Threat of pain a good motivator
Like every other state heavily reliant on federal funds, Hawaii is feeling more than a little nervous about the looming threat of “sequestration.” Created by Congress, it was meant to force an agreement on reasoned fiscal cuts versus across-the-board budgetary whacks.
But here we are, a few days away from the chopping block and what was once a threat is now, according to prognosticators, likelier to happen.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono this week listed the “devastating” effects for this state: 1,000 jobs, and furlough days for 18,000 defense-employed civilians.
Similar alarms are being sounded around the country.
Both sides of the aisle signed off on this agreement, though now the GOP is calling it the “Obamaquester,” saying it was all the president’s idea. So everybody sees this as something to dodge, right? Maybe cooler heads will prevail, after all.
Place your bets now on casino bill
Everyone said it was a long shot that these bills would come up, but someone has decided to play the odds. One of the gambling measures, Senate Bill 769, has been slotted for a 3:45 p.m. hearing today in Capitol conference room 224.
This bill proposes a 20-year license for a stand-alone casino in Waikiki, one that’s not part of a hotel.
Among its various provisions, the bill would establish a Hawaii Gaming Control Commission, as well as a 15 percent tax on gross receipts, 1 percent of which would go toward a program for compulsive gamblers.
Presumably that’s intended to help people gamble less, not more.
Here’s a better way: Dump the whole idea of a casino.