In six days, the nation will vote on a new president. But what has gotten swept under the rug [and who can blame anyone for this?] is that there will be more than

[ ] John McCain – Republican
[ ] Barack Obama – Democrat

on the ballot. Missouri residents (which now includes a large number of WU students) will have a host of propositions to either approve or decline – one of which is Proposition A. [Details on others coming soon.]

Proposition A is also known as the Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Funding Initiative. This incentive will provide new revenue to Missouri schools by increasing the state tax casinos pay from 20% to 21%, and generate new funds for early childhood programs and other state and local services. It would also limit the number of casinos in Missouri to those already built or under construction.
 

Sounds great, right?
 

Well, Proposition A is also known as the Gambling Loss Limits Initiative. In addition to funding schools, the proposition would eliminate Missouri's $500 buy-in limit (also known as the "loss limit" – if you only go in so much, you can only lose so much). The limit was enacted in 1992 and prohibits a casino patron from buying more than $500 in chips or tokens during a two-hour period. The proposal will also only require identification to enter casinos to establish proper age (if you look old enough, you won’t be carded at all). Sounds fine, right? No more long lines?

Think about why the loss limit was put into place, or why it might be beneficial. It was originally intended to stop problem gambling on the casino boats. It keeps people from betting/losing large amounts of money at once (or even in a day) – even if the person has the money to lose. Quite often, though, they don’t.

What about not asking for identification? If someone looks old enough, they should be able to get in, right? Well, checking IDs at places such as casinos has been an effective way of reigning in criminals, from felons to deadbeat parents.  But I mean, who cares if you're a murderer or if you haven't paid child support in five years.  If you want to gamble, you should be able to gamble, damnit.
 

It might also help to know that The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released a study in early October saying that if Proposition A passes, it will not provide funding for Missouri's largest school districts, and about one-quarter of Missouri's public school students attend class in districts that are projected to get nothing next year from the ballot measure.  It's no wonder five local superintendents are against the measure.

If you don't want to take my word for it, read the entire proposal here. 

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Many of us registered in Missouri because it is a swing state, and we want out presidential votes to count more than they would in our home states.  But let's not forget that as official Missouri residents, it is now our responsibility to act in favor of the greater Saint Louis and Missouri communities.  And the best way to do that is to be informed about ALL of the issues on our ballots next Tuesday.

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