CHE BELLO’s socio-political ponderings.
There’s a news item out today about a ballot initiative allowing slot machines in Maryland. Apparently AFSCME and the Maryland State Teachers’ Association, two very lage public-sector unions, have donated or announced their support for the measure, citing gambling revenues as a way to recapture money that is currently being spent in other states and bolster the budget in the face of coming economic hardships. AFSCME donated $500,000 to a pro-slots campaign that is being criticized as an overfunded gambling-industry PR machine.
Clearly AFSCME wants to see slot gambling legalized so that budget shortfalls will be delayed or eased, protecting their jobs and salaries from the state’s chopping block. And the teachers jumped on the bandwagon because they were promised that half of the revenue would be used for education. But have either of these unions considered the social costs of gambling?
Research from the National Bureau of Economics shows that poor people bet a much larger share of their income than do the wealthy, and a study of the California lottery has shown that heavy lottery players are much more likely to be black, poorer, and less educated than the average Californian. The effects of legalizing gambling can be disastrous, with low-income families suddenly unable to provide food or clothing for their children, getting mixed up in organized crime, and sinking themselves further and further in debt to feed their addiction.
There are more responsible ways to ensure public employee job safety and educational funding than openly endorsing gambling — a destructive force often underestimated in terms of its economic and social impacts.
CHE BELLO’s victorious return!
In honor of reading Bridget Jones’ Diary instead of studying for the massive Arabic test I have coming up, I’ve decided it’s finally time to revive the blog. I needed some time off, mainly because my life got a little too painful to publicly handle for a while. But I’ve emerged on the other side into a much happier, more stable place, and am ready to share it with all of you again.
A quick re-cap of recent events (I’ll try to fill these in with more detail in the coming weeks):
- Toward the end of the summer I ended my relationship with Patrick. In retrospect, it happened in a rather sloppy fashion, as I tottered back and forth in my mind as to whether or not it was what I really wanted. In the end, I made the choice I had to make for my own sake, although hurting him and his family was incredibly painful. By his choice, we currently aren’t speaking.
- I’ve been rehearsing for a number of weeks now in my dream role — playing Jamie in Jason Robert Brown’s The Last 5 Years. My co-star is a phenomenally talented freshman who has grown to become one of my closest friends. The show opens on November 7th, and I could not be more thrilled. A character that I’m finally starting to feel really seeping into me when I’m on-stage, music that was practically written for my voice, and a fierce belting co-star…this show is going to be absolutely amazing.
- I’ve been seeing a wonderful, adorable, sweet, gorgeous, perfect boy for about a month and a half now. His name, much to the chagrin of all of my friends who have seen me go from Patrick to Patrick and who would have liked to leave that section of the alphabet, is Philip. Alas, I think I am incapable of falling for boys that don’t live in Georgia. But oh, how I have fallen. I am very much in love with him, and don’t envision that changing anytime soon.
So now you’re at least basically caught-up on monumental occurrences. Like I said, I’ll be filling in gaps and details in the coming weeks, but I’m glad to be back, and hope all of my Internet-friends haven’t abandoned me. 
Cheers!
