Opinions/Editorials
Let's List The
Lottery Losers
Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes
made some great points about the lottery and gambling in general.
3/19/06.
A lottery is a stupid, inefficient way to raise money.
Governments are supposed to do things that we can't do for ourselves - like
fight wars, enforce laws, prevent crimes and put out fires.
It's outrageous when a government agency advertises to encourage anything as
damaging to society as gambling is.
Mercy Notes -
Gambling—Ruining a Neighbor Near You
March 2006 Newsletter of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
Farr: More casinos in Kansas will not help our state
3/15/06.
[M]ore
casinos in Kansas will not help our state. To win at gambling, you need to
understand the numbers, and they don’t add up for this deal.
Bad Odds
3/7/06. Opinion."...having
grown up in Nevada, where gambling is universally legal, I became intimately
aware of the ugly side of addiction. Slot machines line the walls of convenience
stores and the fronts of supermarkets. All day long, locals, retirees and the
unemployed, not tourists, pump what little they have into slot machines,
generally with no return. Sure it keeps the state running, but at what cost to
its citizens."
Gambling away our
children’s future!
3/10/06. "To: Any Senator supporting gambling
What are you thinking? Using gambling
dollars to support education? What message does that send to our children?
ANSWER: We don’t have the balls to just raise the taxes on everyone to pay for
schools. We would rather pretend that people playing games is a better way to
pay for education..."
--Dr. George Watson
It's time to make
tribes fold on casino expansion in state
Another one from Michigan, but there is relevance for us
2/27/06. [I]f Rogers were to get
his federal moratorium, Congress just might sensibly put an end to the "legal
fiction" that in the 21st century people living in this country can define
themselves as Indians making up a "sovereign nation" and thus profit from
ignoring anti-gambling laws.
VIEWPOINT : Grand Forks pastors' group: We oppose casino
Excellent article - It's good to see a group like this taking such a strong
stand.
2/27/06. We pride ourselves on our community. Yet, all of these wonderful
attributes would be threatened by the building and operating of a casino in
Grand Forks. Studies prove that wherever a casino is built, there are severe
moral and social repercussions: bankruptcies, suicides, divorces, child abuse,
domestic violence and crime rates all increase.
Kansas taking a big
chance - Editorial
2/25/06.
“State-owned casinos” is a phrase that bears repeating. Three years ago, a
special study commission named by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius pointed out that no
other state in the nation had gone into the casino business. Now promoters of
the idea speak as if this were no big deal.
Letter from Sen. Brownback
and Rep. Tiahrt to Matt All
The offices of Senator Sam Brownback and Congressman Todd Tiahrt responded to
the Governor's request that they "urge the Secretary of the United States
Department of the Interior ("Department") to carve out – for the ostensible
benefit of certain Kansas tribes and the state itself – an exception to the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s ("IGRA") general prohibition against gambling on
land acquired by tribes after October 1988" in this
letter, in which they
"set forth in detail the reasons why [Brownback and Tiahrt] will not seek action
to expand off-reservation gambling in Kansas."
In their words, "[g]ambling visits a
host of social problems upon gamblers themselves, particularly those most
vulnerable. Financial losses or bankruptcy, addiction, drug and alcohol abuse,
higher divorce and suicide rates, and other harms have long plagued casino
patrons."
The
play-acting that goes into gambling
2/8/99. Don't be misled by the date of this opinion piece - the material is just
as relevant today as it was then - and very timely so for Kansas!
From the article: Gambling operations do not "create" jobs and do not
"rejuvenate" economically depressed areas...Gambling operations do not "create"
wealth. They merely redistribute wealth into the pockets of gambling operators
who stand to make billions of dollars in risk-free, guaranteed money.
Casino
promoter sparks a Prairie Fire in central Kansas
11/05. In this
article from The Chronicle, Timothy Conner thoughtfully discusses some of the
social costs associated with casinos.
Letter from Voices of
the Heartland to city governments
10/27/05.
