Addicted to gambling - states not just people.

Here's an article on efforts by Maryland to get into the gambling rush. What this article points out is the addictive nature of predatory gambling and gambling revenues for state governments.

Maryland has struggled to get slots casinos off the ground since they were legalized in a 2008 referendum, while other states in the region have established slots and moved on to legalize casino table games such as poker and blackjack.

The District and New Jersey have upped the ante to fill government coffers by attempting to legalize online gambling, especially after the Justice Department last month gave its approval.

Maryland officials are largely focused on expanding slots and adding table games, but acknowledge that online gambling in nearby states could put them even further behind.

"We're a day late and a dollar short," said state Sen. Richard F. Colburn, Dorchester Republican, who is co-sponsoring a bill to legalize table games. "Even if we get table games, we're still going to be behind the eight ball. Maryland will probably never catch up."

Maryland lawmakers passed legislation in 2007 that paved the way for slots, after years of wrangling between the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican and one of the state's most vocal proponents of the machines.

The promised revenues don't materialize.

As it turns out, the rollout has gone slowly. Two casinos have opened, in Cecil and Worcester counties. The Maryland Live casino in Anne Arundel County is scheduled to open in June.

The state has not awarded contracts for its two other planned casinos, in Allegany County and in Baltimore, largely because of a lack of interest from qualified bidders. Still, officials hope to award contracts later this year.

The slow start and other delays have caused revenue to fall short of initial projections.

The two operational casinos brought in $103 million in fiscal 2011, compared with 2007 projections of $157 million during that period, and generated $80 million in the first six months of fiscal 2012, short of the $1 billion that the state initially predicted.

Gambling revenues are down in lots of states.

Maryland is not alone. As competition increases, states across the country are trying to stop declining casino revenue.

Revenue is reportedly down 30 percent since 2006 in Atlantic City, N.J., and Nevada's biggest casinos reported a combined $4 billion loss in 2011.

Delaware, which opened slots at the first of three racetracks in 1995 and added table games in 2009, has switched from expansion plans to considering ways to keep "racinos" from folding. One option on the table is reduced licensing fees. Slots revenue there has declined every year since 2007, when Harrah's opened a casino in Chester, Pa..

They see it as easy money. What they don't see is the destructive, corrosive effects of predatory gambling on individuals and the culture. The social costs are well documented and they far outweigh any benefits. Predatory gambling which is primarily the electronic forms of gambling is the most addictive form of gambling.

It's built on a predatory business model rooted in addiction and indebtednessDuring economically difficult times, more predatory gambling is the last thing we need.

The last thing to do to revive a state's economy is tax the wealthy. Drives them out of state or they simply stop creating jobs.

The last thing which should be done during the current deep recession is the first thing many progressives/liberals want to do -- raise taxes on the wealthy. Why do they want to raise taxes? Because government programs are sacrosanct. Thus there's a push for revenue enhancements" or tax increases. And the easiest tax target is the wealthy, because there are so few of them.

Yet if one wants the economy to get rolling again the last people to tax are the wealthy. Why? Because small business owners are generally among the wealthy individuals and they are the ones who create jobs.

Where states have really gone after the wealthy it's been a major problem. In an article entitled: "millionaire" tax is causing millionaires to migrate out of the state. In an article entitled, "It's not Just Millionaires Fleeing Maryland Taxes":

Anyone taking Economics 101 could have predicted that those best able to avoid Maryland’s new 6.25 percent marginal tax rate on income over $1 million would. They are the ones best able to choose where to live and to pay accountants and lawyers to lower their tax burden.

Market losses no doubt contributed to one-third fewer people filing taxes in that income bracket in Maryland by April 15, as supporters of the legislation say. So did those filing extensions. But they and the Republicans yelling “I told you so” miss a bigger issue: Everyone is leaving Maryland, not just the rich.

The only bordering locale where more people moved to Maryland than away is the District of Columbia. My guess is that the inflow will slow since the Census results do not account for migration patterns since the slate of new taxes went into effect in 2008 that make Maryland more tax-heavy than Washington. Those new taxes mean Marylanders shoulder the fourth highest tax burden in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation.

Of President Obama wants to raise federal taxes on the wealthy and there's no state people can then flee to. However, some might well leave the country but another effect it is will diminish the willingness of people to invest and expand the economy. One can't violate Economics 101 and get away with it.

Maryland same-sex marriage advocates turn sights on state legislature – just like Minnesota.

Maryland is following Minnesota’s example – legalize same-sex marriage via the legislative process.

According to yesterday’s Baltimore Sun, “In a case watched closely around the nation, the Maryland Court of Appeals' 4-3 ruling dealt a blow to gay and lesbian advocates who launched their fight to overturn the state's marriage law three years ago. Tuesday, those advocates pledged to take the battle for marriage to the General Assembly, where two lawmakers have already vowed to sponsor legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.”

This legislative approach is already underway in Minnesota. OutFront Minnesota has stated on several occasions that their efforts to legalize same-sex marriage will focus on the Minnesota State legislature.

Did you know that same-sex partnerships were almost passed in the 2007 Minnesota legislative session?

Four bills were introduced to legalize same-sex relationships. One bill attempted to establish same-sex domestic partnerships for hospital visitation. Yet our quick poll of six metro area hospitals revealed an open policy towards visitation by same-sex partners.

Do we really need to legalize same-sex partnerships to allow hospital visitations?

Thanks to a veto threat from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the bills were never passed.

What if we didn't have a pro-family governor?

Did you know that out-of-state, anti-marriage money helped defeat Senator Mady Reiter, a co-sponsor of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment bill?

Her opponent, Senator Sandy Rummel received 44% of her itemized individual contributions from thirteen wealthy anti-marriage activists. Most of the thirteen contributors were members of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, one of the largest homosexual activist organizations in the country.

The same legislative majority (and their out-of-state money) that pushed for same-sex marriage will return with a vengeance in the 2008 session.