Gamble or Not to Gamble? That is the Question.

I was working on another entry regarding this issue but just couldn't get my thoughts together on it. I stepped back to think about it and maybe I can get my point across on it this time.

I am not a gambler. I have been to a casino five times in my life. Twice on a casino cruise off the coast of Georgia; once in Montgomery County at the Poarch Creek Indian casino; once in Las Vegas; and once in New Orleans. I got better things to do with my money than throw them into a machine, but I wanted to say that I tried it once. The times I won, which is twice, I walked away with more than I put in and the three times I lost, I lost a total of $60 - total.

The legality of "electronic bingo" is the debate here in Alabama. Several destination points here in the state have legalized charity bingo but some of these places have thrown in the "electronic" version into it which in my opinion is a slot machine. No matter how much you argue it - it looks and acts like a slot machine. Do I really care? NO! It doesn't affect me directly so I really don't care.

There are bills going through the State Legislature to allow this type of gambling in the state and possibly higher classes of gaming which would include card games, roulette, etc. The bill is not meaty enough myself and leave too much wide open. It is so vauge that I do not know if it will recoup the taxes owed to the state and if it will give special considerations the gaming facilities already open. Personally, I think we have plenty at this point.

My proposal - if were to be legalized - tax the heck out of the profits of the gaming facilities - at least 50%. Take that money and put it in an Education Trust Fund and a Public Safety Trust Fund - 75% and 25% respectfully. Current budgets for both will still submitted to the legislature and Governor and will be increased based on inflation on the cost of "doing business". The two trust funds are strictly "extra" money out there NOT a replacement. There should be no relying on the spending habits of gamblers. The money cannot be used for anything else EVER. Two other provisions is that facilities owners must give at least 10% to charities that benefit Alabamians and last but not least, the facility owners would have to dump money into programs to deal with people who might have a "problem" with gambling.

Everyone talks about the "moral" question of gaming. I guess you can call me a liberal, anti-family, anti-religion on this or hoping for the Apocalypse but maybe I just cant see how my losing of $60 over the last 6 years makes me immoral. I have lost more money on other crap.

Years ago, there was a former Governor of Alabama trying to institute a "education lottery" much like Florida and Georgia. It failed miserably but when a county needs to up the property taxes in a vote the answer is HELL NO! If an extra $50 a YEAR is going to keep my kid from being in a classroom with 50 kids, have a teacher overworked, and have to possibly buy $200 of classroom supplies every year, I will pay it. Every time I got across the state line into those states, I always buy lottery tickets. Does that make me a gambler as well? Heck, I call it a donation to keep that kid in school in the hopes that it keeps them from coming to my house and making me have to put two in them for breaking and entering.

According to the US Census in 2006, there were 4.6 million persons living in Alabama. Nobody likes taxes but lets say that half of Alabama's resident purchased a lottery ticket once a week. That would $119,600,000.00 a year. Now of course, that is just so I can get a big number figure in your head. Not money people buy one lottery ticket a week and throw in people visiting or passing through the state that might was to "donate" to the education of Alabama kids than so be it, it could be a windfall.

My thought on it is to take advantage of the people (gaming owners) who in a sense take advantage of people who work hard for their money. If they have no problem taking it, let's fix some things with the money we collect from them in taxes and programs. Sometimes the simpler the solution is better.

Alabama - Still a Stereotype?

I was born in Alabama but for years I would not necessarily claim it. I would lean on the fact that my father was in the Army and we moved around the first 21 years of my life. I spent a lot of my childhood in Columbus/Fort Benning, Georgia because we seem to always get stationed there after my father had an tour of duty somewhere else.

My father's side of the family lives in Alabama and all I ever saw growing up is rural Pike County when I came to visit. I never saw Alabama as a bastion of economic wealth. I was a kid though and my most foremost thought was playing outside and as I got older - Girls! Girls! Girls! - Thanks Jay-Z.



But since I moved here in 1996, I see Alabama as a player in the not only the business world of the United States but also the world. I have since "embraced" the virtues of the State of Alabama and am proud to call myself an Alabamian. Of course those who do not reside here nor have even been here still have their stereotypes of Alabama. I am sure that some think that people might still have the mentality of "Old Alabama" in the era of Segregationist Wallace, Freedom Riders, and Bus Boycotts. I am sure that the image of people in overalls with snuff in their mouth with rebel flags flying from a pole in the back of their pickup truck pops in some people's head when you say Alabama. Or how about living in tin roof houses with no inside running water with barefoot kids covered with dirt? Watching the news last night, it seems that some people who are supposed to be open minded seem to still believe "Old Alabama" still exists.

United States Senator Patty Murray from Washington [state] certainly has the wrong idea of my state. Just a brief bit of history for those who do not know, the Air Force put out a bid to have a company to build a new fleet of refueling aircraft. Northrup Grumman won the contract and decided to build the aircraft in Mobile, Alabama. Boeing, a Washington state company, cried foul and said that bidding contest was flawed and the whole bid was thrown out. Of course, they would not have said anything if they had won the contract I am sure. She made a comment yesterday on the NPR show, "All Things Considered" that I found offensive as a worker in Alabama as should anyone that is gainfully employed and provide services for the citizens here (and the world). She is quoted as saying "I have stood on the line in Everett, Washington where we have thousands of workers who go to work every day to build these planes. I would challenge anybody to tell me that they've stood on a line in Alabama and seen anybody build anything."

