BE OUR GUEST: VOTE TO MAKE GAMBLING LEGAL DOES NOT MAKE GAMBLING RIGHT

A resident of Cape Girardeau, C.W. "Woody" Rushing is a retired towboat pilot and cpatian who has spent most of his life on the inland waterways. He is one of the founders of the American Waterways Association, former president of Rushing Marine and Missouri Barge Lines and one of the original commissioners of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority.

If gambling is immoral it is wrong and a vote to make it legal does not make it right ... it is still wrong.

Recently when the state of Missouri voted to legalize riverboat gambling the two counties voting against the issue were Marion County and Cape Girardeau Counties, both bordering the Mississippi River. Since then the city of Hannibal, located in Marion County, in a local option election voted against riverboat gambling, so Marion County does not have riverboat gambling.

On June 8 the voters of the city of Cape Girardeau will determine the future of our city and county.

One thing to remember: Promises made before the votes are counted are easily broken afterwards.

What a picture is worth ...

I am concerned when looking at their overview prospective and the pledge by The Boyd Group to build the facility and operate out of a location one block north of Broadway. This is an example of a promise that I don't think can be kept because nowhere do they say they have a permit to locate there.

There is a law requiring a permit Section 10 of Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 USC403) which applies to structures or work in navigable waters of the United States and section 404 of the Clean Waters Act (33 USC1344) which applies to discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.

Application for this permit must be made to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They will make the decision whether to issue or deny the permit. Their decision will be made based upon an evaluation of probable impact of the proposed activity on the public interest, which will include a number of factors, all of which may be relevant to the proposal. One of their concerns will be the effect on river transportation and the safety of river traffic.

The installation as shown by their overview will extend well out into the river less than six-tenths of a mile above the Cape highway bridge and will be well lighted and could interfere with and distract the pilot's ability to safely navigate this area. The U.S. Coast Guard, which is responsible for protection of life and property and the environment along the inland rivers, will also have a voice in the location of this facility.

I am of the opinion that if a permit is granted to allow construction of the proposed facility and the operation of the gambling boat from this location will create a definite hazard and will endanger the lives of the boat crews and passengers.

A river pilot with a 30 barge-loaded tow containing 48,000 tons of cargo is 30 feet wider than a football field and four times longer. It is faced with all kinds of conditions low water, high water, ice, rain, snow, mist, and fog, and night time. Just below Cape Rock, it must cross back over to the Missouri shore and line up the Missouri shore in order to navigate the Missouri span of the highway bridge, which has a horizontal clearance of 460 feet in low water.

It is estimated that the gambling boat will be in operation in about one year and construction of the new bridge to be built just below the present bridge, will begin at about the same time. A permit for the location of the new bridge is already a reality but the permit to locate a gambling boat at the location pledged by The Boyd Group is yet to be obtained.

Denial of a permit at this location does not mean they will not come to Cape but will be an example of promises made in order to get your vote.

Don't be misled by a threat of a location of East Cape if the vote here is "no." In high water the river is all the way over to the levee and in low water they would have to locate well off the Illinois shore. This location is entirely unsuitable and not economically feasible.

I am proud to say I live in Cape Girardeau and hope to be able to continue to do so.

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