What’s in a name? According to Will Shakespeare, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Some call it New York State Assembly Bill 8086. Others call it the New York Casino Gaming Amendment. Most call it Proposition One. The amendment to the state constitution will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Voter approval is required before casino gambling can be authorized.

Stripping out the flowery language which will appear on the ballot, the amendment authorizes licensing four, table-gaming casinos in three upstate regions: Albany–Saratoga, the Catskills, and the eastern section of the Southern Tier. Seven years after the first upstate license is issued, three more casinos are slated for downstate. If the amendment passes, the licensing and supervision will be administered by the state gaming commission.

If the casinos are approved, the Empire State is anticipating a slug of tax revenue that will benefit not only the areas where the casinos are located but also the entire state. Ten percent of the tax dollars will be split between the host municipality and county. Another 10 percent will go to counties in the destination gaming-resort region. The remaining 80 percent is distributed statewide to be spent on education and property-tax relief.

To date, the public is split on the issue. Opponents point out that much of the gambling revenue is generated by a small percentage of the population addicted to the pastime. To counter the argument, the amendment includes a set-aside of tax revenues to fund remedial groups that deal with the problem. New York’s lieutenant governor says the fund is projected to receive $4.7 billion. Proponents of the amendment also point out that today gambling is readily available to all whether it’s online or in any of our neighboring states.

Opponents also point to Atlantic City to show that the benefits are limited to the immediate area around the casinos. The region served by The Business Journal will see only one casino located in the Southern Tier. The leading candidate for the license is Tioga Downs, located in Nichols. Anyone who has driven Route 17 past the racino knows there is no adjacent municipality to be negatively affected.

Some protest the traffic disturbance and attendant crime, but there is no evidence that this would be a problem in Nichols.

Proponents of the amendment point to an assortment of benefits. Statewide, they project the creation of 10,000 new, permanent jobs and $1.6 billion in construction spending. They also expect increased tourism, hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for education, and local and state tax relief. Finally, proponents note the entertainment options offered to local residents in the form of concerts, shows, restaurants, spas, and gaming.

Benefits to our region are more limited. Jeff Gural, the majority owner of American Racing and Entertainment, LLC., which owns both Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs, says his new casino would generate $25 million to $30 million annually in state taxes, require 300 new construction jobs, and create 175 to 200 new permanent positions. Gural points out that casino gambling is a labor-intensive business as is running the adjacent hotel, proposed spa, events venue, and restaurants.

It’s unclear how the public will vote on the issue. The Business Council has endorsed the amendment while the Conservative Party opposes it. The state comptroller hasn’t made up his mind on the issue, although he cautions that the deluge of anticipated tax revenue may be overstated. The amendment does not appear to be an issue in the New York City mayoral race, where many New York voters reside. In a non-presidential/congressional election year, voter turnout should be low, which may or may not augur well for passage of the casino gaming amendment. The proposition also appears on the back of the ballot, so it’s unclear whether voters will even turn over the ballot.

I hope Mr. Shakespeare isn’t offended, but whatever you call the amendment, it smells sweet to me. I vote yes.

Norman Poltenson is the publisher of The Central New York Business Journal. Contact him at npoltenson@cnybj.com

A few lines from a song capture New York state’s dilemma. From the musical named “1776”: “Does anybody care? Is anybody there?”

The state has declined for years. Especially Upstate. You know that. Your dog knows that. Our population declines. We are aging faster than any other state. Why? Our young people abandon the state. They look out for themselves. By moving to greener pastures. It is what people have always done, from Ireland to Italy to Poland to Cuba.

Why do they move? They pay more taxes here (a lot more) and less taxes where they move. If they own property here, look out! Businesses pay a lot more taxes here. And businesses face more whacky lawsuits here. Because our politicians keep it easy to sue. Many of our legislators are lawyers. They protect fellow attorneys who make fortunes suing. They then get kickbacks from the law firms who list them as partners. And they get fat contributions from the lawyers they protect. Cozy. Destructive. Corrupt.

Businesses move away. Or refuse to expand here. Or avoid the state in the first place. Why? In addition to the lawsuits, taxes are too high. Regulations too many and too stupid. New York flies a banner in Albany: “We talk a good game. But you’re not welcome here.”

Consider this. When so many young people move, and so many gutsy entrepreneurs leave, who remains? The oldies. The more cautious. Is anybody there? Yup. Us oldies. Does anybody care? Well, we care for what we’ve got. We hang on for dear life.

Meanwhile, what does Gov. Cuomo come up with to spur economic growth? Casinos. He wants a referendum for seven casinos, four of them Upstate. This is economic development? We lose thousands of young, thousands of entrepreneurs — and we replace them with blackjack dealers? This is really bold, governor. Binghamton, you want thousands of jobs from fracking and its offshoots? Tough. How about more guys to handle valet parking at your new casino?

Just try to make suggestions that could improve the state’s business climate and see how far you get. Suggest we slash the number of state workers. Recommend that we close some ridiculous departments. Suggest we cut state taxes. Propose we make a bonfire of state regulations. Recommend that we sell some state assets. Suggest we smother government so that private enterprise can grow.

Do this and the governor will scoff at you. And you will find scarcely a state politician from either party who will genuinely support you. They are all in on the corruption, in ways small and large. They are comfy.

And yet, the above is what the Russians did after they felled communism. Reagan did it. Kennedy did it. Hong Kong did it. New Zealand did it. Maggie Thatcher did it. So did Chile. And China. And Cuba is now finally doing it.

The formula is as simple as frying eggs. Reduce the role of government. Reduce state-worker payrolls. As you lower the cost of government, take fewer taxes from the people. And, from their businesses. In other words, get government the hell out of the way of the people.

Now you can dismiss this as conservative clap trap. Or you can look at economic history. Heavy taxes and heavy regulation have never stimulated an economy. But reducing them and lightening the hand of government always has.

Ah, but does anyone listen? Those who move away do. They listen to the music from elsewhere. The music known as smaller government.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial, and other subjects from his home near Oneonta, in addition to his radio shows and new TV show. For more information about him, visit his website at www.tomasinmorgan.com