This is what happened in Obama's state of Illinois

[GingerGuy]

Robbing the Riverboat to Feed Mr. Ed
By Chuck Muth
CNSNews.com Commentary
June 09, 2008

While it may be just a coincidence, it is certainly instructive to read about how they do things in Barack Obama's home state of Illinois. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see this sort of socialism take root nationally should B.O. make it all the way to the White House. Here's the (stinking) deal...

According to the Associated Press, the amount of money wagered at the state's horse tracks dropped from $835 million a year to $482 million from 1992 to 2005. So to prop up this dying industry, the Illinois state legislature passed a law in 2006 requiring the state's top four riverboat casino companies to take 3 percent of their revenues and give it to the ailing horse racing industry. Not all of the casino companies, mind you. Just the largest and most successful.

This is like forcing Burger King, but not Taco Bell, to give part of its profits to Tom's Greasy Spoon down the street simply because more people choose to eat at BK than TB or TGS. It is redistribution of wealth in its rawest form. From each according to his ability; to each according to his needs. This is Karl Marx to the max.

And by the way, it bears pointing out that the riverboat casinos won't be paying this tax. The casinos will merely pass this tax increase along to you and me in the form of higher prices. So in the end, it's the private consumer who is really getting screwed here.

The casino companies challenged this rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul redistribution scheme in court, especially considering the fact that some casinos were hit with the horse tax and not others. Equal protection and all that. The good news is a judge agreed with the casinos last year and tossed the law out. The bad news is the judge's ruling was appealed to the Supreme Court. The worse news is that the Supremes, in a supreme example of blood-boiling judicial absurdity, overturned the common-sense judge's ruling.

So the four riverboat casinos must now cough up some $79 million and give 40 percent of it to the state's five horse-racing tracks. The other 60 percent will go into "purses" to be awarded to the winning horses to "subsidize horse-breeding and training."

Seriously. How can anyone, especially so-called learned judges, come to the conclusion that it's OK to take money spent in riverboat casinos and give a portion of it to a struggling competitor to help feed Mr. Ed?

One can only imagine how President Obama would use this precedent on a national level. Why not charge Microsoft a 3 percent tax and redistribute the revenue to smaller software companies which most of the public chooses not to use? Why not charge General Motors a 3 percent tax and redistribute the revenue to mass transit services which few people use? Why not charge Bank of America a 3 percent tax and redistribute it to struggling local banks?

Or better yet, why not charge uber-liberal MoveOn.org a 3 percent tax and redistribute the revenue to less well-funded conservative activist groups? Yeah, that's the ticket!

[Standing Wolf]

Eventually, Socialists run out of other people's money.
Lady Margaret Thatcher

[alan2]

Ginger Guy posted an article from which the following is excerpted:

And by the way, it bears pointing out that the riverboat casinos won't be paying this tax. The casinos will merely pass this tax increase along to you and me in the form of higher prices. So in the end, it's the private consumer who is really getting screwed here.

Neither Joe nor Jane Six pack are without defenses. They can not only avoid Illinois casinos, but they can also avoid Illinois horse tracks. Of course, Ginger Guy is right in one respect, it truly is the private citizen that gets screwed. Remember if you will however, that Joe and Jane are not entirely without recourse. Question is or seems to be the following. Will they avail themselves of available options, or will they simply play BOHICA, as in Bend Over, Here It Comes Again, this last courtesy of JPFO..

[Manedwolf]

Obama would take Chicago mayor Daley's politics to a national level, with all the political acumen of Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.

[wmenorr67]

I am getting some first hand knowledge and just found out that this law was pushed forward by a Rich White Republican.  His name is Richard L. Duchossois, the owner of Arlington Race Track in Arlington Heights.

Looked on Wikipedia and Churchhill Downs bought the place in 2000.

[LadySmith]

I am getting some first hand knowledge and just found out that this law was pushed forward by a Rich White Republican.  His name is Dick Duchosoie (sp), the owner of Arlington Race Track in Arlington Heights.

