Casino impact

In regard to the casino coming to Cape Girardeau, don't forget the Trojan horse. We are told that this casino will not only bring jobs but also help the downtown merchants and the retail businesses in the city of Cape Girardeau.

What we are not told is the countless thousands who will lose their savings and/or their homes and other property in trying to gain back what they lost. We are not told of the crumbled marriages, the neglected children, the broken homes, the rise in alcoholism and the suicides which take place after someone has lost everything.

This is not mere speculations but documented by statistics. These tragic effects played out in Wisconsin, where we lived not far from a casino. These tragedies also have played out in the greater St. Louis area, as well as other areas with nearby casinos. Casinos do not bring money to a community, they take. Retail sales will decline and businesses will close due to people losing too much at the casino. They now cannot afford new furniture, a new car, jewelry, clothes, antiques, etc.

Haven't we learned anything from history? Do we want to close our ears to reason and think only of our own gain and not of the great loss of our fellow man? In order for someone to win big, someone else will have to lose big.

Fellow citizens, we are promised something that will eventually ruin many lives, cause job loss and close businesses.

MARK RAMSEY, Cape Girardeau