Tabitha Knerr at Faithfuldemocrats.com just posted a great piece on all the many ties between Republicans and the gambling industry that are starting to pop up in races around the country. I commented recently on the effect Sheldon Adelson–the GOP operative behind Freedom’s Watch, who made his billions owning Vegas casinos and investing in the Chinese regime–is having on Congressional races.
Tabitha connected a lot more dots than I did and demonstrated that, despite the fact that Abramoff is still just settling into his cell, Republicans are quickly reestablishing their ties with organized gambling from the McCain camp down to the Republican running to reclaim Mark Foley’s old seat in FL (she included a bunch of links to all the buzz being generated by Christians pushing back against this trend through local blogs and the media).
But more than just pointing out the political implications, she provided a very good perspective on why this trend is so troubling…and why Christians should be paying attention. I’ve included an excerpt below (click here to read the entire post):
There are two key issues at stake here: Gambling & Special interest lobbying:
Special Interests
Not all special interests are bad. The American Cancer Society is a special interest. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a special interest. Disabled American Veterans is a special interest. I am not opposed to these organizations talking to my Representative and reminding them of the impact that legislation will have the sick, the grieving, and the forgotten. We should not buy into the McCain rhetoric that all special interests are bad.
But some special interests are less beneficial, less concerned with the common good, less concerned about the least of these than they are about protecting their worldly riches. Some special interests are downright dangerous. The difficult part about being a responsible citizen is that you must engage in the complicated task of separating the sheep from the goats. Luckily for us, we were given some instruction in how such decisions are made…it is indeed worth finding out which special interests [candidates] are tied to. Will we support a candidate who has a “special interest” in promoting addiction, greed, and recklessness? Or a candidate who has a “special interest” in caring for the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned?
Gambling
Ah, gambling. Guaranteed money for those who own the games and racetracks, but a wolf in sheep’s clothing for those who actually play and bet. Its one of the most effective ways ever discovered to make poor people even poorer…Many Christians object to gambling as a personal vice, but as a person who believes in the freedom Christ gives us to choose virtue over vice, I try to avoid legislating morality. The issue, as I see it, is not about moral policing, but about how we treat an industry that is based not on providing goods or services, but on transferring wealth from the poor to the already-rich…
posted October 7, 2008 at 3:12 pm
While Christian values certainly provide a template for what is and is not moral, I agree with Tabitha’s assertion that “legislating morality” can be problematic. We need to instead make sure we know exactly where politicians’ special interests lie. Tabitha brings up a good point when she writes that not all special interests are harmful to the common good- but when when they are, as in these politicians who are tied to gambling, we need to recognize it and go to the polls as informed voters. Not only do we need to recognize harmful interests, but it is important to spread awareness of the harm that comes from politician’s acting on interests – it is our responsibility not only as individuals whose values are informed by our faith, but as citizens who are genuinely concerned for the good of our community.
posted October 7, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Tabitha Knerr makes an excellent, heartbreaking point when she says gambling is one of the most effective ways we’ve found to make poor people even poorer. The worst thing about it, from a Christian perspective, is that it is both financial and emotional exploitation. The casino industry is raking in millions by preying on poor people’s naivety and hope for a better life. It’s simply cruel, and any candidate that receives money from this lobby should give it back as quickly as quickly as possible. There’s no dirty money like casino money.
posted October 8, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I completely agree with the comment about special interest groups. It gets such a bad reputation because there are so many out there representing unwholesome organizations or efforts, BUT there are many that do good work.
As for gambling, I think it’s no coincidence that the GOP removed “online” gambling from their party platform this year. McCain is a known gambler and I’m sure Rooney, the Republican running for Congress in Florida, isn’t the only other candidate around with ties to the gambling community. Is the GOP phasing this out of their platform so as not to appear hypocritical or not cause problems down the road? Either way, I find it highly coincidental this THIS is the year they drop this issue.