Set Us Free From Gambling
Recreation or Abomination?
Set Us Free From Gambling
In 1973 California Governor Ronald Reagan said, "I would hate to see legalized gambling in California, nor do I favor a lottery. We ought to finance the state by the power of our population and not by their weaknesses."
Look where time and legalization has taken us! A once golden state now teeters on the ragged edge of bankruptcy and thousands of families lives have been adversely affected by gambling addiction. The majority of politicians have gambled away our time to come and given us gambling outlets that are daily destroying families lives and their futures. We have fed a growing monster that now feeds on us and is protected and courted by most of our politicians.
Trouble spelled with a capital T is right here in river city! It is gambling in our town and all around our country and the world. Its subtle, invasive, destructive and addictive forces are obvious in many communities around the world. Even church goers are participants with the rationalization that gambling is "harmless recreation". It is no longer a matter of legality, but one of morality for those who pick to know the facts and are committed to wise stewardship.
There can be no denying that gambling destroys families. Gambling in any form is designed to separate population from their money. It is a deadly sly fox, an equal opportunity predator to the weak and the poor. Like pornography, gambling knows no boundaries and in its many forms exploits weakness, destroys children, families, marriages and dramatically increases suicides. It is no incommunicable that greed, money, power and corruption are the drivers behind the gambling machine.
My neighbor recently shared this shocking story of his Uncle Ben, age 60, who normally took his paychecks from his sales work and gambled them away. Ben was animated and excelled in his work. The gambling became an addiction that led him to jail for taking firm sales proceeds to supplement that gambling habit. His last job was tending gas pumps for his nephew, my neighbor. With each pay check, Ben was off again to gamble it all away. He became depressed with mounting debts and losses. One day when Ben did not show up for work, his nephew found him dead. He took his own life with a bullet from his hunting rifle, in his garage. Ben's life came to a tragic end as a direct succeed of his gambling addiction. Left behind were shocked and grieving family and friends whose lives will never be quite the same.
Another neighbor, who is a senior veteran member and interpreter with the Police Department, told me that there is a succeed association in the middle of gambling and increased crime, suicide and substance abuse. The stories propagated by the gambling proponents and beneficiaries hype the "benefits of gaming" to gain society acceptance, when in reality the scenery is strewn with the untold stories of broken and destroyed lives. The cost to all of us is far greater than the much heralded benefits.
It is well documented from credible, scientifically conducted studies that gambling destroys families, undermines the work ethic, increases crime, motivates suicide, destroys financial protection of individuals and families. Gambling has a major impact on the group and emotional well-being of any community. The group costs for all of us far offset the so called "benefits" in the effort to buy group keep and "sweep under the rug" the reality stories of its destructive effects.
Can responsible citizens be silent? Is this form of "entertainment and recreation"justified at the expense of the poor, the broken lives and families destroyed? Is gambling wise stewardship? More than 100 million Americans gamble $billions per year agreeing to the Congressional Commission report. The estimates in the Usa alone are billion each year and that does not consist of unrecorded gambling and gaming. Globally estimates range from 0 to 0 billion each year. Many of these gamblers claim to be religious. Gambling, which often is motivated by a get rich quick greed, pain, boredom or desperation has a price. The price for love of money is high, but the price as applied to gambling is exacting a much higher price for many population in group costs, relational loss and productivity in our communities.
Is "the love of money is the root of all evil." It is not the money but the love of money that spells problem with a capital T. If you love money, you will pay a high price for that obsession. We have inverted God's divine order: We love things (money and the "toys" it buys), and we use people. God loves population and has created things for our enjoyment and careful stewardship. We tend to replace our trust in God by the false hope of a lucky shot at gambling. population who forsake the Lord base their lives on luck and self-gratification. In contrast, God's children live by His providence and control by purposeful living and prayer, not by opportunity but by choice."You cannot serve both God and money" agreeing to Biblical reference Matthew 6:24.
Gambling is not a partisan issue. Too few have thoughtfully and objectively reviewed the study and seen the distinguished negative impact of gambling on population especially those vulnerable to this hyped and glamorous get rich quick appeal. Increasingly, our politicians -federal, state and local- and the media are being seduced into embracing gambling as an easy means to create income with small regard to the destructive gradualism bought by the "harmless recreation" of legalized gambling.
