Constitution shouldn’t give a gambling monopoly to a select few
Constitution shouldn’t give a gambling monopoly to a select few
EDITOR:
The Columbus-based organization, TruthPAC, has been hammering Issue 3 for not obligating Ohio casinos to hire Ohioans as well as for identifying the negative impact casinos have on other nearby businesses. Great. Anything to persuade voter’s to reject Issue 3 is all right by me.
Nevertheless, voters also need to consider the serious problem of vested interests frivolously using the Ohio Constitution’s amendment process in order to give exclusive rights to a select group of insiders located in only four Ohio cities. A similar gambit was tried last year, as “fat cats” are relentless in locking into law their own monopolies.
In my opinion, if Ohio residents want casinos to replace wealth-generating heavy industry and manufacturing, any constitutional amendment should be worded to allow each county to regulate gambling within its own borders, or it might have the state legislature address the matter by auctioning off a half dozen or so gambling licenses to interested parties.
In any case, come Election Day, when the wheel stops, hopefully, Issue 3 and the people of Ohio win.
JIM KELLEY
Lake Milton