News & Analysis
Comment
dates
Why push more young people into STEM subjects? Has the demand price of hiring an ...
george.leopold
I'm suggesting that in a presidential campaign where there was little or no ...
STEM education, gambling don't mix
George Leopold
11/5/2012 1:27 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education are, of course, fundamental. Across the nation, high school science teachers have been rededicating themselves to promote STEM education.
Funding remains a constant problem, and the solutions being offered by some states are wrong-headed.
Case in point is Maryland, where a hotly contested referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot would expand gambling statewide. Proponents have spent millions of dollars on TV ads arguing that gambling revenue will provide much needed funding for the state’s education system.
Opponents note that the other form of legal gambling, state lotteries, has done little or nothing to boost education in the Old Line State.
With Maryland’s horse racing industry in decline, and gambling thriving in neighboring West Virginia, it’s just as likely that proponents are more interested in keeping the good money being thrown after bad within Maryland’s boundaries.
Either way, the proverbial stakes on the outcome of Question 7 in Maryland are high. The Baltimore Sun estimates that supporters of the measure, mostly casino interests, have spent more than $43.5 million while opponents have spent more than $41 million on ceaseless advertising. Only $17 million was spent in Maryland’s 2010 campaign for governor.
Imagine the boost to Maryland’s education system had even a fraction of the funds wasted on political advertising for a gambling referendum instead been invested in chemistry labs or to retain the state’s best science teachers?
Related stories:
Post-election push seen for innovation ecosystem
Innovation requires less talk, more action
|
|
|
|
|
Navigate to related information
Bert22306
11/5/2012 3:24 PM EST
But George, to those "spending" that seed money, it's seen as an investment. Meaning, if they spend those millions today, within 5 years or so, they are expecting far more money to be coming in. And to the State, that means a steady flow of new revenues.
If those same investors became philanthropers, donating to schools and universities, that would be great. But would the State coffers get a steady stream of new revenues of equal size?
Like it or not, there are a lot of people out there who are compulsive gamblers. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. I went to a conference a few years ago, in a casino hotel in Biloxi MS. In order to get to the conference rooms, we had to go through 3 smoke-filled floors of gamblers. It was busy at all times of day, as far as I could tell. Booz, cigarttes, and gambling. They seem to all go together.
If Maryland wants to replace its horse-racing deficits with other forms of gambling, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. (They won't get a dime from me, though!)
Sign in to Reply
george.leopold
11/5/2012 4:46 PM EST
There no place more depressing that a room full of retired folks pumping coins into slot machines. The House always wins.
Sign in to Reply
danny1024
11/6/2012 11:47 AM EST
So true!
Sign in to Reply
Brian Fuller2
11/5/2012 5:18 PM EST
Call me old school and old-fashioned, but I've never been a fan of legalized gambling. States for 30 years have rationalized the revenue upside, but it's essentially preying on the populace and wrapping it in some honorable outcome (education, highways, whatever).
As George points out, the House always wins and the benefits are dubious.
Sign in to Reply
Bert22306
11/5/2012 6:12 PM EST
I don't take the least bit of pleasure from gambling, however as a revenue generating measure, it appears to work quite well.
I've never understood why "counting cards" should be considered a sin, in these casinos. Isn't that the whole point of card games? Can you imagine a bridge player that DOESN'T count cards? Sort of the difference between playing with some measure of intelligence, as opposed to playing like a dumb-*ss!
Overall, naturally, the house has to win. Else, it wouldn't stay in business!!
Sign in to Reply
george.leopold
11/5/2012 5:52 PM EST
The House always wins, unless you are the remarkable Blackjack player Don Johnson. As a "Whale" sought by hurting casinos, Johnson fleeced most of the casinos in Atlantic City by evening the odds in his favor, bringing a pile of his own cash, picking his spots, then continuing to play with the House's money until he was asked to leave.
Here's a link to Johnson's remarkable story:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/04/the-man-who-broke-atlantic-city/308900/
Sign in to Reply
moronda
11/6/2012 6:27 AM EST
MIPS just got bought by Imagination.
http://www.zdnet.com/chip-designer-mips-acquired-for-60m-patents-sold-for-350m-7000006969/
Sign in to Reply
george.leopold
11/7/2012 1:02 PM EST
A relevant passage from President Obama's victory speech early on the morning of Nov. 7, 2012:
"We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers -- (cheers, applause) -- a country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation -- (scattered cheers, applause) -- with all of the good jobs and new businesses that follow."
Sign in to Reply
Bert22306
11/7/2012 3:50 PM EST
So George, are you suggesting that the Obama faithful like to have great government services, but miss the fact that any such can only come from a sound and strong economy (i.e. an economy that supports business)?
And this is surprising in what way?
Sign in to Reply
george.leopold
11/7/2012 6:20 PM EST
I'm suggesting that in a presidential campaign where there was little or no discussion of the technology sector as an engine of economic growth, the President of the United States at least inserted a paragraph in a speech watched by millions about "discovery and innovation."
Will this alone spur innovation? No. But at least it's back on the agenda after 18 months of mud slinging.
Sign in to Reply
dates
12/15/2012 12:27 PM EST
Why push more young people into STEM subjects? Has the demand price of hiring an engineer or scientist been rising too high, so they need to increase supply or something? I think not.
Sign in to Reply