Maybe I'm Just Stupid, But...

Maybe I'm just stupid, but it appears to me that in OHRIA's recent proposal, Plan For The Future, that in lieu of losing $165 Million a year in slot revenues that went towards purses and breeding, they want funds to be set up by the government (an actual subsidy) totalling $210 Million a year, while being alright with cutting race dates and racetracks. Um OK, I must be idiotic in believing that the government will laugh their heads off at this proposal, though they'll like the cutting of race dates and tracks...less gambling competition is cool with the Ontario Liberal Party.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but in OHRIA's recent proposal they seem to be content with the end of Fort Erie. To stupid me, if OHRIA is conceding that racing can exist without Fort Erie, it makes it next to impossible to make a case to the government that Fort Erie Race Track should exist after this year.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but OHRIA seems to believe that Woodbine can race B horses. Sure, they can write $5,000 claiming races, but at a rate of $80 day pay, which owners are going to stick around to fill those races with their horses? There is a very good chance that if Woodbine is the only thoroughbred track running next year, owners of horses who run for less than $12,500 or who can't handle polytrack will send their horses away to Finger Lakes or Ohio. Some may run for the Woodbine owners there, but many will be sold for next to nothing. Once, this happens to an owner once or twice, it will take the fun out of the game, as well as taking away much of the chance that the owner can make money in the game. I know this might sound stupid but owners will dry up very quickly, leaving only wealthy trainers and owners with more money than brains to race. Maybe I'm just stupid, but I would think that OHRIA would understand the economic necessity of having a B racetrack in Ontario.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but Tim Hudak's attempt to appeal to the horse racing community and its supporters, to make sure that the Ontario Liberals don't wind up with a majority government by winning the upcoming Kitchener-Waterloo election, sounds almost pointless. The Liberals didn't need a majority government to end the Slots At Racetracks program. How will a Liberal defeat in Kitchener help horse racing in Ontario?

Maybe I'm just stupid, but the Minister of Agriculture, Ted McMeekin, comes across like a pompous A-hole when he says, “Simply put, the model that is currently in operation and is scheduled to end March 2013 is not viable, is not sustainable.” Is EHealth, ORNGE, moving the Mississauga Power Plant, or full day kindergarten sustainable? Sustainable? The SAR program was a partnership, and it is not going to mean much more money, if any, to the government bottom line, once the new operators (mostly foreign owned conglomerates most likely) take their cut of the slots profits.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but whenever I read that Bingo Halls are going to get a better deal than racetracks did because they are only going to give the government 47% of gross gaming revenues (before expenses to the Bingo Hall), while the government received 75% of slot revenues from Racinos (before expenses to the government), I either believe that the writer either doesn't understand Business 101 or is being totally disingenuous. That being stated, I know I'm stupid for even thinking that Bingo Hall owner Larry Tanenbaum is getting preferential treatment for being a Liberal Government Crony.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I really like the idea that Finance Minister Dwight Duncan got ambushed by Marty Adler:

What bothers me is when Duncan stated that the number of jobs affected by the end of the SAR program is "not 60,000," Adler didn't come back asking "well then how many jobs will be affected?" Truth is that Duncan has no idea, and that, to a stupid person like me, shows that the decision to end the slots at racetrack program was done without the proper due diligence.

How OLG Slots At Racetracks Termination Will Affect Many

Here is a video by Joe Scully, a rodeo MC, shot at Fort Erie Race Track:


Many good points are made. This move has economic disaster written all over it. Slots are racetracks partnerships is a winning deal for jobs and the province. It is a program that the USA is following, even where casinos are being allowed for the very first time. Ending the program will have long enduring sweeping consequences.

One thing Scully is wrong about is that there will still be revenues for the municipalities (perhaps not as much), but some will lose them altogether, and some will start seeing them for the first time.

Finally there is some noise about Public Cost Benefit Analysis. This should have been an issue before the budget was voted on, especially after Dwight Duncan doubted the 60,000 jobs number. The fact he doesn't know if it is 10,000, 20,000, or 60,000 proves that this decision was done without due diligence.

I don't know about you, but I've never cared much about Ontario politics. I think Ontario politicians rely on voter apathy. Being a social liberal who believes in separation of church and state, I took a stance a few years ago against John Tory because he wanted to fund religious schools, but other than that I really didn't give a rats butt about politics. Now, I'm becoming fascinated by it, and the more I learn, the more I've become disgusted by the Liberal Party of Ontario. They seem to take deception to brand new levels.

I believe that their ending of slots at racetracks program will kill the party in the future. They won't be able to overcome losing many voters for life. Politicians like Kim Craitor are done if Fort Erie does close. He couldn't even get Fort Erie a gaming zone. If I were him, I'd cross the floor ASAP.

The Liberals aren't only to blame for this. They only have a minority government, Tim Hudak has not come out and stated what he would have done, or what can be done to rectify things, and the issue wasn't important enough to Andrea Horwath to either vote against the budget or demand a Cost Benefit study first.

I really don't know what is going to happen in the end here, but I'm not very optimistic, despite the 3 man committee, the Ontario Ombudsman and the work of Dennis Mills (Racing Future). I can't see the corrupt Ontario Liberal government bending, but I hope I'm wrong.

On Twitter check out @racing_future,
@Ont_Ombudsman, and @HonestDwight.