BCT Editorial – 8/28/11

This page was last updated on August 28, 2011.

Gambling on a payoff; Editorial; Beaver County Times; August 28, 2011.

As I read the subject editorial I was beginning to think there was nothing to comment about, until the final two paragraphs. The editorial concluded with:

“The irony here is that people willingly, in fact, enthusiastically, shell out money for gambling, where they lose most of the time, yet balk at any talk of paying more in taxes.

“In other words, millions for short-term pleasure, but not one cent for long-term civic responsibility. Rendell’s reality to the contrary, that’s not healthy for individuals or governments.”

This is at least the second editorial to focus on gambling losses while ignoring the entertainment value most gamblers get from the activity. In other words, gamblers pay for both entertainment and the chance to win more money. You won’t catch me spending my money this way, but you’re not telling the whole story if you omit the entertainment aspect. This editorial could just as easily been written about those of us who play golf, go to the movies, attend sporting events, et cetera. Other than the memory of a bad or good time, what do we have when we get home from playing a round of golf, seeing a movie, taking a vacation, et cetera?

As for the comment we “balk at any talk of paying more in taxes,” it has nothing to do with our choice to spend OUR MONEY on entertainment. It appears the BCT is still trying to convince us Pennsylvanians are getting away with low tax rates. This is probably a good point to remind readers about info from the Tax Foundation (TF), a source often cited by the BCT. In “State-Local Tax Burdens,” PA ranks (smaller ranking is worse) 10th (10.1%). In “Tax Freedom Day by State, 2011,” PA ranks (smaller ranking is worse) 11th [April 13th (103 days)]. In “2011 State Business Tax Climate Index,” PA ranks (smaller ranking is better) 26th. If you want to put a “positive” spin on this, PA is #1 in the bottom half. If we were addressing the Steelers, would we consider finishing 17th out of 32 teams (the equivalent of 26th out of 50 states) at the end of the season a good situation? According to the Tax Foundation in 2010, “If Pennsylvania were its own country, it would have the highest overall corporate tax rate in the world at 41.5% (federal plus state, accounting for the state-local deduction).” Finally, I’m relatively sure the BCT would like us to forget it once conceded “Raising taxes could slow the economy.”