This Upsets Me, What About You?

[2MinsToPost]

Today I was listening to a local talk radio station. They had someone on who is from the Learn and Earn Program, which is a group that is helping spearhead the ballot in the upcoming election to allow slots at Ohio Racetracks. She started out talking about our two local tracks, of course those are Beulah Park and Scioto Downs. Beulah is privately owned and Scioto is now owned by Mountaineer Gaming, they purchased Scioto I believe 2 years ago. She talked about the 200 Million dollars in improvements the owner and management of Beulah plan to put in place. Those include a nice hotel, covered parking and of course some nice restaurants. She did not go into detail about the improvements at Scioto, but did give mention, thank goodness, to the improvement in purses for the Horsemen. On to what upsets me.

A good portion of the revenue they will be receiving from slots will be going to a program so that many a college student will not have to pay tuition. She mentioned an example of how they would like to see in the future a 4 year students tuition expense at least cut in half. She then went on about how too many college graduates are forced to live almost in poverty as they stuggle to pay their college loans. Now, what upsets me is this..............

Since when are we, the Ohio Taxpayers, responsible for footing the bill for all these college students? Granted, not everyone plays the slots but I cant help but think that they will be dipping into other gambling revenue as well, i.e. Horse Racing. even if they don't dip into the Horse Racing money pool, why should the slot revenue go to what ultimately is the college students and parents responsibility? Welcome to life in the real world. Maybe your parents should have thought twice before buying that $200,000 home they could not afford. Maybe they should not have driven those brand new SUV's and Toyota Camry's they could hardly afford. Maybe you should have thought twice before you bought little Johnny that $15,000 Mustang when he turned 16. That $15,000 would put a great dent in that tuition.

I know there are under privaledged kids out there who bust their tail thru school who are in a home life where the parents can't afford to put them in college. I agree that they deserve some help. But for me to think that their is a program out there that wants to help EVERY single college student with revenue from slots, that burns me. That is not the slot players responsibilty. That is not the taxpayers responsibility. That is not the Horse Players responsibility. That is the parents and college students. Maybe once that college student graduates and has to think about paying on that loan, maybe instead of going out and buying a new car and getting married and having two kids that they could go out and buy a nice used car for a thousand or two and live in a modest apartment paying on that loan. Not too mention not having any kids till they are financially sound.

But no, the public is going to help carry that burden.

Anybody feel what I am trying to convey here?