It's no secret how important November 4th is for Ohioans. Once again, the presidential election is riding on the coat tails of Ohio and we've yet to see for sure which way Ohio will swing. But there's another reason why Ohioans should know the issues and vote this coming election. That reason is the absolutely bull-crap piece of legislation, formally known as issue 6, which is sponsored by a man named Lyle Berman (pictured above) from Nevada.

A yes vote on Ohio's issue 6 would allow a resort casino to be built in Clinton County. The yes crowd claims that up to 5,000 jobs would be created for Ohioans with tax revenues being shared by all 88 counties in Ohio. The vote yes commercials show Ohioans fleeing our state to surrounding states, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana in order to spend their hard earned money in their casinos. They go on to insinuate that we Ohioans are missing out on a gold mine of opportunity by refusing to build a casino in our state. But this isn't the first time that Ohioans have had to decide on whether or not to change our state constitution in order to allow casino gambling in our state. In fact, Ohio voters have blocked every attempt made by casinos to rear their ugly head into our state. This time, though, they're bringing out the big guns making it seem like we don't support new jobs and tax revenue by voting no. Obviously that's ridiculous. What I don't support is bringing a gambling addiction into Ohio to watch senior citizens throw their fixed income away while we may or may not receive tax revenue.

As always, it's hard to tell who's telling the truth in policy ads. However, I'm more inclined to believe the vote no ads, since they have a nifty thing called evidence and bi-partisan support on their side. (As if the guy that will profit from this sham paying for all of the vote yes ads and working out of Nevada isn't suspicious enough!)

One vote no ad quotes the Columbus Dispatch on August 23, 2008 saying that "The pro-casino campaign ... admitted yesterday that they [included] wording that could lower the tax rate to zero." Yikes, that kinda defeats the purpose of voting yes. But then there's the issue of jobs.

Yes, a casino would naturally create jobs, but how about we create jobs without bringing in an addiction? We could create more green-campaigns in Ohio, thus creating jobs for Ohioans. One suggestion might be to build wind turbines along the shore of Lake Erie. That would create jobs for Ohioans and I don't think you'd have to worry about people getting addicted to or spending money on wind. Maybe we could finally get to work on that high speed train that politicians in Ohio have been talking about for quite some time. A high speed train would connect Cleveland to Columbus and/or potentially Chicago. Could you imagine the job growth if two of our largest cities in the state were connected? Take a step further and imagine the job growth if Cleveland were connected to Chicago. It may seem far fetched, but a high speed train could get people from Chicago to Cleveland and vice verse in about two hours. High speed trains would create jobs, encourage business growth and be a huge boost for public transportation.

I'll admit, the first time I saw a vote yes ad for issue 6, I thought about supporting it. Mostly I thought about it, because they made it seem like if you don't support the issue, then you don't support Ohio job growth or tax revenue staying in Ohio. But after seeing all of the evidence pointing to the obvious fact that a guy in Nevada is trying to trick Ohioans and increase his checking account, I simply cannot support such an outrageous issue. I wasn't moved to write about the issue, though, until the most recent yes ad aired.

The most recent ad - which I would post here, but am having a hard time finding it online - portrayed citizens of surrounding casino states thanking Ohioans for their money. Although petty and lame, the last straw was when they showed a guy wearing a Michigan football hat, tossing a football around saying thanks to Ohioans as well. To me, this meant that this ass-clown out in Nevada thinks Ohioans are dumb enough to support issue 6 just because a Michigan football fan is teasing us. Yes, Ohioans loathe Michigan football for the most part, but we don't base policy on a hatred for a sports team. If we did Jim Tressel would have led the Ohio National Guard into Michigan a long time ago.

What sucks most about this issue is that it is actually winning the approval of Ohioans. In August 2008, a poll indicated that 60% were in favor and 35% opposed to the issue. However, there's hope. A more recent poll conducted by the Columbus Dispatch revealed that the approval number has dropped to 50% with 41% opposed. It seems that the yes crowd won the first impression battle - as they did with myself as well - but are starting to lose ground now that the facts are getting out and as Ohio politicians (both Republican and Democrat) come out in opposition to this issue.

Miami University readers, many of you have registered to vote in Butler County ever since Democrats swarmed onto our campus registering voters. It might be tempting to vote yes, since the idea of having a casino in nearby Clinton County might be appealing to some. But I implore you to look up the facts and put the well being of Ohio ahead of casino interests. For those of you reading out of state, be weary of these types of issues appearing on your state ballot and work on getting issues on the ballot that can actually improve your state.

We Ohioans have previously rejected three casino ballot initiatives and it's time we make it fourth. Let's vote this craptastic issue down so we can return the thanks to surrounding states for allowing this foolish addiction into their state so we don't have to. On November 4th, vote an emphatic HELL NO on Ohio's issue 6.