I never really thought about whether gambling should be in my community
(Farmington, pop. appr. 7,000). My first thought is that a facility of
any size would overwhelm the capacity of the community from the
planning board, to the police and fire services to the roads. There is
no doubt that jobs are needed here but I would question whether the
trade-off of the impact on the small town nature of the community would
be worth it.
I know there is a proposal on the table for Berlin where I grew up. I
can’t help but wonder whether state prison + federal prison +
casino/slots is a very good idea. It seems the mix of unintended
consequences from each of these added together could be volatile. I
also noticed this particular proposal as described in the
commission’s report would offer salaries at a much lower rate (most
less than a livable wage) then those proposed for the southern tier.
B. SHOULD THIS BE AN OPTION FOR THE STATE OF NH ? Why? Why Not?
From a revenue perspective, gambling is essentially a voluntary tax.
If there is a way to have gambling in NH where this ‘tax’ was not
regressive (income primarily derived from people who really can’t
afford to pay it), then I would be more open to considering it.
I would be opposed to a gambling scenario that amounted to seeking
state revenue from individuals who could least afford it or if the
consequences of siting it in a particular location would unduly harm
any given community – the community it was in or its neighbors -
(community costs too high or negatively alter the community’s
character). I would like to see data shared about who the expected
customers would be for the various proposals – not just where they
live but what their income levels would be. Would it be primarily
people who have disposable income for entertainment or primarily people
who will be spending their food and rent money.
I look forward to seeing other's responses.
Cyndi Paulin