For those who do not know, Alabama has made great strides to be a leader in manufacturing for the world. Hyundai in Montgomery; Mercedes in Vance; Toyota in Huntsville; and Honda in Lincoln are a few of the BIG BOYS that decided that Alabama was the place to build their products. Now some may say that just because you build cars, how does that relate to building planes. You may have a point but you also have to remember that the rockets that sent astronauts to the Moon were built in Alabama and now it is one of the centers for the new spacecraft coming online after the Space Shuttle is retired. If that doesn't show an ability to "flight", then you are a hard person to impress. So really I have only one thing to say to Senator Murray, don't talk about s%&t you have no knowledge about. It was an ignorant comment to make and it makes your constituents look ignorant for electing you to the US Senate.

Some other players in Alabama are GKN Aerospace in Tallassee; BAE Systems in Cordova, Huntsville, Anniston, and Albertville; and Austal USA in Mobile. The State of Alabama is full of manufacturers that touch different parts of the globe (just like some other states). From big to small items, there are different companies that touch every ones lives directly or indirectly. To make the claim that, we have nothing to offer as a state just shows how UN-informed Senator Murray is.

Senator Murray, why don't you take a trip to Alabama and see how wrong you are in regards to the value of our state and the hard work of our citizens. If you would like, give her a call, email her, or write her a letter. Click here for her contact information.

It Isn't Always About Race with the Police....Get Over It!

For those of you who may read this blog and are not from the Montgomery, Alabama area, there is a "movement" going around the city (especially in the section that has a predominantly black population). The item at hand - Checkpoints by the Montgomery Alabama Police Department. I am sure that alot of people have had a horror story about contact with the police - I have two, one in Dooley County, Georgia and the other in Tijuana, Mexico. Two long stories that I would have to talk about later.


Now a little background of the Montgomery Police Department for those of you who love history. This is the same police department who on May 20, 1961, allowed an angry mob of white people to beat on the Freedom Riders after they arrived from Birmingham (where they were attacked as well); the same police department who arrested Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 for refusing to obey a city bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger; the same police department that arrested Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 26, 1956 for driving 30 MPH in a 25 MPH zone in the city of Montgomery.


But today are better days in Montgomery. The police chief, a friend of mine, is a black man - heck even the fire chief is a black man. There is no more riding in the back of the bus (except now it is cool and by choice). Black owned businesses, black politicians, black people living in amongst other races with no fear of reprisals or threats. But some people just cannot forget the past and see that things are WAY different than before. I am not saying that there may not be pockets of disenfranchisement but not on the level brought about by this latest "movement".

Crime is visible no matter where you are or who you may be. You see it on the news, read it in the paper or online, hear it on the radio, or maybe you might even have been a victim. When the police try to take a legal proactive approach instead of reactive to law enforcement, I am all for it. Speaking from someone who is in the Loss Prevention/Security field and a father who is a police officer, any attempts to legally reduce crime is all right with me.

Now the "movement" is to protest the fact that local law enforcement is focusing these checkpoints on predominately black sections of the city, just to harass low income individuals. Not true, in my opinion. I live on the east side of town which is growing by leaps and bounds with commerce, housing, and schools. It is a "better" side town to me (but that is a matter of perspective). My belief is that the purpose of the checkpoints have been for better visibility of the police; checking driver's licenses, insurance, and registration; seeking out impaired drivers; checking for warrants and wanted persons; and monitoring seat belt usage.

My brother and I had a conversation earlier this week on this item. He works with several people who live on the west side of the city that feel they are being targeted by police at these checkpoints. I am not calling people who live on the west side ignorant but the ignorance that is projected by some of the things that were said astounded my brother. But my brother, who I have always felt to be more "militant" to the black cause, was trying to stress the fact that, it doesn't matter where they do the checkpoints, if you stuff is in order, you do not ever have to worry about the police. Now, I have to admit, my brother and I never truly faced any "racism" growing up. We never had to be mindful of our "place in society".

We both live in the same area - about 90 seconds from each other if we were speeding through the neighborhood. We have to take the same route to our homes. We have both encountered these checkpoints and have NEVER had any problems. There is also traffic details on a particular roadway to slow the drivers down that we both travel - I should know, I have gotten two tickets on that road. I am glad that the police are in our area so "the bad people" will not break into my home and take what I have worked hard for or hurt anyone in my household and I am sure that the same goes for my brother.

Just so you know, here are the stats:

126 Checkpoints in the north precinct resulted in 26 felony arrests, 112 misdemeanor arrests, 893 outstanding warrants, 14 drug cases, 1,993 traffic citations and nine seized weapons.

139 Checkpoints in the south precinct (which is where I live) led to seven felony arrests, 55 misdemeanor arrests, 583 outstanding warrants, 2,866 traffic citations and three seized weapons.

99 Checkpoints in the west precinct (which is predominately black) produced 22 felony arrests, 66 misdemeanor arrests, 835 outstanding warrants, five drug cases, 2,105 traffic citations and two seized weapons.

As you can see, the "movement" argument does not "hold water". My area gets more checkpoints than any other area. Of course, I am sure someone will spin that and say the police do that to keep the black people out or due to political pressure to keep this area safe due to commerce. Well I am a black person and I live here, they are not keeping me out.

One of the things that breaks down this "movement" is the lack of preparation prior to trying to prove a point. The information should have been researched prior to making a fuss about the issue. Now what is really sad, is some are still trying to keep it going. Why? There is no issue. The neighborhood with more white people are being "harassed" by the cops. Do you hear them complaining about it?

My only point is that all law abiding people on the west side need to embrace the police presence. I am sure they work just as hard, if not harder, than I do for their possessions. Don't you want to keep "the bad people" out of your neighborhood too? Think about it! And as far as insurance and driver's license - I have a 15 year old on the road now, if you are not supposed to be on the road because you do not have your stuff in order - so be it. I have been hit by a drunk driver, it isn't fun.