Record high temperatures for November


I received two comments in response to my answer to an earlier comment on video gambling. I plan to respond. However, not immediately. It is November 30th, and I still haven’t posted my regular article on the record high temperatures in Peoria for the month of November as of November 2008. That’s tonight’s post and tomorrow I plan to post the record high temperatures for December as well as at least two additional posts on “Global Warming.” I do plan to return to video gambling soon depending upon what the Senate does in relation to nationalizing healthcare.

The record high temperatures for November:

On July 6th, 2007, I posted for the first time on my blog the record high temperature for Peoria, Illinois for each day of the month of July with the year the record occurred. I began the post with this paragraph:

Anyone ever ask you, “Hot enough for you?” It seems like I hear that every summer. I was at a funeral recently. I can’t remember the age of the person but I think she was around 90 years of age. One of the individuals who talked about her life mentioned that she often talked about how hot it was in 1936. 1936? But global warming is a new phenomenon! How could it be hot in 1936?

I had a post for each month from July of 2007 through June of 2008. I stopped at June because I did not have the new figures for the second half of the year. I now have the figures for January through December. Therefore, I thought I would begin the process again.

First, here are the conclusions for January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October:

For January:

01) The record high temperatures for January ranged from 71° to a low of 56°.
02) There were two highs in the 70’s, three in the 50’s, and twenty-six in the 60’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1890’s and 1950’s with 5 each.
04) The decade of the 1880’s was the only decade with no record high dates.
05) The decade of the 1930’s had 2 record high temperature dates.
06) Four dates in the 2000’s had record high temperatures.
07) The highest record high temperature of 71° occurred on January 23, 1909.
08) The lowest record high temperature of 56° occurred on January 30, 1988.

For February:

01) The record high temperatures for February ranged from 74° to a low of 54°.
02) There were nine highs in the 70’s, two in the 50’s, and eighteen in the 60’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1930’s with 8.
04) The decades of the 1880’s, 1960’s, and 1980’s had no record high dates.
05) One date in the 2000’s had record high temperatures.
07) The highest record high temperature of 74° occurred on February 10, 1932.
08) The lowest record high temperature of 54° occurred on February 2, 1920.
09) The year of 1930 had five of six straight days with record high temperatures.

For March:

01) The record high temperatures for March ranged from 87° to a low of 70°.
02) There were fourteen highs in the 80’s, and seventeen in the 70’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in 4 different decades—the 1900’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, and 2000’s—with four in each decade.
04) The decade of the 1880’s had no record high dates.
05) One date in the 1930’s had record high temperatures.
06) The highest record high temperature of 87° occurred on March 21, 1907.
07) The lowest record high temperature of 70° occurred on March 5, 1945.

For April:

01) The record high temperatures for April ranged from 92° to a low of 82°.
02) There were nine highs in the 90’s, and twenty-one in the 80’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1980’s with seven in the decade.
04) The decades of the 1910’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s had no record high dates.
05) The 1930’s had four record high temperatures.
06) The 2000’s had four record high temperatures.
07) The highest record high temperature of 92° occurred on April 10, 1930 and April 25, 1986.
08) The lowest record high temperature of 82° occurred on April 3, 1978.
09) There were seven record high temperatures in the 1880’s and 1890’s.

For May:

01) The record high temperatures for May ranged from 104° to a low of 89°.
02) There was one high in the 80’s, twenty-nine highs in the 90’s and one high in the 100’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1890’s with ten in the decade.
04) The decades of the 1940’s, 1960’s, and 1990’s had no record high dates.
05) The 1930’s had five record high temperatures including four in 1934.
06) The 2000’s had one record high temperature.
07) The highest record high temperature of 104° occurred on May 31, 1934.
08) The lowest record high temperature of 89° occurred on May 1, 1901.
09) There were 18 record high temperatures from the 1880’s through the 1910’s and 28 record high temperatures from the 1880’s through the 1950’s.

For June:

01) The record high temperatures for June ranged from 105° (three times with two of the three in the 1930’s) to a low of 96° (twice).
02) There were fourteen highs in the 90’s and sixteen highs in the 100’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1930’s with fifteen in the decade—half of the total record highs for the month.
04) The decades of the 1900’s, 1920’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1990’s, 2000’s (seven decades) had no record high dates.
05) The 1930’s had nine record high temperatures in 1934, two in 1933, and one each in four other years.
06) The 2000’s had no record high temperature.
07) The last record high temperature occurred in 1988 (105°) with none since.
08) Since 1937, there have been six record high temperatures—two in the 1970’s and four in the 1980’s.
09) There have been six record high temperatures in the 1880’s (two) and 1890’s (four).

For July:

01) The high temperature for every day in July was 100° or more.
02) There were 12 straight days of record high temperatures in 1936.
03) The first day of record temperatures in 1936 was on Independence Day—July 4th.
04) During those twelve days, the lowest record high was 103° on July 9th.
05) During those twelve days, the highest record high was 113° on July 15th, the last day of those record twelve straight days. Do you think that the people living in 1936 were beginning to think that the record heat would never end? Do you think they blamed the 12 days of record heat on global warming?
06) 1936 had another record high during the month on July 26th when the temperature reached 105°.
07) 13 of the record highs for July occurred in 1936.
08) Almost half of the record highs for July occurred in 1936.
09) There were 6 other days in July where record highs were recorded in the 1930’s.
10) 19 of the 31 record highs for July occurred in the 1930’s.
11) The 1990’s and the 2000’s have no record highs in July.
12) The most recent record high in July occurred in 1988 at 102° on July 31st.
13) There were two record highs in the 1980’s—1983 and 1988.

For August:

01) The record high temperatures for August ranged from 106° to a low of 96° (three).
02) There were eleven highs in the 90’s and twenty highs in the 100’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1930’s and 1980’s with eight each in the two decades.
04) The decades of the 1900’s, 1920’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1990’s (six decades) had no record high dates.
05) The 1930’s had seven record high temperatures in 1936.
06) The 2000’s had two record high temperatures.

For September:

01) 6 days in 1939 were record high temperatures.
02) 5 days in a row in 1939 had record high temperatures.
03) 3 days in 1933 were record high temperatures.
04) 2 other days in the 1930’s had record high temperatures.
05) For each day in September, the record high temperature was 90° or more.
06) 9 of the record high temperatures were 100° or more.
07) September 15th is the latest date for a 100° temperature which occurred in 1939.
08) 7 of the record high temperatures were in the 1890’s.
09) 1 day in the 2000’s had a record high temperature—92° in 2007. That day replaced a record high temperature of 92° that occurred in 1933. It was actually a tie and the latest temperature replaced the previous.
10) Until the 2007 record high, the most recent record high temperature in September occurred in 1953 (twice).

For October:

01) The record high temperatures for October ranged from 81° to a high of 93°.
02) 7 of the 31 days had a record high temperature of 90° or more.
03) The last 90° temperature occurred on October 15.
04) The last 81° temperature occurred on October 25.
05) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1920’s with 8.
06) The decade of the 1950’s had 6 record high temperature dates.
07) The decades of the 1930’s and 1890’s had 5 record high temperature dates.
08) In all, four decades had 24 dates of record high temperatures.
09) On 8 different occasions, two days in a row in the same year had a record high temperature.
11) All 8 of those times occurred in the four decades that had the most record high temperatures.
12) 3 dates in the 2000’s had record high temperatures.


Here are the November record high temperatures for Peoria.

The Peoria Journal Star on June 14, 2009, page S2 published “The Weather Month by Month.” According to the Peoria Journal Star, here are the record highs for Peoria for the month of November with the year of that record high.

