Barack Obama used the word sacrifice in his victory speech the other night. Most Americans, even those who did not vote for Obama, understand that the nation is facing huge problems that call for sacrifice and a return to the we're-all-in-this-together spirit that got us through tough times before.
Contrast the high-mindedness of that Democrat's message with the one we got here in Maryland from Martin O'Malley, the governor, and Sheila Dixon, the mayor of Baltimore -- let's have more gambling, and in Baltimore City, in particular.

Obama wants to raise taxes on the well-to-do and give the middle class a break, while O'Malley and Dixon, supported by nearly 60 percent approval of Question 2 on Election Day, will use slot machines to disproportionately tax the poor to help balance the budget in the four-wealthiest state in the country. It keeps O'Malley politically viable, helping him to recover from the approval-rating toll he took after raising the sales tax, and it gives Dixon a way to say she lowered property taxes by the next election. Meanwhile, we're going to set up a slots parlor accessible to the poorest population in the state to make it all happen.

Obama and hope, O'Malley and slots.
I guess you can't have everything.

"Using predatory slot machines to take hundreds of millions of dollars from the elderly, the desperate and those with addictive disorders as the preferred way to fund government completely contradicts the message of both candidates [for president]," wrote Les Bernal, executive director of StopPredatoryGambling.org. "We are a nation of strong families and communities…not a collection of selfish individuals who prey on the weaknesses of our neighbors for profit."
Here's more from Bernal:
"Why don’t the owners and promoters of slots, including public officials, often use slots? Because they know it is a near total waste of their money. They know the odds of winning are truly near impossible and they also know the way a person advances in America is by working hard, saving money and investing over the long-term.
"The truth is slots are government’s version of sub prime lending, best described as predatory gambling. AIG and Lehman Brothers executives were all part of what’s been called casino capitalism – using predatory practices and financial gimmicks to promote an illusion of free money, all at the expense of unsuspecting Americans.
"Among many well-intentioned people who presently advocate for slots, there is a complete lack of understanding about the design, technology and marketing behind the machines. If they did understand how predatory the machines are, there is no question that most would strongly oppose them.
"Every feature of the machine -- the mathematical structure, visual graphics, sound dynamics, seating and screen ergonomics -- is geared, in the language of the predatory gambling trade, to get gamblers to 'play to extinction,' which means until their money is gone.
"MIT Professor Natasha Schull has called the machines a 'high-tech version of loaded dice.' For those unfamiliar with the term, using loaded dice is cheating.
"One of America’s most sacred founding principles was: 'No taxation without representation.' It’s time the principle of  'No taxation by exploitation'  was added right beneath it."