LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOOD TO FOLLOW THE CROWD

To the Editor:

As we get ready for another vote on riverboat gambling in Missouri, we again are besieged with advertisements enticing us to vote yes. Those in favor of gambling have lots of money to buy these advertisements to coerce voters to vote their way. Unfortunately, those against gambling do not have the same funding to get out their message as easily.

The TV ads running in favor of gambling have caused me to want to make my voice heard. These ads talk about how surrounding states already have gambling and how Missouri is losing money and jobs to these states. They seem to say everyone else is doing it so Missouri needs to do it too.

As a mother of three children, I tell my children "Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn't mean you have to do it. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right." This applies to our state also.

Another of my concerns about Missouri playing follow the leader is that we let other legislatures make the rules. Right now, Iowa is trying to relax some of their restrictions on their gambling because Illinois has less restrictions. I can see this escalating in Missouri. We may start out with tight restrictions on riverboat gambling but as Illinois or Iowa relax their restrictions, Missouri will feel that they will have to relax theirs. The voters then probably won't even have a say on this.

All of these states started out with lotteries, then they went to riverboat casinos. Who will be the first to go to land-based casinos, then slot machines in every bar? Where will it stop? Missouri needs to be the first to say we will do what is right, we will quit following the crowd. Vote no on riverboat gambling.

RITA KUNTZ

Cape Girardeau