“November 1……. 81 ……. 1950
November 2……. 78 ……. 1938*
November 3……. 78 ……. 1987
November 4……. 76 ……. 1978
November 5……. 75 ……. 1924
November 6……. 77 ……. 1915
November 7……. 79 ……. 1915
November 8……. 78 ……. 1999
November 9……. 75 ……. 2006
November 10……. 73 ……. 1949
November 11……. 77 ……. 1911
November 12……. 75 ……. 1902
November 13……. 76 ……. 1989
November 14……. 75 ……. 1971
November 15……. 74 ……. 1955
November 16……. 76 ……. 1931*
November 17……. 75 ……. 1952
November 18……. 73 ……. 1999
November 19……. 78 ……. 1930*
November 20……. 72 ……. 1942
November 21……. 74 ……. 1913
November 22……. 70 ……. 1908
November 23……. 71 ……. 1931*
November 24……. 66 ……. 1931*
November 25……. 68 ……. 1915
November 26……. 69 ……. 1927
November 27……. 72 ……. 1989
November 28……. 72 ……. 1905
November 29……. 69 ……. 1933*
November 30……. 62 ……. 1998”

For November:

01) The record high temperatures for November ranged from 81° to a low of 62°.
02) There was one high in the 80’s, five in the 60’s, and twenty-four in the 70’s.
03) The most record high temperatures for a decade occurred in the 1930’s with 6.
04) The decade of the 1910’s had 5 record high temperature dates.
05) The first four decades of the 1900’s had 16 record high temperature dates.
06) No decade in the 1800’s had a record high date.
07) Each decade of the 1900’s had at least two record high temperature dates except for the 1960’s when there was no record high dates.
08) Only one date in the 2000’s had a record high temperature.

In January, the 2000’s led the 1930’s by a 2 to 1 margin. The 1930’s from January through February had 10 record high temperatures. The 2000’s had five. The 1930’s had one more record high temperature in March giving the 1930’s a total of 11 for the first three months of the year. The 2000’s added four more record high temperatures to its previous total of five increasing its three month total to nine just two less than the eleven of the 1930’s. Both the 1930’s and the 2000’s had four more record high temperatures in April. With the addition of five record highs in May, the 1930’s has 20 record high temperatures through May while the 2000’s, with only one additional, has 14 highs. June has shut out the 2000’s while adding 15 more for the 1930’s. The 1930’s has now more than doubled the 2000’s having a comfortable lead of 35 to 14 thus ending the first half of the year.

July has again shut out the 2000’s while adding 19 more for the 1930’s. The 1930’s has almost four times the number of record high days as the 2000’s having a very comfortable lead of 54 to 14. August kept adding to the 1930’s lead going to 62 for the 1930’s and 16 for the 2000’s. However, the lead is not quite 4 to 1. (16 X 4 = 64) September added 11days to the 1930’s resulting in a grand total of 73 days compared to one additional day for the 2000’s and a total of 17 days. The 1930’s has only two more record highs than the 2000’s for October—5-3. The total is now 78 record highs for the 1930’s and 20 for the 2000’s. November added 6 additional days for a total of 84 record highs for the 1930’s. The 2000’s added only 1 more record high temperature for 21 for the 2000’s. The 1930’s are exactly 4 times ahead of the 2000’s—4 times!!!

That’s it! It’s over! One month left and the 1930’s are 63 record highs ahead. The 2000’s can NOT catch up. The only question left is how many days will the 1930’s end up ahead? Too bad! It seems that the 2000’s aren’t nearly as hot as the 1930’s at least as far as record high temperatures in Peoria. “Global Warming” proven!!! OR NOT!!!

This is what the Bible says about our climate: “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ‘Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’” Genesis 8: 20-22 (NIV)

This is what the Bible says about GOD’S promises: “‘God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?’” Numbers 23: 19 (NIV)

Now, let me think. Should I believe “Al Gore and his cohorts’ prediction of “Global Warming” fifty years into the future or should I believe GOD’S sure PROMISE?

GOD’S PROMISE: “‘As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’”

Al Gore’s fantasy prediction 50 years into the future: catastrophe of man’s own making

The winner is:

As I’ve said before, no human can accurately predict what the weather is going to be like 50 years from today. We have difficulty predicting with 100% accuracy what the weather is going to be like seven days from now. This I do know. If GOD wants global warming as predicted by the “Al Gore gang” to occur, there is NOTHING man can do to stop it. If GOD doesn’t want global warming to occur, it won’t, no matter what man does. Of course, GOD could always let man proceed as they choose without HIS hand in it either way. I don’t know what will occur 50 years from now and NEITHER DOES any other human on this planet!

This I also know. If I were living a life of SIN, I’d be more concerned about what GOD will do today and tomorrow or what will happen to me after my death (none of us has a guarantee that we will live another fifty years) than what is going to occur in another 50 years!!!

Thanksgiving—Be Thankful


I had this ready for Wednesday night and forgot to post it. I’m going to take the rest of the week off. Hopefully, I will begin posting again on Monday the 30th. Thank you!

“Be Thankful

Colossians 3: 12-17

Welcome, friend, to our Bible study program, ‘In Search of the Lord’s Way.’ I’m Mack Lyon. Phil Sanders will be bringing us the message today. He has titled it, ‘Be Thankful.’ I think you’ll enjoy it, so don’t go away.

Warmest greetings to you, friend! Oh say! This is ‘Thanksgiving’ week, isn’t it? Oh I know, every day is thanksgiving for Christians. But Thursday of this week is America’s annual day of public thanksgiving to God for His providential care and preservation of our Nation.

‘The First Thanksgiving Proclamation of the United States’ was issued by George Washington, the first President of our country. It said in part: ‘Whereas, both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me ‘to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their own safety and happiness.’ Oh, say! That was the president of the United States, the first president, and both houses of our national congress! And that was the first public thanksgiving 220 years ago this Thursday, November 26, 2009. Let’s do it friend, before somebody gets the idea it’s unconstitutional.

If you would like a free printed copy, a CD or an audio cassette tape of brother Phil’s message today about being thankful, simply mail your request for it to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083 or to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or if you prefer, you may use our toll-free telephone number and that is 1 (800) 321-8633. It’s on our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/ along with a lot more. Visit us there; will you? Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us now as we sing, then brother Phil Sanders will be here to read Colossians 3, verses 12 through 17 with you.

Our reading today comes from the Word of God, of course, from the book of Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 17. ‘Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’ This is from the New King James Version. Let’s pray together. O Lord, we are thankful that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts; and Father, we are thankful for the love of Jesus each day, for the forgiveness of our sins. Father, help us to live as thankful people, to be holy, and to love You always. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Each year America sets aside a day to thank God for our blessings. God has truly given us so much for which to be thankful. Let’s never let it be said that we were ungrateful or forgetful for what God has done. William Law in his book ‘A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life’ said, ‘Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It’s not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is the most eminent or temperate or chaste, or the most just; but it is he who is always thankful to God, and who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.’ In the old Anglo-Saxon, thankfulness means ‘thinkfulness.’ Thinking of all God’s goodness draws forth gratitude from our hearts.

David said in Psalm 100, verse 4, ‘Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.’ A thankful heart is a cheerful heart and one ready to give praise to God. It counts its blessings and knows how good that God has been to every one of us. In Psalm 103, verses 1 to 5, David further urges us, ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.’

Ah, the Bible says in the book of Hebrews 13, verse 15, ‘Through Him [that is through Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.’ My friends, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday for once a year; it should be a way of life. The Bible says in James 1, verse 17 that, ‘Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.’ Your food, your water, your clothing, and your house—all of them come from God’s loving hand. He does indeed crown us with loving kindness and compassion. Some people grumble and complain about every little thing, not realizing that God has done so much for us every day.

God gives us so many spiritual blessings in addition to the physical ones. He gives us peace; He gives us His Word, the Bible, to teach us and admonish us; He gives us a song to build us up; and He gives us a purpose in life. The goodness of God makes us better people. His love makes us want to love all the more. It’s not always easy to be thankful; I know that. Life’s not always fair; and things don’t always go smoothly. But God said in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 to 18, ‘Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ You see, the test of a Christian is not will he give thanks when things are easy, but will he give thanks and praise God when life is harsh? Christians rejoice always for Christ and His cross, even when the world hates them. They don’t quit praying, because life is rough. They pray even more. They give thanks ‘in’ everything and every circumstance. They know everything is not good or pleasant; but they also know Romans 8 and verse 28. You see, the Bible says in that verse: ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ Now not everything is good, but God can cause it to work for good. So we give thanks in everything.

The Pilgrims who came to America thought it good to thank God for their food and their lives. The Congress in the earliest days of the United States also thought it good to thank God for all His provisions of freedom and prosperity. On November 1, 1777 the United States Congress issued this proclamation to the whole nation: It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and to blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him [that is God] graciously to afford his blessings on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace.