Good job in following the money! Republican crook or Democrat socialist...I can no longer tell the difference of the party that's picking my pocket. 

[HankB]

The fact that a Republican is behind it shows that Alan Greenspan was right even at the state level, though he was referring to the GOP loss of the US Congress when he wrote: They deserved to lose.

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

[nico]

in addition to what's been said, it's reaching to try to blame obama for a law passed two years after he left the IL state senate.

[MicroBalrog]

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

B-b-but if you don't vote for the Republicans, THE TERRORISTS WIN!

[Finch]

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

B-b-but if you don't vote for the Republicans, THE TERRORISTS WIN!

Hey, but at least we get to keep our guns. We may lose our other freedoms...but the guns, we keeps dem!

[Manedwolf]

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

B-b-but if you don't vote for the Republicans, THE TERRORISTS WIN!

1. Vote for McCain. Sucks, but not the worst. Obama loses, which is good.
2. Waste vote on third party, help Obama win due to loss of votes. America implodes.

Which is better to help?

[MicroBalrog]

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

B-b-but if you don't vote for the Republicans, THE TERRORISTS WIN!

1. Vote for McCain. Sucks, but not the worst. Obama loses, which is good.
2. Waste vote on third party, help Obama win due to loss of votes. America implodes.

Which is better to help?

Why should America implode? Did it implode when LBJ was in charge?

Remember LBJ seriously considered putting everybody on welfare.

Did America implode when FDR was in charge?

Remember, the NFA was supposed to include pistols originally. And he was the guy who considered a 'civilian draft' - recruiting millions of people for essentially slave labor.

Did Britain implode when Blair was elected? [His policies are far to the left of Obama's]

Seriously, what is it with 'America will implode'?

[Finch]

And The Stupid Party still doesn't get it - if they're going to govern like Democrat Lite, there's no reason to vote for them. 

B-b-but if you don't vote for the Republicans, THE TERRORISTS WIN!

1. Vote for McCain. Sucks, but not the worst. Obama loses, which is good.
2. Waste vote on third party, help Obama win due to loss of votes. America implodes.

Which is better to help?

There are those of us, with good reason, who think that both will cause America to implode. Shoot me in the head, shoot me in the heart, either way I'm dead.

[Glock Glockler]

Did America implode when FDR was in charge?

We are still reaping what FDR and all his wannabees later on had sown, and if you consider what is happening and what will happen to us because of Social Security alone, we may yet implode because of FDR, it just takes a little while.

Also, I'd say the country formerly known as Great Britain IS just about done. 

[MicroBalrog]

Did America implode when FDR was in charge?

We are still reaping what FDR and all his wannabees later on had sown, and if you consider what is happening and what will happen to us because of Social Security alone, we may yet implode because of FDR, it just takes a little while.

Yes, I believe FDR damaged America greatly in terms of a loss of freedom. But a new Argentina is not coming.

Also, I'd say the country formerly known as Great Britain IS just about done. 

Britain is now in many aspects better off than it was in the 1960's.

Also, you remember Conscience of a Conservative, right?

[xavier fremboe]

According to cia.gov, our account balance is $ -738,600,000,000.  We are 188th out of a 188 horse field.  Spain is our closed competitor at  $ -145,600,000,000.  Great Britain is the only other negative twelve -frigging twelve- digit competitor.  Contrast that to China's $360,700,000,000.  Our public debt is 60% of GDP, which puts us at number 26.  Argentina is number 29 with 59% pd/GDP.

Now, our purchasing power parity GDP is just behind the entire EU, and roughly double China's, but our GDP growth rate of 2.2% puts us at 183 out of 218.  Contrast that with China's 11.4%.  Assuming that remains constant when does China overtake us?

Our industrial production growth rate is 0.5%.  The oft-mentioned Argentina is at 7.5% and China at 13.4%

These numbers are 2007 numbers.  Probably back when we had parity with the Canadian dollar.  I'd say that an Obama presidency, with it's effective Income, Capital Gains, Social Security, Universal Health Care, assorted other All Good Things social spending entitlements might set us solidly on the road to becoming a superpower in only our hemisphere.

