THE PUBLIC MIND: RIVERBOAT WOULD GIVE AN ECONOMIC BOOST

To the editor:

The debate and controversy about the upcoming vote on riverboat gambling at Cape Girardeau has interested me considerably. I have listened to the morning talk show with Carol Keeler on KZIM this week and read various articles on the subject in the Southeast Missourian. The Rev. Craig Nessan is a person whose opinions I respect very much and I almost always agree with his analysis of any subject. He is against allowing the riverboat gambling in Cape, for very well stated reasons.

The other morning, I was in Illinois on business and decided to drive on down to Cairo to see how things are there. Not much was going on, they have almost no new business activity, and the old businesses are not very busy. They have a crime problem, unemployment, welfare rolls, and a general feeling of malaise. Nothing new, it's been that way for the past 15 years that I've been going through that town.

I drove on to Metropolis. They have had riverboat gambling since February. Downtown is revitalized from what I saw 10 years ago. New restaurants, bars and shops are doing good business, the riverboat leaves on cruises every three hours and the parking lots were full on the Wednesday afternoon I was there. People in town with whom I discussed the situation were all enthusiastic about the influx of jobs and money into the community.

The employees at the riverfront were Southern Illinois people who had nothing but good things to say about the whole operation, they were glad to have good-paying jobs with benefits. The people of Metropolis are pushing the Superman connection and doing a good job of promoting the tourist aspects of their community. The Fort Massac Park is another attraction that is promoted successfully.

Based on my very short, unscientific survey, and the fact that the official 4 percent unemployment rate in Cape Girardeau grossly understates the real situation, I would have to be in favor of a YES vote on the riverboat gambling issue.

Sincerely,

Charles W. Travers

Jackson