Now this early Congressional proclamation asked America to confess their manifold sins and ask God to forgive them so that the government and the military may be fit instruments under the providence of Almighty God. You see, the early Americans knew God was the source of their liberties. They also knew that if they abandoned the will of God found in the Bible, they would lose the favor of God and their liberties. They knew what God said in Jeremiah 18, verses 7 to 10. God said, ‘If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break it down and destroy it, and then if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of that disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.’

Listen to me now! America does not stand or fall on the basis of its wealth or its might. No! Other nations have been very wealthy and very powerful, yet they fell. We must understand. America stands or falls on the basis of its willingness to live by the principles found in God’s Holy Word. God is the true King of our country or of any country. He is a greater power than all our weapons. The people who began this country understood God’s role in its establishment. Did you know that the very first act on the very first day of the very first Continental Congress, and that took place on September 7, 1774; that first act was to read Psalm 35 and to pray? Did you know when they prayed they were kneeling, bowed with reverence, and praying in the name of Jesus Christ? Well who was kneeling? Patriots like George Washington, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay. Did you know that they began every day of that Continental Congress and the next ones with prayer at 9 o’clock?

The Continental Congress that took place on May 16, 1776, before the Declaration of Independence; did you know that they appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies. They said, ‘The Congress.... Desirous... to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely... upon his aid and direction... Do earnestly recommend Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease God’s righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and the mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain this pardon and forgiveness.’ That’s what the Congress said.

Benjamin Franklin said in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that, ‘God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured [Franklin said] in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it [this is a quotation of Psalm 127, verse 1]. [And he says) I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building [that is making this nation America] we are going to do it no better than the builders of Babel [of course, which came to ruin].’ Without God’s help we can’t do anything! After the first battle of Bull Run, Abraham Lincoln declared on September 26, 1861 that it would be a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. He said, ‘It is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to His chastisement; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offenses, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action.’

When Solomon became king over Israel he prayed for God’s blessing on the nation. And God answered Solomon’s prayer with these words found in 2 Chronicles 7, verses 13 and 14. God said, ‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ Solomon knew that being right with God makes a difference. And by inspiration he wrote in Proverbs 14:34, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.’ One must wonder how long God will tolerate the sins of America. When we allow the taking of the lives of the unborn (MURDER—my addition), nearly 50 million of them; when two of every five children are born out of wedlock; when one out of every two children grows up in a broken home. Oh, my friend, how can God be pleased?

On this week let us say ‘thank you’ to God for His mercy and blessing for this great country. Let’s never become like the nine lepers that Jesus healed. You’ll remember in Luke 17, ‘they raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ And when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And then Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?’’ My friend, merely saying thank You to God is a good beginning, but God wants more than mere appreciation. He wants our hearts, our souls, and our lives. The people of Haggai’s day had grown so busy with their lives they forgot the task that God had given them to do to rebuild the temple. God said in Haggai 1, verses 5 and 6, ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied…you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’ Could it be that we today are facing so many struggles, because we too have forgotten our God? Could it be that we need to consider our ways?

We can’t expect to live in sin and apathy and God be pleased. The Bible teaches, ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life’ (Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8). My friend, what’s true personally is also true of our nation.

How often people want and want and want from God, but they never think to give their praise, and their thanks, or their hearts to Him. My friend, have you? Have you decided to follow Jesus and serve the One who loves you? God’s goodness ought to lead us to change our lives and be obedient to His will. If we love God and are thankful to Him for His grace, we’ll gladly do whatever He asks us to do. Oh, the grace and the love of God makes us want to believe and trust in Him, to repent of all our sins, and to confess His name, and to be baptized into Christ. And in baptism we die with Him; we are buried with Him; we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life. My friend, nothing could be more meaningful. God wants you, your heart, your life, and your soul. Won’t you serve Him and follow Him always. Thankfulness begins when people keep the Lord Jesus in their hearts everyday and serve Him. Let’s pray. O Lord, help us to love You with all our hearts and souls and minds. And, Father, help us to turn from our sins that we may please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Thank you Phil Sanders for an excellent reminder that we have so much for which to be thankful, and we should thank the Almighty God for our blessed country, too; just as President George Washington said do.

I remind you: we are here every week at this time free of any appeals for money, because of some of your neighbors and friends who are members of some churches of Christ right here in your area. Oh, how they would love to have you attend their Bible study classes and worship assemblies. Tell them that we invited you. Will you do that for us?

If you would like to have a free printed copy, or a CD, or an audio cassette tape of Phil’s message today, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way; P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. You might access our website, too, at http://www.searchtv.org/. Our telephone number is 1 (800) 321-8633. Say, friend, we plan to be back next week at this time. We hope you can, too. And perhaps in the meantime you will have occasion and an opportunity for inviting one of your friends to view the program by next week. God bless you now. We love you.”

Video gambling—anonymous said


I received a comment on my post entitled Video gambling is predatory gambling. I am responding to that comment tonight. The comment with my response:

“Anonymous said …

Two problems with the statistical analysis that you are presenting in your blog. One is that your number of gambling addicts is based off the entire population not the adult population, children are not allowed to legally gamble. Second you are assuming that video gambling would move Illinois from a state of no gambling addicts to the full amount. Seeing as Illinois already has legalized gaming in the form of casinos, race tracking betting, the lottery, and of course illegal gaming, both in person and online, it is extremely unlikely that Illinois is at the zero state.

11: 14 PM”

I’m going to answer each “problem” separately.

1) “One is that your number of gambling addicts is based off the entire population not the adult population, children are not allowed to legally gamble.”

My response: Thank you! That is exactly one of my points and one reason why I specifically used a figure—.8%—off of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association (http://www.icmoa.org/) website.

Why do you think the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association used that figure in promoting video gambling? It seems obvious to me. Answer this question: When factoring in the entire population—newly born to 100+ year old adults—the percentage figure of addicted individuals is going to be smaller, the same, or larger than the percentage figure if only examining individuals from say 18 through 95? Of course, the percentage figure is going to be lower because it includes a large part of the population who would not gamble anyway. Thus, the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association can say: “Less that one percent are addicted gamblers. Is that really so bad?”

Of course, .8% may not seem to be so bad to you (that I don’t know) and others. To me it is. However, the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association is the organization who chose the base. To make a valid comparison using the .8% of the entire population, one MUST use the same base to reach a valid conclusion when making a comparison with other populations. Therefore, using the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association own figure: For Illinois that translates to 99,354 people who will become compulsive gamblers in Illinois and whose families will also be destroyed with them. Almost 100,000 [one hundred thousand] throwaway families destroyed to benefit a few specially selected businesses and our GANGSTER GOVERNMENT. (12,419,293 people X .8% = 99,354) For Tazewell County (again using the base and percentage promoted by the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association) that’s 128,485 people (2,000 population figure) X .8% = 1027 people and their families. For the Village of Morton that’s 16,670 people X .8% = 133 people and their families. Obviously, if one uses a different base with less people in the base (for example, 18 through 95) the percentage will be HIGHER. My guess is that is one reason why the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association used the base that was used.

2) “Second you are assuming that video gambling would move Illinois from a state of no gambling addicts to the full amount. Seeing as Illinois already has legalized gaming in the form of casinos, race tracking betting, the lottery, and of course illegal gaming, both in person and online, it is extremely unlikely that Illinois is at the zero state.”

My response: You are assuming that I assumed something that I NEVER assumed. I’m quite aware that gambling is going on and that there are addicts as a result of that gambling. My position is that these addictions WILL INCREASE for a variety of reasons. Again, I specifically used the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association figure because it WAS SO LOW. Either you did not read my first series of posts which started on September 14th with “Give US more money” and ended on October 1st or you did not accept the information provided. I can’t force you or anyone else to believe the material presented. If you don’t accept the information, do your own research and form your own conclusions.

I’m not going to repeat everything I wrote (It was 59 pages long when I gave it to the Village Trustees.) but I will repeat a few items. First, gambling, like any other economic activity is based upon supply and demand principles. Increasing the number of video poker machines outside of casinos from zero to 45,000 machines State wide can only result in three possibilities—less money will be spent overall, the amount of money spent will remain the same, or more money will be spent overall. Likewise, who is gambling can only have three results—less people are gambling, the same numbers of people are gambling, or more people are gambling. These six combinations are the only six possible. Who knows the future combination that will result?

