscatory tax that is going to result in LESS tax revenue for the state, not more.

There are a myriad of ways to balance Illinois' budget. Jacking up the casino tax to lose jobs isn't one of them.

I do think the Bush policies are having a direct effect on the states, and to say otherwise is wrong. This is NOT to say it is only Bush that is at fault, just that it is a part of the problem. Take the leave no child behind. This is an underfunded federal mandate. It is costing my state millions of dollars. Also in my state the Bush admin has cut funding for the children of the military, the schools districts have to pay for them. that change cost San Diego some 3.5 million dollars. The funds had to found some where.
Now I also do not think a hike in tax is always the best course. So MIB where you you come up with the money, cut state workers? How about stopping some programs or road construction?
Before blaming or defending someone, how about coming up with where you would find the funds, or cut spending?

Guess what dude? Almost 3 million other people have lost their jobs since Bush became "president", hopefully your dad will get a great tax cut and then find another job.

[ June 29, 2003, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: RazorbackTX ]

I being one of them!

You bring up a good point, one which has irked me for some time. Congress is damn good at unfunded mandates. It's utterly irresponsible to mandate the states do this or that but then refuse to assist them in paying for it. This congressional stupidity has been going on for a long time, with both parties to blame for it.

Of course, they always find time to stick in their congressional pay raises.

Actually, Blagojevich is, indeed, cutting a bunch of state workers, particularly in the patronage-laden commissions and boards.

Did anyone in Illinois bother to realize that the General Assembly just can't say NO when it comes to spending? How can we cut the budget when we jack up spending on a lot of programs that should be cut? Pork, pork, and more pork--or payoffs to friends, in reality.

Also, why is it when the state was flush with money that it couldn't stop itself from its orgiastic spending spree? Governor Lyin' Ryan was to blame for a lot of this as well, since he was the king in dishing out costly projects to friends.

A typical asinine liberal response. I'm sure if my old man was some leftist you'd be crying your tears. Another example of how the Left truly IS the insensitive, careless ones. Always negative are they. (And puhleeze, don't try to lump me in with the Right, either. I'm a proud Independent.)

You still lack the intelligence to see how BAD this whopping tax increase is, don't you? I'll say it again: When the AFL-CIO and its president, a staunch liberal named Margaret Blackshere, are vehemently opposed to it, along with Republicans, businesses, and many citizens, it kinda makes us here wonder.

Mrs. Blackshere was 100% correct when she said it's all about jobs, and how it's going to cost a lot of people theirs.

It's bad enough when tough economic times cost people their jobs, but when it's avoidable, like it is here, it's more frustrating.

[ June 29, 2003, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: MIB ]