Freedom versus Zealotry
By Alan Burkhart (03/13/07)
A free society cannot succeed when ideologues exert a degree of influence on government disproportionate to their numbers. Sharia law is a good example, although most Americans cannot fully understand the hardships it imposes. A fine example of the dangers involved when a minority imposes its beliefs on others via legislation can be found in my adopted home state of Mississippi.
It's no secret that Mississippi has endured its share of hard times both before and since Hurricane Katrina. Governor Haley Barbour and pro-business legislators are working hard to solve these problems using time-proven methods to stimulate our economy and improve the state's education system. But as dictated by the laws of both physics and partisan politics, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Allow me to introduce you to the American Family Association, based in Tupelo, MS. The AFA is a group of religious conservatives who use boycotts and petition drives to affect change both in Mississippi and in Washington, DC. That's all well and good. I'm a strong believer in political and social activism. The problem lies not in the methods themselves, but rather in how and why those methods are used.
The current bone of contention for the AFA is Mississippi House Bill 1142. This is an economic stimulus bill aimed at bringing in more tourism dollars to the state, principally in the Gulf Coast area. The bill would provide generous tax incentives for the creation of amusement parks, race tracks, hotels, museums and other tourism-related businesses. The bill at one time also included casinos, but thanks largely to the actions of the AFA, the following language has been added to the Senate version of the bill:
"The term "tourism project" does not include any business, corporation or entity having a gaming license issued under Section 75-76-1 et seq., but may include an entertainment enterprise owned by such a business, corporation or entity that is in excess of development that the State Gaming Commission requires for the issuance or renewal or a gaming license."
Intense lobbying efforts by the AFA resulted in the above language being added to the State Senate's version of the bill. It has since been sent back to the State House to be voted on again. In essence, a casino owner can build a hotel and get the tax break. But casinos themselves don't qualify. Why? Because gambling is against God's law, that's why.
Okay, we all know that God does not condone gambling. As a practicing Christian, I don't even buy lottery tickets. If however, my neighbors choose to play stud poker on the weekend, I don't use my King James Bible to beat down their door. It's their business, not mine.
If only the AFA would take a similar attitude. Gambling is an immoral activity, but not an illegal one in Mississippi. No one is dragging Mississippians into the casinos and holding guns to their heads while they play video poker. And let's not forget that casinos add thousands of good jobs and billions of dollars to the state economy. The casinos deserve the same incentives offered to other businesses in the tourism bill, but they are unlikely to get those benefits. Here is a quote from the AFA website on the subject:
"The gambling industry and the Mississippi Economic Council are putting extreme pressure on the representatives to give the rebates to the casinos. The gambling industry has established itself as a powerful force in Mississippi. They will not be happy until they control our government...
"...If they (MS legislators) now vote to give them a tax rebate worth millions, it will be clear that they are pro-gambling."
Let's take a realistic look at this. First, I have serious doubts that the gambling industry is attempting to control the state government. They will certainly lobby the government for legislation that benefits them, but that's a far cry from "control." This is pure paranoia and propaganda from an organization that would create a theocracy on American soil if it could.
As to legislators being "pro-gambling," I'd say that those state legislators are instead pro-business and are not hamstrung by theological bias. One of the most important jobs of government is to promote economic growth. Government is at its best in this regard when it simply steps out of the way and allows the economy to grow on its own. By lessening the tax burden on new businesses and the expansion of existing businesses, the Mississippi legislature would be doing exactly that.
It's a safe bet (yeah, I know it's a bad pun) that the AFA is looking not only at the moral aspect of this bill, but also the effect that gambling can have on some people. Those who become psychologically addicted to gambling often wreck their lives and the lives of those who care about them. That's unfortunate, but it's not the fault of the casinos.
Gambling is a voluntary activity. If the weak-minded develop an addiction to gambling, there is help available. To blame the gaming industry for the poor judgment of others is no different from those who seek to ban firearms. No gun in recorded history has ever killed anyone. It's the person wielding the weapon who does the killing. The same goes for gambling. If I flush my entire paycheck down the toilet at a casino, whose fault is it? No one forced me to visit the craps table.
And this is where the line is drawn. Christians have both the right and the obligation to share our beliefs all across America and the world. In the United States, our right to practice and share our beliefs is clearly defined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. But we don't have the right to have our beliefs codified into law. In case you slept through high school history class, one of the most important reasons for the American Revolutionary War was to be free from the iron-fisted rule of the Church of England.
The AFA and other faith-based groups would do humanity a much greater service by concentrating upon swaying the hearts and minds of nonbelievers instead of dabbling in public policy. Mixing religion with politics nearly always results either in the imposition of doctrinal tenets upon nonbelievers or yet another limit upon religious expression. Both are outside the bounds of the Constitution.
Gambling presents no hazards for me because my religious faith keeps me away from the video poker machines and the card tables when I visit a casino. Yes, I visit the casinos. Where else can I see ZZ Top and Steppenwolf in the same weekend? I love the shows and the great food and the tangy salt air on the Gulf Coast.
Religious faith and government both play important roles in American life, but each governs a different aspect of the human condition. Government’s job is to ensure a safe and free society. Religious faith deals with matters spiritual and emotional. When one collides with the other, the result is almost always a net loss of freedom for Americans.
I hope the Mississippi government will do the right thing and remove the casino exclusion from Bill 1142. Our nation is a better, safer place when government and religion stay out of each other's way.
Related Reading:
Mississippi House Set to Vote on Giving Millions in Tax Rebates to Casinos (AFA)
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=9489691
MS House Bill 1142
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2007/html/HB/1100-1199/HB1142PS.htm
Mississippi Economic Council
http://www.msmec.com/mx/hm.asp?id=home
On the establishment of religion: What the Constitution really says (Alan Keyes)
http://www.renewamerica.us/news/030826keyes.htm
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