Just as obviously, any business that becomes licensed for video gambling machines and who then installs them will have some capital costs. These capital costs include among others: 1) the cost of the machines, 2) the cost of maintenance, 3) the cost of the space those machines occupy, 4) the fee assessed to each machine each year, 5) the cost of utilities, 6) the cost of lost opportunities—money invested in machines can not be invested in something else and 7) replacement costs.

Using an overly simplified economic analysis (I’m not teaching an economics class here), no sane businessman would invest in these capital costs without the belief and hope of making a profit and, in fact, a profit greater than he can make by investing in other opportunities. He is not going to invest in video gambling to receive a 2% return on investment if he can make 6% elsewhere with the same investment. He’s not in the business of promoting gambling just to promote gambling.

To make such an investment profitable, more money must be spent overall at least in his establishment. To do that, money spent in other gambling activities will have to be decreased and spent at his establishment, the same number of people are going to have to increase their gambling money spent, more people have to begin gambling and/or a combination of the three.

Just as obvious to me, the State and the owners of the establishments expect more money to be spent overall on gambling and more people to gamble. Both are expecting an increase in spending in millions of dollars. That almost certainly will NOT happen without more people gambling and/or more people gambling to “extinction.” Remember, the model is for 10% of the gamblers losing 90% of the money.

In previous posts, I have mentioned some of the reasons why both more money will be spent and more people will gamble. Some of these include: 1) Most casinos attract 80% or more of their market from a 35-50 mile radius. There are only a limited number of casinos in Illinois and many people don’t live within that radius. In the future, if 45,000 new video gambling machines are placed in most establishments that serve alcohol by the glass, just about if not everyone within the State will be within that radius—easier access will no doubt translate into more gambling by more people—surrendering to temptation. 2) Addiction rates double within 50 miles of a casino. Of course, 50 miles is the outside radius for those who are attracted to casino gambling as mentioned in point one. In the future, almost everyone if not everyone will be within that 50 mile radius. 3) Video gambling is the “crack cocaine” of gambling resulting in more people being addicted than with other forms of gambling. Addiction occurs faster than other forms of gambling. It more often leads to gambling to “extinction.”

As stated in an earlier post, any time something that was illegal becomes legal as in video gambling at specified establishments, there are people who would not use the machines before who will use them now because they are now legal. The legality of the activity gives it State sanctioned approval. The percent varies with the activity legalized but it does happen. People will do an activity that is legal that they would not do if it remained illegal and that includes video gambling.

By the way, the argument that more people drank alcohol during prohibition than before or after is a myth. No scientific evidence has ever proved that to be true. In fact, it can not be proven since alcohol consumption statistics were not accurately recorded before prohibition, during prohibition, or directly after prohibition. That myth was begun, in part, by a popular newspaperman who came to that conclusion and then the myth was passed on as fact. It was repealed, in part, to raise money for governments including the federal government. Some States and areas maintained prohibition provisions. The same is true for the myth on how many illegal abortions were done each year when such abortions were prohibited by law. No records were kept. A doctor and/or doctors made up the “statistics.”

What is known is that gambling is addictive to some people, video gambling is MORE addictive than other types of gambling, and people and families suffer destructively because of the addictive behavior from video gambling. People who are addicted lie, cheat, steal, go deeply into debt, go bankrupt, and commit suicide. How many throw away people and families will be destroyed for the State’s, the counties’, the communities’, and the businesses’ THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER?

Video gambling—gambling is evil


The following is from “In Search of the Lord’s Way” on FOX network, Sunday, 7:30 AM from Peoria:

“Christians Oppose Gambling because It’s Evil

I Timothy 6: 6-12

We feel complimented when we are asked to repeat a program that we have done once before—and we are thrilled to comply with the request for an encore presentation on this program, ‘Why Christians Oppose Gambling.’

Welcome my friend, to our program of Bible study ‘In Search of the Lord’s Way’—to become a Christian and to live the Christian life. Say, we are so encouraged and very encouraged when we hear from you that you are being blessed in some way by what we are saying and doing here. Thanks for joining us in our study today, too.

Evil abounds—I mean it grows and flourishes when good people say and do nothing to resist it. Evil is the absence of good. It is like what happens when you turn off the lights in a room, darkness suddenly fills the place. Therefore, we are encouraged when we see and hear good people who are committed to righteousness, standing against the evil trends in the community, or in the church, or the nation—or well, anywhere else. And that is what is happening in our nation today. As we have declared war on evil forces from without our country, we also need to be taking a stand against the evil that prevails right among us here in the nation. The Bible says, ‘Submit yourselves … to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ That is James 4 and 7.

There is a devious evil that is growing very rapidly in our nation these days. It is of great concern to many of our viewers. And some of you have asked for help in defeating it before it becomes a bigger problem. In response we are giving today’s program the title, ‘Christians Oppose Gambling Because It’s Evil.’

If you think you would like a printed copy or an audio cassette tape of the message, you may have it free by sending your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or you may use our toll free telephone number—1-800-321-8633. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us (in singing—my addition), and then we will be back for that encore presentation of the subject to be discussed today.

We are reading today from the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, beginning in chapter 6, verse 6 and we will read through verse 12 (NIV). ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’ Now let us go to God in prayer. Merciful God and loving Father, we are so thankful to Thee for the encouragement that we have to set our affection on things higher than the material possessions of this world. Bless us in our study today that we may seek Thou way and Thou truth for our lives. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

As much as is being said about it, still evil cannot be clearly identified or defined apart from the Word of God. Without the Bible there is no acceptable standard for right and wrong, and what is evil in the estimate of some people is defined as good by others. Even with such clear teaching as we have in the book of Romans for example, chapter 1, verses 24 through 27 and in I Timothy chapter 1, verses 3 to 11 some people are still unable to define sodomy as evil. Consequently, we are hearing that old bromide of the devil: ‘No one can say for certain that anything is good or bad.’ Then too, evil frequently comes robed in the good that it can do, and so we are prone to ask, ‘Shall we do evil that good may come as in Romans 3 and 8? Or, perhaps you have heard it said, maybe you have said it yourself even; ‘The end justifies the means.’ We must also remember that the devil is the great deceiver, and he very often confuses our thinking so that we are heard to call evil good and good evil. God’s chosen people in the Old Testament days had fallen into that sort of thing and God pronounced a woe on them. And you may read it in Isaiah chapter 5, verse 20. (And they were the recipients and the repository of the Law.) Then too, when government gives sanction to an evil, that evil just then becomes good and right in the minds of most people. For example: in 1973 when the Supreme Court decided in Roe verse Wade that the Constitution of the United States gave a woman the right to kill her little innocent, helpless preborn baby, what had been evil since the founding of our nation, suddenly became right. And what is declared to be good becomes evil in the eyes of government and some people, if done 15 to 30 seconds after the birth of the child.

When we are reminded daily that America is at war with evil, the evil forces all around the world, we are forced to remember, too, that it is impossible to win over evil from without our nation and our community, while we harbor and protect it within our society. It is extremely difficult for a people to define and win over evil abroad, while they deny and wink at its presence in their own way of living. The Bible says, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.’ (Proverbs 14: 34).

The evils to which we give ‘the government stamp of approval’ by legalization become good and right behavior in the eyes of most people. Such approval voids all our prayers to God to bless America. The Bible says, ‘He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil’ (I Peter 3, verses 10 through 12). Later in the same book (I Peter chapter 4, verses 15 and 16) we read” ‘Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.’ And, David, the man after God’s own heart, said, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’

Also, there are those who believe the old adage that ‘The voice of the people is the voice of God.’ Therefore, when the majority of the people give sanction to an evil by a majority vote at the poll, the evil on which they decided is made good. However, the times and occasions that I recall reading about in the Bible when the majority ruled, that resulted in personal or national loss or tragedy. A classic example of that is when Moses had been absent from the camp of Israel for forty days. He had been up on the mountain, you know, receiving the law from God, and when he returned, the people had made for themselves another god, a golden calf, and they were worshiping it. Moses was very angry (and so was God) and Moses asked Aaron, in whom he had the greatest confidence all the experience before, ‘What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them? So Aaron said, do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us, as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’’ (Read the story for yourself in Exodus, chapter 32).

