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“Gambling-Your Verdict: A Nebraska Connects Special”
Thurs. October 7, 7 p.m. (CT) NETV
It's the one election year issue in Nebraska that has nearly everybody talking and arguing and scratching their heads. There is one amendment to the state's constitution and four separate but related ballot initiatives that require voters to ask some very hard questions. Will gambling help the state with it's tight budget or is that a myth? Do casinos invite trouble to good communities or are they a recreational choice that people in a lot of other states enjoy?
To give voters a chance to weigh the evidence, NETV and the Political Science Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney staged a mock trial on September 28, 2004 and invited each of the major advocacy groups to argue their case. It was the centerpiece of the annual Senator Jerome Warner Evening on the UNK campus.
Three groups participated and provided representatives to argue their cases and witnesses to be questioned. "Yes On Amendment 3" supports the constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the Nebraska Legislature allowing two state-sanctioned casinos. "Keep The Money In Nebraska" advocates a broader expansion of gambling giving local communities a chance to allow slot machines. Opposing both sets of ballot questions and expanded gambling in general is "Gambling With The Good Life." Copies of the evidence they submitted is provided below.
Presiding over the mock trail was an alumnus of UNK, Judge Karen Hunt, who recently retired from the Superior Court of the State of Alaska. The jury, as Judge Hunt reminded the audience, are the voters of Nebraska on November 2, 2004.
What gambling questions are on the ballot in Nebraska?
The items to look for on the ballot are Amendment 3, advanced by a majority of the State Legislature, and Initiatives 417, 418, 419 and 420, put on the ballot with a citizen's petition drive. The language that will be on the ballot can be found on the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office web site.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these proposals?
Three groups have formed to argue those points. Their web sites lay out the differing points of view.
Here are the courtroom procedures that governed our trial agreed to in advance by all participants.
Support for Amendment 3
Here is the evidence provided by "Yes On Amendment 3" in support of the constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the Nebraska State Legislature. Counsel: State Senator Pam Brown. Omaha, Nebraska
Witness: State Senator Arnie Stuthman, Platte Center, Nebraska
 Evidence:
- Charts created from data gathered from the Nebraska Department of Revenue and the Iowa Gaming & Racing Commission
- A list of benefits prepared by "Yes On Amendment 3"
Support for Initiatives 417, 418, 419 and 420
Here is the evidence provided by "Keep the Money In Nebraska" in support of the initiatives placed on the ballot by a petition drive.
Attorney: Julia Plucker
Witness: Greg Robinson, Mayor of Kimball, NE and co-chair of "Keep The Money In Nebraska"
Evidence:
Against Gambling
Here is the evidence provided by "Gambling With The Good Life" in opposition to both Amendment 3 and Initiatives 417, 418, 419 and 420.
Attorney: Jefferson Downing
Witness: John Anderson, Chair of the Economics Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Evidence:
Repeats:
NETV- Thurs. Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. on
NETV2 - Sat. Oct. 9 at 10 p.m.; Tues. Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. and Wed. Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. |
