In the event that anyone among our community’s decision makers
might think that a casino is
”
just the ticket
”
to bring that ever-coveted revenue into San Benito County and
heal all of our financial ills, I would humbly like to state the
obvious.
Dear Editor,
In the event that anyone among our community’s decision makers might think that a casino is “just the ticket” to bring that ever-coveted revenue into San Benito County and heal all of our financial ills, I would humbly like to state the obvious.
Gambling is not just innocent recreation. It deprive families of hard-earned paychecks, which threatens mortgages, creates family budget crises, increases the already rampant divorce rate (the frequent resolution of “you gambled our paycheck away for the last time”), etc. etc. Crime does not decrease when easy access to gambling exists. Character is hardly improved when one is obsessed with the conviction of earning “easy money”.
Most families that I know chose to live in Hollister for it’s wholesome family and community qualities. We strive to achieve that goal with good schools that have security as a main concern, extensive programs and efforts to fight drugs in the community, parades, children’s events, theater, dance, martial arts programs, constant efforts to beautify downtown, active churches, a strong Chamber of Commerce and business community – and on and on the list goes.
And we want to throw these efforts away on a gambling table? With a promise of money returned to the community? That money will just be needed to go into more law enforcement and court expansions, social workers salaries, etc. to handle the increased problems that our families reap with the woe of the insatiable appetite that gambling brings with it. Documented research clearly shows the demise that gambling brings to the family and, hence, the community. Two resources “You Bet Your Life: The Dangerous Repercussions of America’s Gambling Addiction,” and the video “Gambling: Risky Business,” both available through www.focusonthefamily.org. point out the obvious pitfalls of mixing gambling with family life.
Inviting gambling into our county is like inviting the proverbial lion cub into one’s home. By it’s own nature it grows into an insatiable, untamable wild beast.
Please do not walk down this “garden path to prosperity.” The path will take Hollister where she really does not want to go. Thanks for listening.
Helen Chouinard, Hollister
