Joe Hallett commentary: Reasons to oppose casinos are many

After casinos opened in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1996, with nearby Omaha, Neb., providing most of the gamblers, a major grocery-store chain reported a 15 percent drop in food purchases.

[oh brother]

Joe, what happened to you? You articles use to be factual and on point, now you are just parroting commercials. Concerned about about the precious Ohio Constitution? No mention of issue two and its creation of yet more bureaucracy.

Concerned about prostitution? You don't need to worry about the Casino bill bringing prostitution to our State, the Dispatch has been providing those services for over 130 years.

[Vicky]

Apparently no one who wants casinos really wants to think about the effects. Gambling interests have been drooling over Ohio for years - that's why there have been so many attempts to get it legalized here. I mean, the existence of 10 million possible marks - oops, I mean sober, thoughtful customers - is tantamount to being a fourteen point stag in some respects. Whoever can get that shot through the heart is the big winner. I personally don't want to be dinner for these guys.

Issue 2? Please. Everybody seems to want to put constitutional amendments in to sanctify their pet issues. I'm not enthusiastic about that aspect of Issue 1 either. But that's a red herring in the first comment on this commentary. Tell you what, Mr. brother, let's move that casino up to Dublin and see how enthusiastic you are about junk constitutional amendments and crime.

[Drummer Jim]

Joe, you have been taking lessons from Sean Hannity, and the Dispatch has become the Fox News of Central Ohio. You don't seem to mind that millions of dollars already flow to bordering states casinos, money that could be spent in our state. You don't seem to care that millions in tax revenue would flow to the distressed cities and communities of Ohio, and that thousands of jobs wll be created if Issue 3 passes. The Dispatch keeps saying these are lousy or temporary jobs, but tell that to the many unemployed in our state. No less than 4 articles appeared in today's Dispatch, opposing Issue 3. I can only hope the influence of the Dispatch carries the same weight as when you endorsed John McCain in the last election.

[Aprendan]

Drummer Jim wrote:

Joe, you have been taking lessons from Sean Hannity, and the Dispatch has become the Fox News of Central Ohio. You don't seem to mind that millions of dollars already flow to bordering states casinos, money that could be spent in our state. You don't seem to care that millions in tax revenue would flow to the distressed cities and communities of Ohio, and that thousands of jobs wll be created if Issue 3 passes. The Dispatch keeps saying these are lousy or temporary jobs, but tell that to the many unemployed in our state. No less than 4 articles appeared in today's Dispatch, opposing Issue 3. I can only hope the influence of the Dispatch carries the same weight as when you endorsed John McCain in the last election.

Maybe casinos will bring to Ohio all the "goodies" that you mention, but why do we need these out-of-stater's monopoly? Wouldn't we get even more if competition were allowed?

[Drummer Jim]

Aprendan wrote:

<quoted text>
Maybe casinos will bring to Ohio all the "goodies" that you mention, but why do we need these out-of-stater's monopoly? Wouldn't we get even more if competition were allowed?

Maybe so, but Ohio needs revenue and jobs now. If we wait for another proposal, the Dispatch and other opponents will just find more reasons to defeat the issue, and another election cycle will pass.

[steve dillon]

Well said! Would so ever Ohio opponents of gambling be so bold as to fund a stop-gap constitutional amendment (ala Issue 2), then perhaps this whole issue would be put to rest. Unfortunately the wealthiest opponents have in various previous elections, been the promoters.