Oh well, if you are familiar with the Bible you know there are other incidents in the Bible like that. One of the best known such incidents is recorded in Matthew chapter 27. It was the time when Governor Pilate presented an alternative to the people who wanted him to order the crucifixion of Jesus. He proposed that a known murderer and insurrectionist named Barabbas be crucified instead of Jesus. But the people chose to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. ‘And Pilate pleaded with them and he asked, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they cried out all the more, ‘Let Him be crucified!’’ And it was done. That is what the people wanted. One evil after another because it is what the people want, and over the passing of time, a nation becomes morally corrupt—and falls from decay (from—my addition) within.

My friend, gambling is evil and righteous people not only need to avoid it, but oppose it everywhere and every time it raises its ugly head, even if it means we suffer for it. The Bible says, ‘It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil’ (I Peter 3: 17). We are taught to ‘Abhor (meaning to loathe or despise) that which is evil’ (Romans 12: 9), and to ‘abstain from the very form of evil’ (I Thessalonians 5: 22). We are admonished ‘Do not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil by good’ (Romans 12: 21. ‘Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits’ (I Corinthians 15: 33). ‘Beware of evil workers’ (Philippians 3 and 2). ‘Evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.’ (II Timothy 3: 13 and 14). And perhaps one of the most encouraging and hopeful verses in all the word of God that teaches on evil is II Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 3. And it says, ‘The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you (or keep you, King James Version) from the evil one.’

So, good people are taught to, not only refrain from gambling, but to ‘loathe’ or despise it. But, where does the Bible mention gambling or say it is sinful? Well, the word itself isn’t a biblical word. It isn’t in the Bible by that name. But, consider with me some biblical teachings which are violated by gambling.

The first appeal of gambling is greed. It is all about money, my friend, not morals. And the Bible says, ‘The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But, you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, and godliness, and faith, and love, and patience, and gentleness’ (I Timothy 6, verses 10 and 11). We read them at the outset of the message. Morals and ethics are of no concern to the gambling industry. Whether it is state sponsored or privately sponsored, gambling can succeed only in proportion to the greed (the love of money) that it can generate among the people. The word is usually in the New Testament ‘covetousness,’ well both in the New Testament and the Old Testament in the King James Versions, but in the New American Standard Version (and others) it is translated ‘greed.’ It actually means an eagerness to have more,—or to have more of what belongs to another person. It is strongly denounced by the Savior in Luke chapter 12, verse 15, where He said, ‘Beware, and be on your guard (that is a double warning) against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’ Solomon said, ‘They lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain: it takes away the life of its owners’ (Proverbs 1, verses 18-19). In Ephesians 5 and 3 it is mentioned along with fornication and uncleanness as things that are not ‘once to be named among you as become saints.’ Colossians 3 and 5 it is even defined as ‘idolatry’ here. And Jesus said a person cannot serve two gods. In His own words found in Matthew 6: 24, He said, ‘You cannot serve God and mammon.’ And ‘mammon’ comes from a common Aramaic word which means ‘riches.’ So what He is saying is simply this: No person can serve God—and money.

The second appeal of gambling is the hope of getting something without working for it—or a legitimate investment for it. Therefore, gambling encourages a life of indolence and laziness, the end result of which, of course is poverty—then welfare. And that is diametrically opposed to the Lord’s way described in Ephesians 4: 28. ‘Let him that stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.’

You see, the Lord’s way is not only to cleanse a person from a sinful past and give him eternal life in Jesus Christ. It also includes transforming him into a responsible, respectable, productive member of society, engaged in business or industry—or some form of productive labor by which he is financially able to assist in good works. Gambling makes him a drone or a parasite. Gambling is all about money—not morals.

Gambling was outlawed in early America because it took workers from the field and made them idle and slothful. Communities were forced to support gamblers who were quote: ‘down on their luck.’ It is true even now. Gambling hasn’t changed. It has never been the servant of man to bring prosperity; it has always been the false god that demanded all the gambler has or can borrow and all he can steal.

It is amazing isn’t it: some politicians promise prosperity in exchange for our votes, then they advocate some sort of state sponsored gambling scheme that thrives only on the losses that will bring us to poverty. Think about it, friend: God says, ‘Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them’ (Ephesians 5: 6 and 7). State sponsored lotteries (or any other kind of gambling scheme, state sponsored or otherwise) depend on the losses of the gambler if they are to succeed. Instead of getting people off welfare, they put people on welfare. Gambling is evil, my friend. And despite all that, it has become our national pastime.

Well next, gambling robs the poor, the down-and-out, who have fanciful, fictitious dreams of winning and living like a millionaire without having to work for it. It is a known, a well published fact, that it is the poor, not the rich, who buy the lottery tickets. (Casinos? Well, that may be a different story; they may attract the elite, the wealthy. I wouldn’t know about that.) But after a program we did on this subject some years ago, a lady wrote me a very sad letter in which she begged me not to say that gambling preyed on the poor exclusively. She and her husband had been unusually wealthy. Then he became a compulsive gambler in Vegas and other glamorous places with people of prominence and prestige. He died a pauper. She remarried and they have done right well.

Gambling is a matter of money. There is no thought or place for morals and ethics; there is absolutely no concern for destroying the person of the gambler. Let us pray. Father, we thank Thee for the teaching that You give us on how to live right. We pray now that we can have the courage to do it and resist wrong. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Of course you know, the word ‘gospel’ means ‘good news.’ And while we think of it as a ‘religious word,’ it really isn’t one at all. It could be used in reference to any good-news-message, but we use it almost exclusively when we are talking about Christianity. That means that the Lord’s way is ‘good news’ in whatever we are talking about. In our honest moments—I mean in the times that we are alone, perhaps tossing on our pillow in the early morning hours, just thinking—most of us would admit that we would like a little better life for ourselves, for our families, at school, on the job or in business or wherever—well, in all our relationships. We would just like to do better. But, how do we do it? That is the question. We need help, don’t we? Here is where the way of Christ becomes good news.

Oh, you have heard me say it week after week, if you have been seeing the program for awhile: The Lord’s way is the best way to live together that has ever been introduced to the family of man. And I believe that! And that is why I am urging you to become a Christian. Just as we have pointed out His better way as an alternative to this growing problem of gambling, His solution to every difficult life situation excels anything that has ever been introduced to us. It is true with gambling, too. Just say ‘no.’ Yes, the Lord’s way to live is the best way we know about anything. But, it is more. His way to cope with what many of us can honestly say was an ugly past, is certainly ‘gospel’ or good news. It was Jesus who said, ‘He who believes and is baptized, will be saved’ (Mark 16: 16). I recommend that to you as being the far better way than simply repeating what some people call a sinner’s prayer , or by answering an alter call, or inviting Jesus to come into your heart. Well, why would I say that? Well, because the Lord said it, and He didn’t say the others. His way of salvation is best. And, the hope that Christ brings to the worst sinner is far, far better or beyond anything anybody else has ever offered you. You see, He offers a resurrection to life, based on His resurrection from the dead. Christ makes the best offer you will ever hear, so why not accept it? Accept it today. Oh, I hope you will.”

Video gambling is predatory gambling is gangster gambling is State sanctioned gambling


Saturday night the 21st of November, the Senate on a 60-39 vote (ALL 58 Democrats and the two Independents (Democrats) voted for the procedural motion to discuss the Senates’ version of Nationalized Healthcare. The Senate gutted H.R. 3590 and replaced it with Nationalized Healthcare. This version outdid the House version. It is 2074 pages long. I’ve finally downloaded it from http://www.senate.gov/. After passing the procedural motion, the Senate adjourned for the Thanksgiving holiday. (We can be THANKFUL they adjourned!!!) The Senate is scheduled to resume on Monday, November 30th to debate and possibly amend the bill.

All is not lost. Continue praying! Continue contacting Senators! Continue working to STOP this obscene proposal!

Tonight, back to video gambling:

From http://www.stoppredatorygambling.org/

“What is predatory gambling?

This is not a fight about just any kind of gambling. It’s not about Friday night poker games or buying a square in the Super Bowl office pool. This fight is about predatory gambling—using gambling to prey on human weakness for profit—and the most blatant form of predatory gambling is machine gambling. There are now close to 800,000 slot machines and video poker games in operation in this country—that’s one machine for every 395 Americans—and more are planned in Massachusetts, Maine, Kentucky and Pennsylvania (AND ILLINOIS—45,000 MORE!!!—my addition). And, it’s these machines that generate most of the profits for the casino trade.