We believe that casting an informed vote is also a cornerstone of and crucial to
democracy—not voting first and asking questions later. Some years ago we were
asked to vote on a lottery and as a result of that action ended up with
casinos—a circumstance most of us probably did not foresee. The lottery vote,
unbeknownst to citizens and probably most elected officials as well, has had
far-reaching implications.
Casinos are
selling an illusion
10/17/05 by
Timothy Conner.
Casino salesmen will say the vast majority of people can gamble without any
problem. I'm saying, which five people out of every 100 in Harvey County am I
willing to sacrifice? Which kids in our schools am I willing to sacrifice? Which
grandparents in our retirement homes?
Forum: Watch your wallet
10/16/05. A recent survey conducted by Campos Market Research
found that 61 percent of area residents think a Pittsburgh casino will help the
city's economy, while only 6 percent think it will hurt...Don't
blame William Thompson for this amazingly popular sentiment that an industry
that simply rearranges money -- while keeping a substantial cut off the top --
can help the economy. Mr. Thompson, the Las Vegas professor and guru of gambling
economics, has maintained for years that
unless a casino
can import at least half its gamblers from outside the region, it will hurt the
region economically. This summer Mr. Thompson
told an Erie audience that the net regional impact of a casino there would be
negative $105 million a year. [Emphasis added]
Gambling - by
Kirby Anderson
9/29/05.
Thirty years ago, gambling was a relatively rare phenomenon with casinos
operating only in the distant Nevada desert and a few states with lotteries or
pari-mutuel betting. Today, legalized gambling is permitted in forty-seven
states and the District of Columbia. More Americans are gambling than ever
before, and they are also gambling more money.
The Continuing
Threat of Casinos: Why You Need to be Involved
09/07/05. This is an evil that cannot be
ignored and will not go away unless it is defeated. We cannot afford the
economic or social costs of a casino here. Please join in the fight or be
prepared to deal with the serious consequences of inaction. “‘Gaming,’ as the
industry euphemistically refers to itself, is a cancer on the soul of the
nation.”
Representative Brenda Landwehr testified before the Sedgwick County Commission, opposing the proposed referendum. She also read testimony from
Senator Susan Wagle, who was unable to attend. Read
Rep. Landwehr's
speech and Sen. Wagle's.
Rep. Landwehr referenced some examples from a
speech given by Les Bernal, Chief of Staff, Massachusetts Senator Sue Tucker to
the National Conference of Gambling States on January 10, 2004. After comparing
the states' logic in promoting gambling to cigarette smoking, he said:
[O]f all the ways government can raise money,
casino gambling is one of the worst. It defies three key criteria for raising
revenues for government services.
Is it regressive? Yes.
Does it take away from other forms of revenue? Yes.
Is it unstable? Yes.
I put it out to you - can anyone here cite other examples of government revenue
sources that fail all three criterion to a worse degree?
Press release issued
by 15 Representatives and 5 Senators, opposing the casino referendum in Sedgwick
County.
8/17/05.
Wichita – A
majority of the Sedgwick County Republican delegation including several
legislators from surrounding counties are strongly opposing the Sedgwick County
Commissioner’s effort to place a non-binding casino referendum on the ballot.
Community doesn't
deserve gambling
July 19, 2005 Wichita Eagle Opinions. We have the mayor of Park City speaking
out against an alleged prostitution business in her town while at the same time
promoting gambling for economic development and voting for Sunday liquor sales.
Encouraging gambling will lead to social ills more devastating than
prostitution.
Cessna
CEO Jack Pelton had this to say about casino gambling in this area (quoted from
the Wichita Eagle on Sunday, July 17, 2005):
"Bad idea.
We studied the data, and concluded that there are too many social problems
associated with it. Plus, it doesn't help the state to just take money out of
one pocket and put it in another. We ought to put more effort into attracting
new industry. Beyond that, I don't think casino gambling is what Wichita ought
to want to be. A good community is based on a firmer foundation than casinos."
Testimony Before the Committee on Resources
Wayne R. Mitchum, Chairman,
Colusa Indian Community Council,
testified before the US House of Representatives
Committee on Resources regarding amending IGRA to
restrict off-reservation gaming.
