State Economic Development Secretary Gene Strong’s recent retirement has many of us pondering Kentucky’s future business environment. During Strong’s tenure, Kentucky developed a promising manufacturing sector, a growing service sector, and a fledgling knowledge sector, all of which employ hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians. Many of these businesses strengthen our Commonwealth. They empower us by making substantial investments in our communities, providing strong wages and benefits to employees, creating opportunities for other businesses to share in their prosperity, producing highly respected goods and services, and supplying a strong source of tax revenue.
Now imagine this scenario: a few political leaders become convinced that instead of recruiting companies that make our state stronger, we should open the door to a predatory industry that gives little (if anything) back to its communities, offers poor wages and few benefits to employees, sucks up dollars from other community businesses, peddles an addictive product, and costs far more in tax revenue than it ever produces.
Imagine that they justify their position with a shallow “keeping up with the Joneses” economic argument that suggests we follow perpetually poor states like West Virginia, Mississippi and Louisiana, instead of growing states like Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Imagine that these leaders embrace the notion that our state will improve by thousands losing millions for the gain of very few.
Imagine that they promote this industry even as it’s starting to show signs of retrenchment from a growth spurt that peaked years ago. Imagine that they promote this industry even as it profits to an absurd degree from addiction. Imagine these profits are invested in enhancing the industry’s seductiveness or returned to its investors, who reside by and large far, far away from my Old Kentucky Home.
Unfortunately, these circumstances are not imaginary. They describe the rise of a state and national interest group that bears a much stronger political resemblance to a new, distinct party than to traditional Democratic or Republican principles. This group does the bidding of Casinos, not working people and not the business community. They ought to be labeled as Casinocrats, not as Democrats or as Republicans.
Casinocrats promote the interests of casinos and a few super-wealthy individuals, interests that undermine progressive communities that seek to strengthen their citizens, businesses, organizations and governments. Casinocrats suggest that because casinos pay taxes and make campaign contributions, we should allow them to do business here, regardless of the negative effects they have on our communities, the damage they inflict to most other businesses, and what they always cost public treasuries.
Casinocrats think that it’s appropriate for working people to give their money to the super-wealthy without getting anything in return. Casinocrats judge that it’s socially and economically desirable to have more people addicted to gambling. Casinocrats believe that because other states do it, then Kentucky should do it too.
These political tenets are distinct from what Democrats and Republicans have historically represented. For Democrats, the Casinocratic platform doesn’t support working people and progressive communities, produce economic and social justice, or protect and restore the most vulnerable among us. Republicans should consider that Casinocratic interests run counter to principles of smaller government and a thriving business climate. Instead, they require large regulatory regimes and cannibalize profits of neighboring businesses.
It now seems that Casinocrats have assumed leadership positions in both parties, including the offices of our Republican Lieutenant Governor and Democratic Attorney General. It doesn’t have to stay that way. We all have a say about what we will allow here.
Will Kentucky have Democrats and Republicans true to their respective ideological heritage? What will you be, a true Democrat, a true Republican? Or will you be a Casinocrat?
What will Kentucky be? A place that invests in our people and business environment or a place that builds itself up by degrading its people? You have a say in the answer. Democrat, Republican or Casinocrat: the choice is yours.
