Rebuilding Rockaway

Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader

Maybe Taney County Commissioner Ron Herschend has been watching too many movies. In a meeting with Rockaway Beach residents last week, he suggested several alternatives to a riverboat casino. ...

For example, he suggested the town build several ball fields to attract teams from across the nation to come play ball in Rockaway. Was he thinking, "If you build it, they will come"? He suggested stocking part of the lake with fish so kids can have an easy time luring their first big catch. ...

And those were his good ideas.

Rockaway residents should be commended for not throwing popcorn.

His ideas all missed the need for full-time jobs with benefits that aren't seasonal. And that's unfortunate because Rockaway citizens are still enamored with the idea of a casino, a bad fit for the Ozarks. There are better answers. The key is to help Rockaway find them, not to draw laughs with outlandish proposals.