24 local business people have signed a letter to the Sedgwick County
Commission opposing the proposed tribal casino in Park City, citing the "severe
negative impact on Sedgwick and surrounding counties".
Read the letter here.
Read the text of Glenn Thompson's
presentation to the county commission Wednesday morning (6/15)! Hear Glenn's
presentation by clicking
here.
Marcus Loganbill - speech to the Wichita Board of Education
With the lure of increased funds for education we will be tempted to consider
the gambling industry’s proposals, but as educators with a commitment to
preparing students for a life of productive work, we must say NO.
Park City: Under New
Management or Not?
Gary Whiting submitted a letter to the editor of the
Park City Post. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, the entire letter was
not printed. Read the whole thing here.
Richard Leone, former governor of New Jersey and member of the National Gambling
Impact Study Commission, gave the keynote address at the 2003 NCALG conference.
In his speech he stated "Even
though states get tax revenues from tobacco, they don’t run ads saying, 'You
ought to smoke more, we can use the money. We’ll put it into your kid’s
schools.'"
What's different about gambling? "What
is different about gambling is it was government that broke down the door. It
was government that made gambling common, and it was government that put on the
advertising when it was illegal for the casinos to advertise."
Read
excerpts from his speech, or read the
whole speech.
At the same conference, Susan Abrams, a
member of the Seneca Tribe of New York, discussed the impact of casino gambling
on the tribe and its members, saying "…
Casinos are destroying our culture, and destroying our nation."
Read excerpts
from her speech or read the
whole speech.
From the Wichita Eagle Reader's views, Wednesday, May
12:
Casino plan a
threat to community
Read Glenn Thompson's thoughtful response to Bob
Knight (read Knight's opinion
here). In contrast to Knight's unsubstantiated claims, Thompson
backs up his statements with documented reference material.
"Results of two recent consultants' studies, one commissioned by the Kansas
Lottery and the other by the Wichita Downtown Development Corp., were ignored
[by Knight]. The studies showed clearly that a casino in Sedgwick County would
have severe adverse economic and social impacts on this and surrounding
counties."
Wichita Eagle, Posted on Wed, May.
11, 2005
Lutz on
the loose
"As an occasional
gambler, my experience has been that I always lose my money. All of it. Down to
the very last penny...There were a couple of hundred people at the River Casino
and most did not look like they had a lot of real money to lose."
Also from the Wichita Eagle on Sunday, May 8:
Casino in Park City is only game in town
Try to
remember as you read this that it is still only his opinion and not
fact!
Casinos Infect Communities
Mark Wendell Springs, Wichita Reader Views.
Wichita Eagle, May 7, 2005
"There are some things I don't want in my town: I don't want landfills. I
don't like smelly sewer plants. I don't want casinos."
Casino beauty can mask an ugly reality
Mark McCormick, Columnist. Wichita Eagle,
Apr. 24, 2005
"...I hope we devote some thought to the path we're choosing. These
ventures, pardon the phrase, aren't without risk."
Casinos reap economic benefits, social ills
"GULFPORT, Miss. (MBM) — Most of what the gaming
industry promised the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it has delivered: more jobs,
economic development, increased tax revenues...Now, Payne sees crime increasing
almost across the board: arson, assaults, suicides and attempted suicides as
well as embezzlements to pay off gambling debts."
New Management or Not
From Gary Whiting, submitted to the Park City
Post for May 2005
"The election of April 5, 2005 resulted in the installation of a new
mayor and new city council members. From the day she took office, Mayor
Stuart has acted as if she was given a mandate from the citizens of Park
City to push for the completion of plans for an Indian casino in Park City."
Good News for Park City
Letter to the
Editor Park City
Post December 2004 regarding the beginnings of Voices of the
Heartland.
To Whom it May
Concern
Letter to the Editor Park City Post December
2004 regarding Bob Knight, casinos and "the people's republic of Wichita" (in
the words of Keith Thomas) from Dave and Carol Oldham.
Letter
to the Editor (Park City Post December 2004)
From Keith Thomas, regarding the November 2004 Post
and the plethora of casino support represented therein.
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