Jay Kersting's Blog

At some point during the last ten days, Kathy and I supposedly moved at a speed of 889 miles per hour. The speed of sound, depending on elevation and other conditions, is about 760 miles per hour.

How do I know we went 889 miles per hour? Because our Garmin Street Pilot c330 GPS told me so.

I actually have a few ideas as to how this happened.  In fact, before it got up to 889 miles per hour, it showed that we had gone 326 miles per hour.  That was pretty easy to guess.  It powered up on one of the flights and actually picked up the satellites.  The 889 figure is harder to explain.  Best I leave it alone.

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By now you have probably heard of the ricin scare in Las Vegas.  Yes, we were there when that story broke.  Not specifically at the Extended Stay America motel, but we were in town.  To be specific, we were at the South Point Casino seeing a very bad version of duelling pianos (seriously, a drummer and a bass guitar????) when we heard this story.  It hadn't hit the national news at that point.  We heard about it BEFORE it even hit the local news.

To give you a sense of where this happened at, if you have ever been to the Gold Coast or the Rio Suites, it was right in that area.  Or, about a mile from the Strip....and a mile from my old apartment. 

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Got an e-mail regarding a rally held on Saturday by a group who opposes a casino in Jefferson City.  In reading the press release, I noted a quote from Clyde Lear.  "We do not believe that Jefferson Citians want to finance our local government with gambling profits." 

This is where I agree with Mr. Lear and Citizens Supporting Integrity.  But, this is NOT a departure from the views I have held throughout my entire life.

Simply put, goverments do not have integrity.  So, I get the cute graphic and acronym, but you need to have people of integrity who put that integrity into action by preventing their successors who will certainly lack integrity.

In my opinion, every state that has allowed lotteries or any other kind of gambling as screwed their own citizens.  I know, screwing your citizens is simply politics.   

Here is what SHOULD be done.  But hasn't been done because We The People have not demanded it.  ANY AND ALL monies generated by gambling should be treated as EXTRA money.  NOT AS A REPLACEMENT FOR OTHER TAXES.

When a state passes a lottery for education, that state should have locked in the rate of funding for education at a rate that cannot be cut later on.  THAT makes ALL of the lottery money EXTRA.

This serves two purposes.  First, it gives extra money where it is desparately needed.  Second, it takes the tax burden off of the citizens and makes it OPTIONAL.

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OK, for those who may want stories from Vegas, let me remind you.  What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.

Ah, who am I kidding?  I'll share some of the more colorful stories as I have the time.  Some of it can't make it on the air.  Dammit.

Add your comments as you see fit.