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Good News
for Park City
Letter to the
Editor Park City
Post December 2004
Good News for
the citizens of Park City. There are people in this community that care
about your future, and the future of our children! On Tuesday evening
November 30th a group of local citizens became organized as a coalition
to speak out and stop the development of casino operations in Park City.
The group is comprised of area citizens who believe that the building of
so-called 'destination' casino will be detrimental to the social and
economic condition of our community. This group has chosen the name
"Voices of the Heartland". They desire to educate the
community in the problems created by expanded gambling, and they want to
speak for you, the everyday citizen that desires to maintain a safe and
quality lifestyle in a small to medium size city.
In a recent
Post article city councilman Dave Robbins writes: "We need to
educate the people to the dangers of credit cards, gambling, and playing
in the stock market." That means he understands that the casino
will bring problems, and he is willing to take that risk with your
family. Are you?
In the same
Post, Kris Lewis writes: "Gambling effects everyone on some scale
because it is a product of our society." What does that mean,
really? Because others do it, it must be okay? She goes on to talk about
the risk of driving a car, being a pilot, etc., does that mean that she
knows the casino will raise the risk of degrading the lifestyle that we
now enjoy in Park City? She is willing to take that risk for your
children. Are you? How many of you would really invest in a businesses
401k, if you KNEW that the plan was designed to make you lose your
money, and that only a few people could possibly come out with a profit?
Voices of the
Heartland has been organized to help educate people about the effects of
gambling on the local community. There are reasons the Iowa Tribe and
Bob Knight gave the city council such short notice and a tight time
deadline to consider the issue. It is commonly called 'steam-rolling'.
Pie-in-the sky promises were made, instant financial growth, increased
tax dollars, revenue sharing, vote yes now, or we'll go somewhere else.
Then greed took over. It was obvious at the November 9th City Council
meeting that greed was playing a larger roll in the issue than due
diligence and proper consideration. Some think we (Park City) will be
getting our own school district and a new recreation center with an
indoor pool and walking track, but gambling is an industry based on
losing? How can the City of Park City possibly make money on casino
gambling, without the people of Park City and the surrounding areas
losing?
In the
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the City Council it states:
"an agreement with respect to revenue sharing payments benefiting
local governing bodies, including Park City," ...that's plural!
Doesn't that mean the state, county and ALL surrounding municipalities
will also receive a share while Park City incurs all the expense?
WARNING: Don't spend the money until it is in the bank!
Those who
support the casino will say that as a "destination casino" the
majority of money will come from outside of our area. That just has not
proven true with casino operations in other cities. Statistical history
shows that Prairie Meadows racetrack casino in Des Moines, Iowa draws
95% of its $132 million dollar annual revenue from citizen's with-in a
50-mile radius. The Illinois riverboat casinos gain 85% of their annual
revenue from with-in a 50-mile radius. Even in a city the size of Kansas
City, where the riverboats brought in $613 million in 2003, 78% of that
came from with-in a 50-mile radius, 10% came from with-in 50100 miles,
and only 12% of the income came from outside the 100-mile radius. I
wonder why the compact asks for monopoly protection with-in a 100-mile
radius?
There are
hundreds of numbers to be given that show gambling is a losing endeavor,
to everyone but the "house". And when the house takes the
money out of our community, city and county, we will join the list of
losers. There are no winners outside of the casino operations. It is a
cash business, you as a gambler take cash in, they as a business take it
out. Clear out of the state, and they are their own accountants for the
revenue sharing procedure.
I would like
to make it clear that I do not speak for the group Voice of the
Heartland, but I am a father, a resident homeowner, and a pastor in Park
City, and I do care about your future. It is hard for me as a pastor of
a local church not to start on the moral issues. They are numerous.
However, this is not just a moral issue. As some have said it is a
matter of choice. But who do you want making your choices? God will hold
us all accountable for our own actions. Become educated about the
consequences before making your decision. In the Holy Bible, Proverbs
3:13, Solomon, the wisest man of all times says: "Happy is the man
that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."
Voices of the Heartland will be holding more community awareness
meetings in the near future. Protect your family's happiness, come out
and hear the facts, plain and simple.
Respectfully, Marvin Schoonover
Pastor, Randall Road Baptist Church
Fair
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