Serious questions exist about the design, technology and marketing of these machines including whether these machines are cheating players by relying on complicated algorithms and virtual reel mapping to create an abundance of near miss illusions and distort a player’s perception of the probability of winning.

Our federal government along with many state governments across the country, acting in virtual partnership with the casino trade, have not only allowed these machines to proliferate, but in many instances, promoted it—fundamentally threatening three of the most important founding principles of our American democracy: self-government; public trust; and accountability.

With little transparency and public debate, these predatory machines have become the preferred method for government to raise tax dollars to pay for public services and to transfer jobs to a privileged few. (Gut, cut, and strut as practiced by the General Assembly of Illinois—my addition)

This has been achieved through gross abuses of the Indian Gaming Rights Act, the inaction of the Federal Trade Commission to apply the same scrutiny to slot machines as it does to other consumer products, and state governments that take the money and look the other way—all of which continues to intensely spiral more out-of-control, year after year.”

From http://www.stoppredatorygambling.org/

“Illinois is asking the right questions about video poker

By SPG August 26, 2009 at 10:15 AM EDT

Yesterday, the Illinois Gambling Board publicly shared some of its analysis about efforts to place 45,000 video poker machines in every bar and tavern in the state. One Board member described it as ‘the equivalent of putting up 50 new casinos in the state.’ (Did you read that? 50 NEW CASINOS. The State of Illinois will be the GANGSTER STATE of the nation—until other States try to outdo US!!!

The Board said they intended to move ‘cautiously’ because ‘this board has been one that has cleaned up a lot of messes, and we don’t intend to make any messes.’ The Chicago Tribune describes the entire proposal as a ‘fiasco’ in this must-read editorial.

It is a fiasco that severely undermines the purpose and promise of America for tens of thousands of Illinois citizens because the business model for video poker machines is dependent on addicted or heavily-indebted citizens. Video poker proponents attempt to elude charges of exploitation by pleading it is a ‘voluntary’ act, hiding under the cloak of ‘freedom.’ But by definition, someone who is an addict or someone who is in deep financial debt is not free. (In 2000, the population of Illinois was 12,419, 293 people [almost 12.5 million people]. Using the information from the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association on its propaganda filled website http://www.icmoa.org/: “about 0.8 percent of Americans were ‘probable compulsive gamblers,’” that translates to 99,354 people who will become compulsive gamblers in Illinois and whose families will also be destroyed with them. Almost 100,000 [one hundred thousand] throwaway families destroyed to benefit a few specially selected businesses and our GANGSTER GOVERNMENT—“equivalent of putting up 50 new casinos in the state according to one member of the Illinois Gaming Board”!!!—my addition)

In a country where everyone is considered equal, where all blood is royal, how can the state regulate a product that renders some of our fellow citizens as expendable? How do you regulate a product with a business model that relies on people losing their savings, pushing them further into debt? How do you regulate a product that is designed to get its users ‘to play to extinction?’

The answer is…you can’t.”

From http://www.stoppredatorygambling.org/

“The Top 10 Best Practices in the Predatory Gambling Trade

By SPG September 22, 2009 at 08:49 AM EDT

Yesterday, a ‘Best Practices in the Gambling Industry’ conference sponsored by the predatory gambling trade was held at Suffolk Downs racetrack in Boston. Here are the trade’s Top 10 ‘Best Practices’:

1) Base your business model on 90% of the gambling profits coming from 10% of the people who use the product, which makes nine out of every ten patrons virtually irrelevant to your revenues. (Our .8% of the people of a State, county, or community!)

2) Design slot machines to ‘approach every player as a potential addict’(Our .8% of the people of a State, county, or community!) by making them operate like ‘loaded dice’, all in the name of getting the user ‘to play to extinction’—until all their money is gone. This recent Washington Post op-ed by a respected MIT professor explains it all.

3) Always make the political argument be about jobs, revenues and ‘inevitability’ instead of the business model, the product and the marketing behind it. Which is why you won’t find even one picture of a slot machine on our website.

4) Create the public impression we are concerned about problem gamblers with a disciplined communications strategy (like ‘best practices’ events such as this one). But in reality, aggressively defeat all efforts to meaningfully address the issue like how we roadblocked a bill in PA requiring casinos to mail monthly loss statements to frequent gamblers and how we funded a $15 million campaign in Missouri to repeal the state’s $500-in-two-hours loss limit law.

5) Intensively fund the public health research like the tobacco companies did to minimize public outcry about our business model, our product and our marketing. Here are two stories, one by Bloomberg News and the other by The Boston Globe, that describe how we do it.

6) Use state-of-the art consumer loyalty technology as a critical marketing tool to closely monitor a person’s wagering and the speed they gamble. The faster a person gambles, the more they lose. (One of the reasons why the gambling parasites promote video gambling—fast, generates guaranteed losses if one keeps gambling, and the “crack cocaine” of gambling—my addition.) When you add in how much they wager each time, we develop a revenue model for each person we call ‘their predicted lifetime value.’ (How can ANY government official support this destructive activity? FOLLOW THE MONEY and the absurd rationalizations!!!—my addition)

How good is our marketing? Companies like Harrah’s can trace more than 75 percent of its gambling revenue back to specific customers and with such state-of-the-art technology, we are vulnerable to the charge that we know who most of the out-of-control gamblers are that make up nearly all of our revenue.

But because our business model relies on 90% of its gambling profits coming from 10% of the people who use the product, we need out-of-control gamblers to survive. The consumer cards are how we identify who has the potential to reach the out-of-control category and then we aggressively market to them using free slot play, free food and lodging, telephone solicitations, direct mail and other marketing techniques to stimulate these people to reach their ‘potential.’

7) Outsource the ownership and management of the ATM machines inside your casino and then buy from the vendor the list of the people who take money out of them. These gamblers are highly valuable because they are the ones most likely to lose control of their spending—they lost the money they arrived with at the casino and then needed to withdraw more of their savings to chase the money they lost earlier. If they did it once, they are likely to do it again. And again. And again.

8) Give as much money upfront to government as you can because our business model only works if our government denies the core democratic principle of equal citizenship to other Americans and traps people in debt. We already know 90% of our profits comes from 10% of the people we target—addicted and heavily indebted people. By definition, someone who is an addict or someone who is in deep financial debt is not free. (FOLLOW THE MONEY!!! By the way, these parasites also have to generate NEW victims once the old victims are thrown into jail for crimes committed, go bankrupt, and/or commit suicide!!! Inevitably, there will be a continuing cycle of 100,000± addicts who are destroyed by these GANGSTERS—my addition)

In a country where everyone is considered equal, where all blood is royal, the state is actively promoting a product that renders some of our fellow citizens as expendable. There is no good answer for this truth so simply go back on message with the jobs, revenues and ‘inevitability’ argument.

9) Whatever you do, don’t actually use the product yourself. It’s a fact that most of us who own and promote casinos don’t use the product, like casino exec Steve Wynn, Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman or Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill, to name a few.

10) Casino capitalism is very, very lucrative—for a handful of people like us. (AND a guaranteed LOSS to most people who are using the machines. There can only be winners, losers, and those who break even. The GOVERNMENT and the owners CAN NOT make money unless there are many more LOSERS [total income wise] than winners!!! Simple economics!!! And our GANGSTER GOVERNMENT is promoting this organized THEFT of income!!! Is your State representative, county board member, mayor, city councilman, village trustee a coconspirator with our GANGSTER GOVERNMENT?—my addition)

These ‘best practices’ belong at the center of every discussion about predatory gambling in the weeks and months ahead all across America.”

Nationalized Healthcare—procedural motion and its provision to MURDER the preborn


I’m not continuing my series on video gambling tonight. Instead, the following two articles were sent to me by e-mail on the 19th. The e-mail with some additional information including contact information for Democratic Senators who are up for election in 2010 put into my format:

“GOP Leader Blog [gopleaderblog@mail.house.gov]

Sen. Reid’s Government-Run Health Plan Requires a Monthly Abortion Fee

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on November 19th, 2009

http://republicanleader.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=36205-3787136

Just like the original 2,032-page, government-run health care plan from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) massive, 2,074-page bill would levy a new ‘abortion premium’ fee on Americans in the government-run plan.

Beginning on line 7, p. 118, section 1303 under ‘Voluntary Choice of Coverage of Abortion Services’ the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run health plan. Leader Reid’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions (line 13, p. 120).

