July
29, 2004
Letter
to the Editor:
This
is about GAMBLING, not jobs. It is
interesting to me that all of the information being written and distributed by
the Catfish Bend Casino (Kehl) backed organization supporting gambling in
Washington County never once mentions gambling.
In
their recently mailed four page, multi-colored flyer there was not one word or
reference to gaming or gambling. When
we as Washington County residence go to the polls on August 31st the
ballot will read “Gambling games on an excursion boat in Washington County are
approved”. I see nothing here
that says “Are you for jobs?”
Of
course the answer to the jobs question is “yes”. Communities Against Riverboat Expansion (CARE) is for jobs we
just don’t want them to be tied to gambling.
What
we need to debate is the quality and quantity of jobs.
We need to debate why in three counties that the Kehl group has a casino
the unemployment rate is higher than it is in Washington County.
We need to debate the fact that the Kehl group is projecting
$70,000,000.00 in income from losses from gamblers at the proposed casino.
We need to debate the make-up of the commission that has been formed.
We need to debate what constitutes a conflict of interest for commission
members. We need to debate if there
are ethical issues inherent in serving on the commission.
We need to debate if Washington County got the best deal for its citizens
when two Supervisors signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
We need to debate the possible societal problems that will come along
with a gambling enterprise. And the list could go on.
As
you can see this is not just about jobs. This
is about bringing gambling to Washington County.
I know the answers to most of the questions and that is why I am voting
“NO” on allowing gambling in Washington County.
