“Nobody could ever give me a better Christmas present than this — ever, ever, ever.” Those were the words of Susan Regan, whose son miraculously awoke from a coma after suffering severe brain damage in a car accident on October 19. Doctors believed that Sam, a junior at the University of Arizona, was brain dead and were preparing to take him off life support.
Then, it happened. (more…)
Despite Arizonans already refusing to expand gambling off reservations (over 80 percent of Arizonans voted against allowing gaming machines off reservations in 2002), a group is trying to push the issue again. Last Friday, a 50-page petition was filed with the Secretary of State that would essentially make Arizona the next Las Vegas. The group behind the petition describes itself as a “grassroots effort,” but it is backed by several major players from casino-friendly Nevada. (more…)
The tradition of designating an official day of prayer began with the Continental Congress in 1775. Since then, every president, with no exception, has recognized the importance of God in our nation.
So when the Wisconsin-based “Freedom From Religion Foundation” (FFRF) brought their baseless lawsuit against Governor Brewer for declaring the Arizona Day of Prayer, I was confident the state would overcome this challenge.
It’s no secret that families and communities are negatively impacted when states expand gambling. Yet what is so often overlooked in this discussion is how the poor are disproportionately harmed by the expansion of gambling and the lottery.
Across the state, billboards and advertisements promote casino gambling as an easy and glamorous way to fulfill dreams and win large sums of money without any realistic information about the slim odds of winning. Those with the greatest financial need are much more susceptible to responding to these types of misleading promotions. As a result, they often become ensnared by the casino business model that is built on keeping players coming back to gamble away money.
Every year, Arizona’s Office of Problem Gambling publishes statistics from its helpline that give insight into who is being drawn into addiction.
This year’s report found that:
Another recent trend gives us an indication as to how gambling can ensnare those in need.
In the midst of a deep recession, one entity has seen a boom like no other: the Arizona lottery. In August, the report came out that our state was ranked first in the nation for lottery revenue growth in fiscal year 2009-2010. In a time of fewer jobs and lower incomes, Arizonans are spending larger sums of money on the microscopic likelihood of acquiring financial relief from lottery winnings.
In 2006, an analysis of a poor southern Tucson zip code and an affluent Catalina Foothills zip code found that on average, poor households spent $372 per year on lottery tickets while the well-off households spent only $9 per year.
In the face of these statistics, policymakers cannot look the other way. The less-fortunate are far more susceptible to messages that portray casinos as glamorous and gambling as a source of easy income. Any expansion of gambling will place more families at risk and have a disproportionately greater impact on the poor.
Our budget problems may be great, but so is our duty to govern responsibly and not risk further harm to the most vulnerable among us.
Jennifer Keeton is a graduate student at Augusta State University in Georgia who, like millions of Christians across the country, holds a biblical belief about homosexuality. 
It’s because of this biblical worldview that Augusta State has offered Jennifer an ultimatum: reject your sincerely held religious beliefs or you will not receive your degree in counseling.
The university is demanding that Jennifer denounce her stance that homosexuality is morally wrong and that sexual behavior can be changed. The school is also trying to force Jennifer to attend “sensitivity training” and gay pride events.