Predatory gambling needs some control

In the last several weeks, I and the other 12,370 registered voters in Clayton County have been barraged with propaganda from the “Plastic House of Greed” located in Marquette.

This expensive campaign from the Lady Luck Gambling Casino to buy the referendum on Nov. 2, Public Measure C, is using scare tactics and deceptions to secure another eight years of predation.

However, I have facts to share. A gambling casino exploits three specific populations of folks: the poor, elderly and compulsive gamblers. However, the only image we receive from the gambling casino is the pretty young woman with a handful of cash smiling down from the billboards.

I challenge all voters in Clayton County to research this industry before they vote.

The casino threatens the loss of jobs; these are jobs that never should have existed in the first place. If you use the same stream of logical thinking, one can justify all manners of vice - like prostitution and crack cocaine distribution. Those activities also employ people and redistribute the wealth.

The gambling hall workers could be retrained and become useful members of society again. The casino has a poor track record of employee retention.

They speak of taxes. Both Clayton County and Marquette taxes have gone up since the first arrival of the gambling barge. Crime has risen, as has the law enforcement costs of the surrounding jurisdictions.

The casino propaganda machine speaks of all the money given to the non-profits. This is tainted money coming out of your neighbors' pockets and mandated by state law.

I challenge every voter to become more informed by visiting sites such as www.stoppredatorygambling.org

Also I challenge every member of the clergy in our religious county to speak about gambling from the pulpit. If a simple majority of us voted no to Measure C, the predatory bums would be gone from our county and we could regain our respect.

Timothy Mason

McGregor