What I don't understand about this budget crisis, is why we talk about cutting things before we talk about adding things. In this entry we will explore some easy solutions that the government, as well as the state of Oregon can use to help cushion some of their money woes. And, because cuts are all the rage, we can talk about a couple of those, too.
Legalized gambling. There is already something going on the ballot to say that we can build one non-Indian casino. I say fuck putting it on the ballot, and just build the damn thing. If you build it they will come. Even Kevin Costner understood that one. Except when you build a baseball diamond in a corn field, dumb people don't throw money into it.
Government regulated Internet Poker. Note that I did not say gambling, I said poker. Less than a cent worth of ink can change Poker from a casino game (defined as something that is a game of mere chance) to a game of skill (defined as a game which the player has some control over based on his knowledge of the game). Poker is that last one. The player has control over his odds to some degree, because there is no rule that says you have to play every hand. If the government regulated Internet Poker play, they could tax deposits. Say, a ten percent tax on a minimum deposit of twenty bucks. No one would miss that, and it would translate to hundreds of thousands, if not more. If the government owned the sites, then the buy-ins could go into the pool also.
Sales tax. Oh, shut up. If Oregon passed even a five percent sales tax on whatever isn't needed to survive, they would be better off than they are now. I say this because a lot of people who qualify for services, or who are paid by the state, are either tax-exempt, or get all the money they pay into taxes back in their refund. I am no genius, but that translates to a lot of bodies who aren't paying into the pot, but playing anyway. This would also catch some of other populations who aren't paying taxes: drug dealers, illegal immigrants, etc. Make the sales tax fund for ONE thing, instead of the way we do lotto funding. Then it wouldn't have to raised all the time.
Funneling some Lottery money into disability programs. I know the lottery already does good things, including helping fund education, and it can stay doing them. With a little trim here, and a little there to the parks funding, and hey, look at that, you have some extra funds to pay for disabled people's basic human rights.
Less jail time, more fines and community service for petty crimes. I think this should be obvious, but we are in Oregon. If someone steals something, they obviously have no money. Require them to do however many hours it would cost in a federal prison inmates wages to pay for that item in community service.
Now, because I said we would, and because I am a man of my word, I give you (drum roll, please?) plausible cuts!
Soda for prison inmates. I remember some years ago reading an article that said the state paid half a million dollars (or more) to make sure that prisoners had their Coca-Cola. This is ludicrous to me. I can't afford Coke every day, and I have done nothing wrong. Give those bastards Kool-Aid. It's cheaper, and if people need to be in time out like children, maybe they should eat like them too.
Stop paying landscapers to do county work. The way I see it, you have a steady supply of unskilled, manual laborers sitting behind bars drinking Coke and watching cable. Put them to better use. They get work experience, and you don't have to pay them very much. Win win.
Like I said, I am no genius, but I think these suggestions are better, and more what the state needs than cutting people's rights to live in their homes, and a child's right to education. They are a hell of a lot better than saying we should start a rainy day fund when it's raining already.
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