Casinos are bad news

Everything I have read lately seems to indicate that the mayor and city council members of Cape Girardeau are pushing to bring the Isle of Capri Casino into Cape Girardeau. It appears they have ignored all the speak out comments and good articles against it and are going full speed ahead, spending all the easy money they envision will be coming.

I think the best comment I have heard was from the Missouri Gaming Commission chairman, Senator Jim Mathewson of Sedalia, when questioning the economic impact of issuing the last casino license, "It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul." Only in this case they are robbing the poor addicted gamblers and paying "Paul" (Cape Girardeau) a very small percentage of the take.

Gambling is an addiction just like alcohol, drugs, etc. Those who get addicted are usually the ones who can least afford it. Their families are the ones who suffer and it often results in divorce, losing their home or worse. The city officials when listing how they plan to spend the millions of dollars on river front streetscapes, trails and parks failed to include shelters for the poverty stricken families who gamble away all their earthly possessions.

Two speak out comments in the Southeast Missourian several weeks ago were telling of what has happened in towns and communities that had casinos. It was all bad news but was apparently ignored by city officials.

I recommend everyone read the article by K.P.S. Kamath in the Southeast Missourian opinion page on Sept. 23.

JACK H. KNOWLAN, SR., Jackson