California already collects substantial taxes from Indian casinos and Governor Schwarzenegger expects to get billions more with Ballot Measures 94 through 97. But, even if tax inflated projections are correct which is very, very dubious, the $ billions and billions of medical costs to California taxpayers caused by the Indian casinos allowing smoking in the gaming areas must be subtracted from the tax income from gambling.
It’s terrible that even one person smokes in this day and age, addicted by the uncaring cigarette industry. Smoking eventually kills most of those who smoke. That anyone smokes of their own free will is tragic at best! It’s even worse for those who suffer seeing their loved ones who smoke sick and dying from cancer or emphysema. The lucky smokers die quickly and painfully from cancer. The unlucky die over many years slowly suffocating from emphysema – you see them almost every day with their oxygen bottles and breathing tubes. And, in many cases, if not most, the enormous associated medical costs are borne by taxpayers.
But the tragedy doe not end there. Second-hand smoke such as in every Indian casino is a worse killer than smoking itself. Due to the dangers of second-hand smoke, it’s now illegal in California to smoke in a car containing children. About the only legal public place to smoke is an Indian Casino.
Right now, employees and gamblers in Indian casinos are being sickened from second-hand smoke and many will die terrible expensive deaths. Many if not most of the employees and gamblers sickened by second-hand smoke in these casinos are not Indians, and many if not most of them will look to the state to pay their medical bills as their second-hand smoke induced illnesses kill them.
It’s for sure that employees of Indian casinos should not have to suffer working in a smoke-filled environment – the State of California should ensure that every California employee has a safe work place. For the non-smoking gamblers who stupidly enter smoky environments, the State of California should prohibit smoking so the State is not forced to assume the costs of their second-hand smoke-induced illness.
Only 21 percent of Californians smoke. If they were provided smoke-free casinos in California, many would forsake the smoke-filled casinos of Las Vegas and Laughlin. Remember the stories that the California bar industry would go bankrupt when they were forced to be smoke free, but business turned out to be better than ever, and Californians are much healthier as a result.
Californians should vote NO on ballot measures 94 through 97 because the Indian casinos will still allow smoking causing illness and premature death to all Californians who frequent them and expect the state of California to pay the enormous medical costs resulting from smoking induced illnesses.
