This is to announce to the whole world at large that, against many parts of my better judgment, I intend to vote yes on the gambling and horse racing issues. I will do so because I think most of us will benefit from the temporary increase in employment and income these projects will provide, and in these days even a little help is a lot of help.

But I don’t for a moment believe the glowing projections of jobs and profits promulgated by the organizations supporting these gambling/racing proposals.

Anyone who does believe those projections is probably still writing letters to Santa Claus.

What I believe is that the gambling scene in this country is rapidly approaching its saturation point, the point at which people are spending as much as they are going to spend in gambling, no matter how palatial the gambling emporiums or racing tracks might be. This is when we find that those glorious projections are merely pipe dreams, and when the new and expanded establishments will be begging for outside help in order to stay in business.

Yes, I’ll vote for the jobs and profit now, but with the expectation that the state will continue to search aggressively for more reliable sources of employment and income when those rosy forecasts meet head-on with practical reality.

David L. Mitchell

Madison


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