LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: RIVER BOAT CAPTAINS KNOW THE MISSISSIPPI

To the Editor:

I would like to set the record straight by responding to the following article that recently appeared in Speak Out.

Quote:

"So push boat Captains think that the gambling boats on the river will be unsafe. Let's not forget the Corps of Engineers spends millions in tax payers dollars keeping the river open so the push boats can use it for free. You know I'd feel a lot safer when driving if everybody else would stay off the road, too. Here's a historic fact: In 1833 there were 2000 gambling boats on the Mississippi River. I think we can find room for one.

"First, you can say about anything you want to about most any subject in Speak Out and it doesn't have to be true or accurate and you don't have to reveal your identity.

Second, it's not that river boat captains think gambling boats on the river are unsafe; the fact is any boat operating in and out of an unsafe location is dangerous to life and property. The same is true with paid TV advertisements; saying that the location is safe does not make it safe, and saying that the regulating agencies find no fault with the proposed location does not make it true. The fact is that the Corps of Engineers is the agency that will make that determination and that may come only after a public hearing.

Third, the Corps of Engineers does spend millions of tax payers' dollars keeping the rivers open, but the benefits from this far exceeds just the benefits of the towboats use. A case in point is all the money spent on tributaries and rivers that have no towboat transportation, flood control, flood relief, recreation, conservation, etc.

Fourth, the big fallacy is push boats use the rivers free. I am associated with a towing company that is operating four mid-size river towboats, towing grain and coal. In 1993, $934,801 was paid to the federal government as a tax on the fuel they used, and it is in addition to any other taxes and is strictly a use tax that pays 50 percent of all new projects.

It's unfortunate that in trying to sell a product or convince people you don't always have to speak the truth. You can call gambling gaming or you can call it entertainment, but it's still gambling.

Finally, I am of the opinion that the proposed locations for gambling boats are unsafe. Even if the Delta Queen or Mississippi Queen were running excursion from these locations.

The statements by me in this article are true and are verifiable, and I'm pleased to sign my name.

C. W. RUSHING

Cape Girardeau