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Other Local Casino Opposition Organizations
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Quotable Quotes "When the government, which is designed to
protect and defend people, gets into a business designed to prey upon the very
people it is established to protect, our government has lost sight of its most
fundamental purpose, and rudderless, is leading itself and our people straight
for the rocks. Casinos are parasites looking for a willing host, and I for one
don't want to see the government of our great state stoop so low as to get into
the parasite business. Plans to make Kansas the first state in the nation to own
casinos put us at dire risk of forgetting the primary purpose of our social
compact - and losing all sight of the proper role of government to aid and
defend her people."
“What bothers me is that when some
have knowledge of the potential harm that may result from gambling and they
agree that these things do and can happen, they continue to push for a casino
under the banner of economic development. I can only conclude that they have no
respect for their friends, neighbors or perhaps their loved ones if they subject
them to this possible harm. I would liken this to creating a mine field and
allowing people to walk through it. You know that some will walk to the other
side, but those who don't get to the other side will pay a heavy price.” "Any proposal to establish state-owned casinos
would fall through the same thin ice as off-reservation casinos. In fact, the
prospect of state ownership might be worse as a policy matter. First, it goes
without saying that the social ills attendant to off-reservation gambling would
still apply, magnified by the terrible moral lesson citizens would draw from
state approval. Additionally, the state-controlled operation likely would
squeeze out private, non-governmental casinos. The specter of a government
monopoly in this or any other industry is dangerous for both state-owner and
citizen-consumers, particularly given the state's inevitable addiction to casino
dollars as a revenue source. Finally, the proposal would present unique
administrative and regulatory challenges, as all government-run efforts do.
Thus, Senator Brownback and Congressman Tiahrt believe the judgment of the
Governor's Gaming Committee was right in 2003 and remains correct today: the
prospect of state-owned casinos is untried and fraught with peril, and Kansas
should not break this ground." In June 2005, Park City Mayor Dee Stuart had this to say about expanded gambling when allowing slot machines at the Greyhound Park (located just outside the city limits of Park City) was considered: upset because they will not benefit from any of the revenues generated by the park, she said, “So who do you think is going to have the problems? Who do you think will have the buses? We will. And what do we get out of it? Nothing.” KSN News, June 30, 2005 On October 25, Mayor Stuart said this about the possibility of a casino in Harvey County: “[I]f they put that casino on the Harvey County line, we’re gonna get all the problems that we would have had if it had been in Park City and we’re gonna get none of the funding.” KSN News, October 25, 2005 Bob Knight had the following to say about gambling when he was seeking the office of governor: [G]ambling is an unreliable source of revenue. “I don't think it fits my sense of how you build and sustain a strong state.” Wichita Eagle, May 22, 2002 |
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