Here’s the thing - The States are in trouble. Big trouble. Tax revenues have plummetted, businesses are going bankrupt, jobs are being lost. Its a vicious cycle - People don’t have jobs, so they don’t pay taxes, but they need unemployment benefits.

To prevent things form getting totally out of hand, the states are all looking at innovative  ways of adding to existing revenues. For starters, that most patriotic branch of American industry - Brothel owners - have offered to pay taxes. And obviously, there’s only one place this can happen. Yep - Nevada.

The New York Times reports that George Flint, director of the Nevada Brothel Association, has been approaching the Legislature’s leadership for months about creating an entertainment tax that would require the state’s 25 legal brothels to give the state some money on a per-transaction basis.

The State of Nevada - a pimp, by any other name. Article also says there are only 225 women who are licensed prostitutes in Nevada. I think if you took an informal survey of guests at all the big Las Vegas hotels on the Strip, you’d have to add a few zeros after that 225. That’s a whole lotta transactions… taxes.

The kicker here is that this offer by the brotheliers is being taken seriously by Senator Bob Coffin, a Las Vegas Democrat and the incoming chairman of the Senate Taxation Committee. Mr. Coffin said he was willing to hold a hearing on the matter in the coming legislative session.

And if the heathen in Nevada want to take one step closer to Hell, Hawaii wants to take one step closer to Nevada. Faced by a billion dollar deficit and a tourism industry on life-support, lawmakers have put up a bill on whether, and how, to legalize gambling. Hawaii and Utah are the only two states where there is no legal gambling.

Hawaii’s State Budget Director Georgina Kawamura says that legalizing gambling is a viable short-term alternative, but even so, it could take upto 2 years to actually make it happen.

Charles Memminger, writing for the Star Bulletin, wants to have the cake and eat it too. He suggests that the State of Hawaii should get into the casino business, but without despoiling the pristine beaches and hotels in Honolulu. How’s that? The state of Hawaii should build its own government-owned casino in the only place where losers flock to be fleeced: Las Vegas. Why ruin the lives of Hawaii residents by allowing gambling in our state when we can make millions soaking the residents of Nevada?

Well, why limit yourself to Las Vegas? Why not Reno and Atlantic City? And maybe even Macau? Build 3 or 4 hawaii themed casinos, and offer free Oahu or Maui vacations to anyone who spends a lot of money at the casinos. The state earns money, visitors get to enjoy Hawaii for free, and Hawaii residents won’t be subjected to the evils of gambling. Win-win situation.

Photo by joseFFF via flickr (creative commons).

Posted on January 29th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hawaii, News