On Puritans, the moral majority and the stale missionary position

Everyone knows gambling is evil.

Horse players are degenerates and a societal burden. Gambling leads to crime and a frenzied game of NIMBY, unless revenue can be obtained; it also explains why the Epistle of BINGO never made it out of Paul's rolodex.

Vices are taxed with increased vigor to supplement the profligate spending in state and federal capitols. The theory, I imagine, hinges on driving the cost of the activity so high, participants will suddenly see the error of their ways and run out to volunteer at the nearest soup kitchen; instead of patronizing it.

I don't pretend to know all the psychological and social impacts hard-core, gotta have it, sift through garbage to find an uncashed ticket, gambling engenders; I would imagine, at the margin, those impacts are genuine and significant but they cannot be the norm (by definition).

In President Obama's budget, to help fund some of his health care reform initiatives, he plans on raising taxes on liquor and tobacco; two commodities I enjoy on occasion. Will this significantly affect me? Probably not but it will cause me to think twice about buying that box of cigars or the latest offering from the Lagavulin distillery. My consumption will probably go down and the theoretical tax gain will just vanish.

Takeout impacts racing in much the same way. Raise it in hopes of buttressing a shortfall in the budget but then wonder why your revenue is not keeping pace.

I don't know to what, if any, gambling assistance programs, the NTRA or Jockey Club contribute. I would think they do something.

Would it not make more sense to present, to elected officials, a plan, whereby, these organizations will increase their funding of these programs, if the government reduces the taxes on the product?

Find whatever ratio works out as it relates to government v. private spending on these programs and put it into effect. The government is notoriously inept at managing money anyway.

If takeout is reduced, handle will, in theory, rise. These increased profits could then be put to better use as a form of community outreach program or whatever the hell else they think would keep those damn Puritans off our back.