What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run health plan. It’s right there beginning on line 11, page 122, section 1303, under ‘Actuarial Value of Optional Service Coverage.’ The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account—and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.

Section 1303(a)(2)(C) describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run health plan and for those who are given an affordability credit to purchase insurance coverage that includes abortion through the Exchange. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

A majority of Americans believe that health care plans should not be mandated to provide elective abortion coverage, and a majority of Americans do not believe government health care plans should include abortion coverage. Currently, federal appropriations bills include language known as the Hyde Amendment that prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for elective abortions under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, while another provision, known as the Smith Amendment, prohibits federal funding of abortion under the federal employees’ health benefits plan.

Leader Reid’s 2,074-page health care monstrosity is an affront to the American people and drastically moves away from current policy. The National Right to Life Committee has called the Reid abortion language ‘completely unacceptable.’ The American people deserve more from their government than being forced to pay for abortion. The pro-life Stupak/Pitts amendment passed the House by a vote of 240 to 194, enjoying the overwhelming support of 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats. The Stupak/Pitts Amendment codifies current law by prohibiting federal funding of elective abortions under any government-run plan or plans available under the Exchange. The Reid plan ignores the will of a bipartisan majority of the House, and indeed the American people, by rejecting this bipartisan amendment.

Health care reform should not be used as an opportunity to use federal funds to pay for elective abortions. Health reform should be an opportunity to protect human life—not end it—and the American people agree. House Republicans have offered a common-sense, responsible solution that would reduce health care costs and expand access while protecting the dignity of all human life. The Republican plan, available at HealthCare.GOP.gov, would codify the Hyde Amendment and prohibit all authorized and appropriated federal funds from being used to pay for abortion. And under the Republican plan, any health plan that includes abortion coverage may not receive federal funds.”
“This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11:35 am and is filed under Health Care, Life Issues.”

I do not know what the Senate number of the bill is so I’ve not downloaded a copy of it. I’ve been hearing since it was presented that it would fund the MURDER of preborn babies. If you regularly read my blog, you know that I have been saying from the beginning that if the Nationalized Healthcare bill specifically does NOT exclude funding for the MURDER of preborn babies, said MURDERS will be funded and will occur. I have also said from the beginning, that the day that the federal government forces me by law to pay for the MURDER of a preborn baby in this nation, I will stop paying federal income tax. To prison I will go before I will help finance the MURDER of my fellow citizens.

From Patients First [info@joinpatientsfirst.com]

“Dear Patients First supporter,

After six weeks of closed door sessions and backroom deals, Harry Reid has finally released his massive 2,074 page health care bill. As expected, the Reid bill imposes a government-run health care system that replaces your current health care options with more expensive, lower quality, government-defined care.

Upon release, Leader Reid pointed to the Congressional Budget Office’s projection that the bill will cost $848 billion and reduce the deficit by $130 billion. Unfortunately, both the projected cost and the savings are deceiving. How are we going to create a new entitlement program that will insure 31 million people and claim it will SAVE us money?! This is classic Washington deception.

Call your Senator today to tell them to vote against cloture on the motion to proceed. The vote will likely take place this Saturday and your Senator needs to hear from you. Time is of the essence!

While we are just beginning to read through the Reid bill, the initial assessment is worrisome:

1) Similar to the House bill, the Reid bill relies heavily on budget gimmicks to bring down the enormous cost of this government takeover. One glaring gimmick is that spending doesn’t really begin until 2014 (pushed back another 6 months from the last Senate bill—some way to address a crisis), with costs escalating dramatically in the later years ($196 billion in 2019 alone!). The fully phased in 10-year cost is about $2.5 trillion.

2) The so-called ‘doc fix’ provision—needed to maintain the already-low number of physicians who accept Medicare from dwindling even more—is left out of the bill. Despite being a crucial part of any health reform effort, the $247 billion provision was taken out to promote the charade that this bill will not add billions to the deficit.

3) The inclusion of yet another new entitlement program, a long-term care insurance program called the CLASS Act supposedly reduced the deficit! That’s right, a brand new entitlement program. They count the 10-year revenues of $72 billion as deficit reduction even though it will cost far more than it raises once benefits start being collected.

4) Even without the gimmicks, CBO is notoriously inaccurate when predicting what entitlements will cost (e.g., Medicare's actual cost was more than 10 times its original price tag). So even if the $848 billion number were honest (and they are NOT—my addition), it’s safe to assume the real cost will be several trillion, based on the experience with every previous Washington health care program.

5) Failing to propose any serious reforms that control costs, the bill also fails its other main goal by leaving 24 million people uninsured!

And it still includes government-forced insurance, rationed care for seniors, vast new bureaucratic controls over doctors that will drive many to retire, taxes on the middle-class and small businesses, and more—the bill has it all. Everything except real reform that puts patients first and makes health care more affordable. (Do you think it has tort reform—control over law suits that adds millions to lawyers’ income and billions to healthcare costs!—my addition)
Call your Senator today and demand they vote against cloture on the motion to proceed! Every vote that brings this bill closer to final passage is a vote for government-run health care.

Leader Reid is determined to ram this health care bill through before Americans have a chance to find out what's in it. Help us stop that from happening!

Sincerely,

Patients First Team

P.S. Call your Senator today and tell them to vote against cloture on the motion to proceed. The vote will likely take place this Saturday. We must act now!”

Democratic Senators who are up for election in 2010:

01) Senator Evan Bayh [D] Indiana—2nd term
131 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.bayh.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-5623
FAX: (202) 228-1377
Attorney—Listed as Episcopal
(up for election 2010)

02) Senator Michael Bennet [D] Colorado—1st term—he was appointed to the position.
702 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.bennet.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-5852
FAX: (202) 228-5036
Attorney, Public Official—Not stated
(up for election 2010)

03) Senator Barbara Boxer [D] California—3rd term
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.boxer.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-3553
FAX: (202) 224-0454
Journalist—Listed as Jewish
(up for election 2010)

04) Senator Roland Burris [D] Illinois—appointed (NOT running for election)
523 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.burris.senate.gov/
(202) 224-2854
FAX: (202) 228-3333
Attorney, Public Official—Not Stated
(up for election 2010)

05) Senator Christopher Dodd [D] Connecticut—5th term—he may be in political trouble because of financial dealings.
448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.dodd.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-2823
FAX: (202) 224-1083
Attorney—Listed as Catholic
(up for election 2010)

06) Senator Byron Dorgan [D] North Dakota—3rd Term [Democrat Policy Committee Chair]
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.dorgan.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-2551
FAX: (202) 224-1193
Public Official—Listed as Lutheran
(up for election 2010)

07) Senator Russ Feingold [D] Wisconsin—3rd term
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.feingold.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-5323
FAX: (202) 224-2725
Attorney—Listed as Jewish
(up for election 2010)


08) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand [D] New York—1st term—she was appointed to the position.
531 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-4451
FAX: (202) 228-0282
Attorney—Listed as Catholic
(up for election 2010)

09) Senator Daniel Inouye [D] Hawaii—8th term—he was 85-years-old in September.
722 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.inouye.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-3934
FAX: (202) 224-6747
Attorney—Listed as Methodist
(up for election 2010)

10) Senator Ted Kaufman [D] Delaware 1st Term—he was appointed to his position. (NOT seeking reelection)
G11 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.kaufman.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-5042
FAX: (202) 224-0139
Consultant, Congressional Aide—Listed as Catholic
(up for election 2010)

11) Senator Patrick Leahy [D] Vermont—6th term
433 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.leahy.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-4242
FAX: (202) 224-3479
Attorney—Listed as Catholic
(up for election 2010)

12) Senator Blanche Lincoln [D] Arkansas—2nd Term
355 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-4843
FAX: (202) 228-1371
Homemaker—Listed as Episcopal
(up for election 2010)

NOTE: According to SRN (Salem Radio News), she might be persuaded to vote against cloture thus not allowing the bill to be voted on!

13) Barbara Mikulski [D] Maryland—4th term
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-4654
FAX: (202) 224-8858
Social Worker—Listed as Catholic
(up for election 2010)

14) Senator Patty Murray [D] Washington—3rd term
173 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.murray.senate.gov/ (Website)
202) 224-2621
FAX: (202) 224-0238
Educator—Listed as Catholic

15) Senator Harry Reid [D] Nevada—Majority Leader and Democratic Conference Chair]
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.reid.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-3542
FAX: (202) 224-7327
Attorney—Listed as Mormon
(up for election 2010 in his fourth term)

NOTE: It is his bill but he is also considered to be in trouble back in Nevada. It won’t be the first time a Majority Leader LOST after trying to pass a terrible Nationalized Healthcare bill!!!