[MicroBalrog]

Why is that even important?

I mean, Switzerland is not a superpower, is it? But the Swiss seem happy with themselves.

[xavier fremboe]

Why is that even important?

I mean, Switzerland is not a superpower, is it? But the Swiss seem happy with themselves.

My point was more to the decline of America and it's importance in the world.  Personally, I find it comforting that we are the only superpower, and disturbing that China is:
1.  Holding so much of our national debt.
2.  Producing so much of our crap.
3.  Actively increasing their military, particularly their naval capacity, to increase their sphere of influence.

Are you trying to say that we should be content to watch ourselves slowly become Argentina?  You've expressed your admiration for the US on many different posts.  What is it that you value about the US if its fiscal mismanagement doesn't bother you?

[MicroBalrog]

Look, my point is twofold:

1. On one hand, Obama is not individually that threatening.

2. ON the other hand, the problems America faces are systemic. They will not go away if McCain wins. McCain is not that much better than Obama.

Remember what Goldwater said? You cannot defeat Communism (or socialism) unless you go on the offensive.

[xavier fremboe]

Look, my point is twofold:

1. On one hand, Obama is not individually that threatening.

2. ON the other hand, the problems America faces are systemic. They will not go away if McCain wins. McCain is not that much better than Obama.

Remember what Goldwater said? You cannot defeat Communism (or socialism) unless you go on the offensive.

Thank you for clarifying. 
Point 1.  Agreed, but coupled with a Democratic congress, potentially devastating.
Point 2.  Agreed.

[Manedwolf]

Look, my point is twofold:

1. On one hand, Obama is not individually that threatening.

2. ON the other hand, the problems America faces are systemic. They will not go away if McCain wins. McCain is not that much better than Obama.

Remember what Goldwater said? You cannot defeat Communism (or socialism) unless you go on the offensive.

Let's see. Obama wants to take away our weapons, and bow down before our enemies. Yeah. That's not threatening at all.

[MicroBalrog]

"Bow down before your enemies?"

So you think that by negotiating with Abu-Mazzen, Israel is somehow 'bowing down' before him?

[Manedwolf]

"Bow down before your enemies?"

So you think that by negotiating with Abu-Mazzen, Israel is somehow 'bowing down' before him?

He also wants to negotiate with Iran's president that Iran's people hate and would like to get rid of, thus legitimizing his rule. The people of Iran want him out because he's isolating them from the rest of the world.

Obama would quite simply serve as a naive prop for the world's bloodiest dictators by lending them legitimacy. And yes, he would cut the military, help force a complete retreat from Iraq, and probably get a lot of soldiers killed in doing so. The US would become a passive-aggressive paper tiger, just as he is. At the first hint of confrontation over someone he's allied with, he throws them under the bus.

Israel would end up under the bus, too, in case you hadn't realized that.

[MicroBalrog]

Israel would end up under the bus, too, in case you hadn't realized that.

Which of Obama's policies do you view as 'throwing Israel under the bus'?

Remember that I support cutting aid to Israel to zero. It's bad for Israel and it's bad for America.

help force a complete retreat from Iraq,

Eventually, America will retreat from Iraq. It's inevitable. And, because of the nature of your media, it will happen long before results are accomplished.

He also wants to negotiate with Iran's president that Iran's people hate and would like to get rid of, thus legitimizing his rul

This is a far cry from bowing down before your enemies.

[Nitrogen]

I am getting some first hand knowledge and just found out that this law was pushed forward by a Rich White Republican.  His name is Dick Duchosoie (sp), the owner of Arlington Race Track in Arlington Heights.

Good job in following the money! Republican crook or Democrat socialist...I can no longer tell the difference of the party that's picking my pocket. 

Finally someone that gets it.
The only difference between the democrats and republicans these days is who they give OUR money to, big businesses, or poor people/businesses.
Hows about we just collect taxes to run shared infrastructure, like roads, etc, and stop giving tax money to others in hopes they'll do something nice with it.