Thursday, March 04, 2010

Homeland Security Site Attacked, Culver Casinos, Gingrich Iowa,

The state agency charged with helping to keep Iowa safe has had its website "compromised", according to the Des Moines Register. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security reported the incident in an email this morning. How does that make you feel?

During the 2006 campaign, Chet Culver said he favored more casinos for Iowa. Radio Iowa's Kay Henderson reports that now during this 2010 campaign, Governor Culver is again pushing for more casinos. Although, according to the story, Culver has now doubled the number of new casinos he wants from 2 to 4. Are you ready for more casinos? Or does Iowa already have enough? Too many?

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is headed back to Iowa on May 26th to headline the Polk County Republicans Spring dinner. The county GOP hasn't released the dinner location yet but said it will be in the Des Moines metro. Palin, Huckabee, Romney, Pataki, Pawlenty and now Gingrich? Is that 2012 I smell around the corner?!


ETC...

The Des Moines Social Club turns 1 this weekend and hosts a birthday celebration.

My wife has her birthday Friday. We'll host her birthday celebration at one of her favorite West Des Moines restaurants. She turns...am I supposed to say how old she is?:)

I have to try to put together our new crib this weekend. It's one of those combinations that eventually pulls into a toddler bed. I have no handyman skills. This could get interesting.

Thanks for reading.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If we have to count on casinos to keep budget balanced it is indeed a very bad state of affairs. Gambling as alcohol and drugs do become addictive. Don`t we have enough problems as it is??After years of fighting tabacco smoke I don`t see why they would even consider leaglizing pot . Its still sucking a burning sustance into yorur lungs and destroying them

Alex Freed said...

The gambling industry in Iowa has reached market saturation. Iowa has a limited number of gamblers with a fixed amount of money to bet, especially during these tough economic times.

Iowa’s state regulated casinos had a $12 million decline in gambling profits during the first half of fiscal year 2010. Revenues at Iowa’s pari-mutuel tracks in Altoona, Council Bluffs and Dubuque were down by more than 7 percent. Terrible’s Casino located in Osceola, Iowa filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2009. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska closed a casino it operates near Onawa, Iowa in July 2009.

Alex Freed said...

Cannibalization of existing casino revenue has already begun in Iowa. It is only a matter of time until other casinos in Iowa file for bankruptcy or close their doors. Gambling provides short-term revenue for a state that is addicted to gambling at the expense of long-term social cost to its citizens. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission needs to carefully analyze the cost of expanding gambling in Iowa before approving any new casino licenses this May.