Chicago Casino Crummy Idea

The state legislature passed the gambling expansion bill in Springfield. Depending on what Governor Quinn does with it, it could mean Chicago will see casinos within its borders before long. This legislation represents a failure of imagination on the part of our politicians. With all of our colleges and universities, there's no reason why Illinois shouldn't lead the nation with high tech, smart manufacturing, and green energy. The Trib has a story in its Sunday business section about how the Chicago area lacks, compared to other metropolises, in venture capital spending, and indeed in venture capitalists. When it comes to technology, Illinois has had a spotty, schizophrenic track record. Great companies that got their start here in Illinois, like Macromedia, soon found themselves needing to pack up and leave for the greener pastures of Silicon Valley. Motorola is now threatening to do the same. More needs to be done to promote technology entrepreneurship, bring it out of the elite circles of academia, and identify and cultivate promising ideas, businesses, and startups, here in the bungalow belt and collar communities.