Fe ED A te A 6 34 ~ Sunday, December 14, 1 Pn ee re 997 ~ North Shore News Gov't gam Eugene Kaellis Contributing Columnist FACED with a growing deficit and fearful of raising taxes openly or cutting services where it shows, the provincial government has decid- ed that an easy way out is to raise revenue from gambling proceeds. Unfortunately, some -~ fnunicipalitics with the same outlook are joining them in this murky enterprise. Much has been written about the social effects of gambling — the increase in crime, the growing consump- tion of alcohol and tobacco, the widespread addiction to gambling, the profligate behavior that ruins household economies and causes family neglect. But all these effects are not immediately evident. Some are hard or impossible to quantify and all of them take enough time to develop so they can be blamed on other factors. On the other hand, the revenue is immedi- ate and countable. But there is one aspect of the renewed emphasis on gambling in our society which has not been suffi- ciently exposed. It is the affect it has on the way peo- ple sce themselves and life, particularly their participation in the political process. At a time when, in spite of all the alleged data and the iitany-like repetition of how rosy Canada’s economic future is, there is an apparent sense of dread in the land, dread regarding the fluctua- tions of equity markets, the almost capricious variations in currency exchange rates, the decline in exports to Asia, the steady erosion of the dollar caused by a small but cumu- fative inflation, the intractable level of unemployment, down-sizing or its threatened application, the drop in the standard of living, the grow- ing difference between the rich and poor, the threatened disappearance of the middle class; the anxiety generating factors go on and on and on. No one seems to be able to control things. How many times have you heard com- mentators talk about the unexpected collapse of this, the unexpected collapse of that? Into this picture comes an increasing emphasis on gam- bling, games of chance, in which everything is in rhe hands of Lady Luck, in des- tiny, in what is fated, all eras- ing the element of human understanding, intervention, and responsibility. Is that what we want in a democratic society? That's what we're getting. We are becoming addicted to power- lessness at a time when the “exercise” of powerlessness can only allow the so-called impersonal forces of the mar- ketplace to run roughshod over everything and every- one. Before the germ theory was developed and counter- measures could be taken against highly intectious dis- eases, people felt totally help- less when struck by conta- gion. They blamed the wrath of God, they killed minority group members suspected of bringing about the catastro- phe, they whipped themselves in a frenzy attempting to mollify a crucl fate. The First World War was the first major conflict in which chance played a key tactical role. Personal training and valor were of little or no consequence in survival. The endless long-range artillery duels, the dissemina- tion of poison gas, the wide- spread use of rapid firing machine guns, the bombing of civilian targets introduced an element of impersonalism and lack of control which rendered military skills nearly irrelevant. When your number was Ey 4 on our future up, it was up, and that was that. The First World War introduced a new level of faratism and chance that has since increased in much of this century. Now we are once more heading down that fateful path, traveling blindly and taking our chances amidst the ruts, potholes, and ditches of our social environment, gam- bling with our lives and the fucure of our children. Gambling is not an inno- cent amusement. When, after applying a veneer of charity IDEAL GIFT FOR MOM AND DAD Rey and the Boys & Mack Tenne To hear music call UP TOON Operator at 878-6660 & at 878-6662 eb $11.40 fares and Cassatts $10 ‘aha Call peep Ceve Music 929-COVE (2683) or Souire Music Ltd. UP UP.1 UP or 878-7187 P.0. Box 52030 North Van B.C. V7J 200 oO as to make gambling acceptable, it becomes sanctioned and promoted by governments, it threatens the very base of social responsibility. Why prepare for a decent job, why curb credit card spending, why organize tor and advocate social change when “Hey, ya never know”? 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