Some of our politicians, society leaders, assistance clubs, and even police and group schools, are turning their heads by directly or indirectly promoting projects that receive funding from "washed money" sent straight through society non-profit foundations and organizations to be doled out to the community. This is gambling money taken mostly from those who cannot afford it. For example a immature neighbor came to our door selling raffle tickets for a local group school project. The tickets were chances to win 100 lotto tickets. How subtle the conditioning, having our minor children promoting gambling to keep their band uniform purchases.
This author has interviewed many family members whose lives have been shattered and homes and jobs lost from subtle gambling addictions which consist of the growing incommunicable internet and extremely addictive video lottery gambling. Few if any of these stories make the newspapers or Tv newscasts.
A National Gambling Impact Commission article cites the need for a moratorium on the expansion of gambling in the U.S.; a ban on internet gambling; prohibition of gambling under age 21 and State curbs on the flood of political contributions pouring out of what has come to be a multi- billion per year business. Think of what those billions could do in real productive stimulus jobs or even prestige to small businesses that hire 80% of our people.
Casino trips with free transportation and bingo nights may offer retirees and welfare recipients with check cashing privileges and the opportunity for a group and "recreational" outlet, but gambling, like illicit drugs, often entraps the poor and elderly gamblers to wager more than they can afford, agreeing to the study.
The National Gambling Impact Commission article demands urgent action. It indicates that the gambling explosion has produced an increasingly weighty flow of keep for politicians. It calls for a much overdue reform and moratorium.
Locally, the tentacles of local and national casino and lotto sales gambling run far and deep into the very heart of the well-being of our communities. Like runaway cancer, it permeates and subtly saps the life from our most leading resource- our people. Gambling destroys families and futures. Gambling is designed to separate the patrons from their money.Obviously, they don't value the population over their money. For the poor, it appears to be a "ticket out of poverty." In reality it is a road to misery and poverty entrenchment. Watch the traffic pick up at the Casino and lottery counters with free shuttle assistance to the door when the welfare and group protection checks arrive. Free bus assistance and check cashing assure patrons coming at the glossy slope to addiction.
Ask your politicians if they have been offered money for their campaigns generated from the pockets of the poor and seniors patronizing casinos and other gambling sales outlets. Some have acceptable the offers of financial support. Newspapers tend to take off any negative references to casinos because of the income in case,granted from their advertising. Caring and informed citizens need to hold them accountable for the implied keep and protection of this gambling firm that grows at the expense of the poor, senior citizens and families in your community.
Where are the leaders, the editors and the citizens with courage to speak up and present the truth and the proof that gambling puts population in harms way and at risk? Who points us to great alternatives?
One alternative could be that the multibillions expended for gambling could end poverty worldwide in just five years in micro finace loan funding agreeing to the calculations of an international amelioration Foundation which specializes in poverty alleviation. If the gambling dollars were harnessed for real job creation, the increased productivity would do more to create jobs and build economies than all the combined gambling business would do in a century. Would not this alternative be more consistent with with the best stewardship? The dollars that go into gambling are dollars displaced from legitimate hard working firm people. Can you think of a great form of greed replacement? Would not God, and our communities and each of us, be great honored and served with such an alternative?
Until we write back gambling for what it is we will not reverse the growing trend toward this quicksand entrapment and waste. It is a growing menace and abomination to the well-being and quality of life in any communities across America.
Ask your politicians if they have acceptable any money generated from gambling interests. Concerned citizens can join and keep the movement to free families and individuals from gambling. They can direct those affected to help and better, more productive alternatives. Get qualified with advocacy facts and tools from anti gambling resources like www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/gambling/gambling/talking-points.aspx you can find on the internet and circulate the stories of those whose lives have been broken and now are recovered advocates for freeing families from gambling. This Free Us from Gambling campaign is analogous to David up against Goliath, but with God's guidance and the help of caring citizens, we will prevail and see many saved from this destructive force in our communities. Every morally sensitive and caring person can help make a world of discrepancy in educating, motivating and participating in this movement to free population from the waste of our most valued resource---people, their money and their futures in communities across America and around the world.
Transformation also is spelled with a capital T. Let it begin with you and me. We can contribute a better, more productive use of those gambling dollars that is less seductive, addictive and destructive. Let's take back what has been ripped and striped from the lives of families destroyed. Join the boycott of gambling and place the blame and shame on those who advocate it. Join the movement to restore real jobs and real hope for safer more caring time to come for our communities. Let us forever remember that it is choice, not chance, that determines our destiny.
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