No to slots, yes to science

"Instead of betting on slots to balance our budget, Maryland could expand its individual and corporate tax bases by promoting economic winners like nanotechnology, renewable energy, or biotechnology"

by Delegate Heather R. Mizeur
Photo by Diana kohn

Delegate Heather Mizeur with Governor Martin O’Malley. Mizeur is a strong supporter of the governor’s budget plan—with the exception of permitting slot machines to mitigate the shortfall.

Maryland is the wealthiest state in the nation for a reason: we invest in our people, in their skills, and in our communities. Our state thrives on job creation fueled by creativity, research, and new technologies. Despite this, the state’s $1.7 billion structural budget deficit has renewed the debate on generating revenue from legalized slot machines. Slots might have been an “innovation” when they were unveiled in 1887, but in 2007, they should be called out for what they are: a regressive throw back to 19th century thinking. Slots must be rejected.

The choices we make today will impact our Maryland of tomorrow.

Do we want to live in a state that invests its precious and limited resources in areas that grow our economy and create jobs of the future? Or will Maryland lose its competitive edge as gambling drains our economy?

Do we want to attract families to Maryland because of our top-ranked schools, our high-paying jobs, and our exceptional natural resources? Or will we be satisfied to serve as a magnet for one-armed bandits and the misery they dispense?

We must close our budget deficit while maintaining the quality of life that makes Maryland a great place to live. We only need to look to the experience of our neighboring states who have already experimented with slots to confirm with statistics what we know anecdotally – that slot machine gambling breeds a host of social ills – addiction, poverty, and crime – while cannibalizing other state revenue sources.

Maryland is better than that.

Rather than repeating the mistakes of the past, we should invest in building our future. Maryland is already charting new courses in renewable energy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology discoveries at world-class research facilities, entrepreneurial start-up companies, and our academic institutions. We can ensure long-term, sustainable economic growth for Maryland by building a 21st century knowledge economy instead of 19th century slots parlors.

Maryland is ready to compete. We can continue to attract investment based on new business models. We can leverage the skills and talents of our dedicated workforce. We can create new partnerships with federal assets in our state like the NIH, FDA, NASA, Forts Meade and Dietrich, and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. These collaborations will help us create high-paying jobs, build local markets, and stimulate our manufacturing bases.

And with a dose of visionary thinking, Maryland could be known as the most innovative of all the states. Consider an example stemming from nanotechnology, just one of these fields.

Nanotechnology involves using advanced engineering to manipulate materials at the nanoscale (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, or the size of a marble as it relates to the Earth). Using tools available in this brand new, incredibly precise science, researchers studying HIV recently learned that the virus attaches itself to human cells with a tiny claw. They are now feverishly working to manipulate the virus into shutting down its attachment device in order to prevent new infections.

These are not theoretical notions. Though we are possibly still years away from a cure to HIV, nanotechnology is already changing everyday consumer products like cosmetics, suntan lotion, and deck stains. In fact, nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods in 2006, and this impact is expected to grow to $2.6 trillion by 2014.

But for all of this untold promise, there are many unknown risks. Questions remain regarding the unintended environmental, health, and safety risks of these new nanoparticles. Our goal should be to place first in the economic race that will soon launch to figure this out.

Instead of betting on slots to balance our budget, Maryland could expand its individual and corporate tax bases by promoting economic winners like nanotechnology, renewable energy, or biotechnology. We could become the world’s leading entrepreneurial center in characterizing, cataloging, and predicting the risks and rewards of nanoparticle manipulation. We could supply the solar panels and wind turbines needed for the coming green economy. We could reinforce and expand our successes in stem cell research.

These paths would each lead to economic advancement by positioning our great state at the epicenter of promising, next generation scientific advances. The benefits to Maryland would be immeasurable. Slots machine revenue would be trifle in comparison.

But planning and executing such a strategy requires an understanding of the high stakes involved: if we do not take this initiative, some other state surely will. With federal laboratories and agencies, our top-notch health care infrastructure, and manufacturing capacity, Maryland is uniquely situated to implement this vision to maximum effect. Nevertheless, we urgently need bold leadership, creative thinking, and strategic action to capitalize on our existing advantages.

The current fiscal climate places Maryland at an important crossroads. Will we choose to burden our economy with regressive policies like slot machine gambling, or will we choose to invest in opportunities that will give us staying power for years to come?

Let’s bet on science, not slots.

The writer is a Democratic member of the Maryland General Assembly, representing Takoma Park and Silver Spring in the House of Delegates, District 20.

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