Casinos…

I have been cheating a bit and sharing articles and the such without much input.

Most all of them need nothing from me!  But, it was pointed out to me that I, myself, am not saying much.

Very well then…I will TRY to actually WRITE more 😉

But for now, I found another article that I want to share.

In Toronto for a while now, Mayor Rob Ford and others have been pushing for a Casino to be built downtown.  Then talk had it why not Vaughan?  Or other areas of the GTA.

I am adamantly against a Casino being built here. There is one in Niagara Falls and people can go to others, no need to build another!

Why am I so dead-set against them?

This may sound corny, but I will never, ever forget the first time I went to an Indian Reservation Casino in California.
What I saw still today makes me ache with compassion, fear, and loss…

First, we went into the actual casino. No windows. That is what struck me first. You have no idea of the time of day!

Then, the people all “connected” to a machine. They had a card that was inserted into a slot machine that kept a record of their winnings, money and the such I presume.

Finally, and this actually sent a wave of loneliness and loss, injustice and sadness over me, we passed by the card tables and I observed an elderly group at the table. Their appearance was not one of affluence. If anything they were reminiscent of people that are on a fixed income…and yet, here they were gambling by the Hundreds of Dollars.  In the two minutes we stood there I observed an elderly woman gamble over $ 1000.00 dollars away!!
That was more than I made in a month at the time!  I observed her clothing, her interactions, she was not happy, she was alone, and she look a bit dishevelled.

That was it for me, we had to leave.

Then we drove around the reservation lands…The Poverty. The Decay.

How was it possible that people were up in arms over all the money that Casinos supposedly bring the reservations??

NONE of it reached the people.  None.  I could see it. The community center building was burned and obviously had been this way in quite a while.  The houses were old. It felt so lonely.

Now Reno…

We did not go to any casinos there, it was more of a “Drive-Thru” type of event.

I saw many, many people.  Again, no joy.  I saw prostitution. I saw decay. Closer to the casinos there were many lights…but the city was not reaping wealth.

Vegas…

Sin City.  INDEED!  I remember going there when I was younger, Treasure Island was “okay” for kids to see.  Of course there is always Circus Circus…but it wasn’t so “Adult” when I was younger.  Now…have you SEEN the Treasure Island show???

Definitely not a place to take my family any more, unless we are going to The Valley of Fire or Red Rock Canyon.  But NOT the Strip.

Now, I realize that my pathos-ridden account will sway no one.

How about Cardinal Collins’ letter? You will find it HERE courtesy of The Catholic Register.

It is understandable that governments are tempted by the tax revenues and supposed economic benefits that gambling may generate, Collins said, but the benefits are “far from clear.” But even if there were long-term benefits, Collins believes casinos have a “negative social impact that outweighs such benefits” and they also “have an adverse effect on the vitality and social health of our community.”

He said gambling is based on a fantasy of a quick solution to financial problems and that it appeals to “the most vulnerable and the most desperate.”

“This is a cruel illusion and it is not wholesome for governments to promote it,” he said.