"What follows over the next three days is my non-expert citizen examination of Measures 82 and 83. My strong inclination is to oppose these measures; I believe gambling to be as dehumanizing and destructive as any addiction. I’m sorry that Oregon relies so heavily on the Lottery and that tribes seem only to have gambling as an economic resource. But in looking at these two ballot measures, I tried to find reasons to be wrong. I especially looked for reasons to be hopeful about the jobs part of the proposal.

Today, I look at what the ballot measures actually propose, not what what is being said in ads, on websites or by proponents or opponents. Tomorrow, I go through the promises being made by backers of the casino and resort. On Friday, I’ll take the classic approach and follow the money using ORESTAR and a variety of other online resources.

And I’ll be clear at the outset: what I found did not change my mind. I made a number of discoveries that are troubling and one big surprise that closed the deal for me."

Get the Story:
T.A. Barnhart: Gambling on a casino. Part 1: what the measures say (BlueOregon 9/12)

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