16) Senator Charles Schumer [D] New York—2nd term
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.schumer.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-6542
FAX: (202) 228-3027
Attorney, Public official—Listed as Jewish
(up for election 2010)

17) Senator Arlen Specter [D] Pennsylvania—5th term (He just changed from Republican to Democrat.)
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.specter.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-4254
FAX: (202) 228-1229
Attorney—Listed as Jewish
(up for election 2010)

18) Senator Ron Wyden [D]Oregon—3rd term
223 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
http://www.wyden.senate.gov/ (Website)
(202) 224-5244
FAX: (202) 228-2717
Attorney, Legal Services Executive, Seniors Advocate—Listed as Jewish
(up for election 2010)

NOTE: I wonder if he advocates the impending cuts in Medicare and the coming rationing?

19) A new Democratic Senator from Massachusetts was recently appointed. However, I don’t have any information of him. He will be up for election in 2010 also.

Video Gambling—Gut, Cut, and Strut Episode II


During the last two days of the autumn veto session—October 29th and 30th, the General Assembly once again attempted to pass without basic public input and debate a revision of the Video Gaming Act that would extend a gambling license even if a community or county had banned video gambling. The recorded attempt to continue to escalate this travesty was recorded at http://www.ilga.gov/. The information has been put into my format.

“Bill Status of HB1306
96th General Assembly

Short Description: LOC GOV/SCHOOL—ENERGY CONSERV

House SponsorsRep. Lou Lang

Senate Sponsors(Sen. Don Harmon - Pamela J. Althoff)

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Local Government Energy Conservation Act, the School Code, and the Public University Energy Conservation Act. Provides that requests for proposals must be submitted to the administrators of all 4 volumes of the Illinois Procurement Bulletin for publication in each bulletin. Provides that contracts let or awarded must be submitted to the administrators of all 4 volumes of the Illinois Procurement Bulletin for publication in each bulletin. Makes changes concerning drafters of specifications submitting bids or proposals for installment contracts and other agreements proposed by a school district or public university. Effective immediately.

House Committee Amendment No. 1
Removes the power of a school district or school districts in combination or an area vocational center to enter into ‘other agreements’ (agreements other than an installment contract and a lease purchase agreement) with a qualified provider for the purchase or lease of energy conservation measures. Deletes the power of a public university or 2 or more public universities in combination to enter into ‘other agreements’ (agreements other than an installment contract and a lease purchase agreement) with a qualified provider for the purchase or installation of energy conservation measures.

Senate Floor Amendment No. 1
Further amends the Local Government Energy Conservation Act and the School Code. Adds that contracts let or awarded must be submitted to the administrators of the Capital Development Board Procurement Bulletin for publication. Provides that any consultant, architect, engineer, or other drafter of specifications who assists the school district or vocational center in the preparation of specifications shall not submit a bid or proposal to meet the procurement need unless the body authorizing the contract or agreement determines in writing that there will be no substantial conflict of interest.”

So far, so good. The bill is dealing with the topic at hand. But then, it times for the Senate to display its total disregard for the public and public input. It’s gut the original bill, cut the original topic of the bill into oblivion, and strut out the new, improved, totally changed bill. The only items that are not changed are the bill number and the completed readings that have already occurred dealing with a totally DIFFERENT topic.

Senate Floor Amendment No. 4

Deletes reference to:

50 ILCS 515/25
105 ILCS 5/19b-1.4 from Ch. 122, par. 19b-1.4
105 ILCS 5/19b-3 from Ch. 122, par. 19b-3
105 ILCS 5/19b-5 from Ch. 122, par. 19b-5
110 ILCS 62/25

Adds reference to:

230 ILCS 40/27
230 ILCS 40/70

Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Video Gaming Act. In provisions concerning ordinances or referendums to prohibit video gaming, provides that if the ordinance or proposition passes, then each existing licensed establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, licensed veterans establishment, or licensed truck stop establishment covered by the ordinance or proposition may continue to conduct video gaming for up to 2 years after the date of the approval of the ordinance or proposition. Effective immediately.

Actions:

02/11/2009 House Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Lisa M. Dugan
02/18/2009 House First Reading (Note: The first reading in the House occurred in February and the topic of the bill was school districts and energy conservation—my addition.)
02/18/2009 House Referred to Rules Committee
02/23/2009 House Assigned to Executive Committee
03/04/2009 House House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Executive Committee
03/04/2009 House House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Executive Committee; by Voice Vote
03/04/2009 House Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Executive Committee; 010-000-000
03/04/2009 House Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading—Short Debate
03/23/2009 House Second Reading—Short Debate (Note: The second reading occurred in the House in March and still dealt with school districts and energy conservation—my addition.)
03/23/2009 House Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading—Short Debate
03/24/2009 House Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading—Short Debate
03/24/2009 House Third Reading—Short Debate—Passed 114-000-000 (Note: The third reading occurred in the House on March 24th and still dealt with school districts and energy conservation—my addition.)
03/25/2009 Senate Arrive in Senate
03/25/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 26, 2009
03/25/2009 Senate Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Don Harmon
03/26/2009 Senate First Reading (Note: The first reading in the Senate occurred in March and the topic of the bill was school districts and energy conservation—my addition.)
03/26/2009 Senate Referred to Assignments
04/15/2009 Senate Assigned to Local Government
04/22/2009 Senate Do Pass Local Government; 008-000-000
04/22/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 23, 2009
04/22/2009 Senate Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Pamela J. Althoff
05/07/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Don Harmon
05/07/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments
05/12/2009 Senate Second Reading (Note: The second reading occurred in the Senate in May and still dealt with school districts and energy conservation—my addition.)
05/12/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 13, 2009
05/13/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Local Government
05/13/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommend Do Adopt Local Government; 006-000-000
05/14/2009 Senate Recalled to Second Reading
05/14/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adopted; Harmon
05/14/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 15, 2009
05/22/2009 Senate Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2009
05/31/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Don Harmon
05/31/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Assignments
05/31/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Assignments Refers to Energy
05/31/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommend Do Adopt Energy; 010-000-000
08/15/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Re-referred to Assignments; Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b).
08/15/2009 Senate Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments
10/29/2009 Senate Approved for Consideration Assignments
10/29/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading October 30, 2009
10/29/2009 Senate Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As December 31, 2009
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Filed with Secretary by Sen. John J. Cullerton
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Referred to Assignments
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Don Harmon
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Referred to Assignments
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Assignments Refers to Executive
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Recommend Do Adopt Executive; 011-001-000
10/29/2009 Senate Recalled to Second Reading
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Adopted; Harmon (Note: Amendment #4 which gutted the bill is adopted in a recall to Second Reading—my addition)
10/29/2009 Senate Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading
10/29/2009 Senate Third Reading—Passed; 040-012-000 (Note: Amendment #4 which gutted the bill is adopted in a recall to Second Reading and passed by a third reading on the same day, on October 29th—my addition)
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Tabled Pursuant to Rule 5-4(a)
10/29/2009 Senate Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Tabled Pursuant to Rule 5-4(a)
10/29/2009 House Arrived in House
10/29/2009 House Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence Senate Amendment(s) 1, 4
10/30/2009 House Chief Sponsor Changed to Rep. Lou Lang
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Motion Filed Concur Rep. Lou Lang
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Motion Filed Concur Rep. Lou Lang
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules Committee
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules Committee
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Rules Referred to Executive Committee
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Motion to Concur Rules Referred to Executive Committee
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Recommends Be Adopted Executive Committee; 007-004-000
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Motion to Concur Recommends Be Adopted Executive Committee; 007-004-000
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Lost 057-052-001
10/30/2009 House Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Motion to Concur Lost 057-052-001”

BOTH AMENDMENTS ARE DEFEATED IN THE HOUSE! However, the House and Senate did try to change the video gaming law by gut, cut, and strut. Do you think they will be back with the same in January? I DO!!! Now is the time to BAN VIDEO GAMBLING throughout the State—before the General Assembly can do more HARM!