Observations...the new Casino
A new $68 million casino may be coming to Grove but protesters have been out on Highway 59 urging the Seneca-Cayuga tribe to take it elsewhere, not within the Grove city limits. The protesters say the casino will bring on increased prostitution and crime.
So we went to Miami up thar in Ottawa County, home to no less than 11 casinos of various Indian tribes, some within blocks of each other, to test the local climate. We talked to the 'man on the street' and local businessmen to see if their county had encountered such evils spilled over from casinos.
Well, no, they hadn't noticed any increased prostitution. They said it was difficult to sell what was being given away free and no, crime had not increased either. They stated that the casinos had been good for local employment, except for the fast food businesses, which pay minimum wage. A blackjack dealer can make $20 an hour just dealing cards and smiling. A burger flipper makes far less and doesn't smile. The mushroom farm was also hurt, they said. Too bad they aren't smokable.
But overall they had no problems with the casinos and felt they were good for the city. One mentioned that several people had lost their homes since they couldn't pay the mortgage after investing heavily in casino business.
There does not seem to be any variance in the number of criminal charges filed, between Ottawa and Delaware counties. On our last trip out of town, we did notice a druggie shooting up just outside Grove, right on highway 59 near the cable company tower.
Frankly, we are neutral on a new casino, except for the new restaurants it might bring, and eventually a convention center. We would look forward to eating a good steak without having to travel to Monkey Island or Miami. But we can't stand the smoke in the casino itself so we don't go there. The smokers may have the right idea…they will die of lung cancer before they lose all their money.
So we went to Miami up thar in Ottawa County, home to no less than 11 casinos of various Indian tribes, some within blocks of each other, to test the local climate. We talked to the 'man on the street' and local businessmen to see if their county had encountered such evils spilled over from casinos.
Well, no, they hadn't noticed any increased prostitution. They said it was difficult to sell what was being given away free and no, crime had not increased either. They stated that the casinos had been good for local employment, except for the fast food businesses, which pay minimum wage. A blackjack dealer can make $20 an hour just dealing cards and smiling. A burger flipper makes far less and doesn't smile. The mushroom farm was also hurt, they said. Too bad they aren't smokable.
But overall they had no problems with the casinos and felt they were good for the city. One mentioned that several people had lost their homes since they couldn't pay the mortgage after investing heavily in casino business.
There does not seem to be any variance in the number of criminal charges filed, between Ottawa and Delaware counties. On our last trip out of town, we did notice a druggie shooting up just outside Grove, right on highway 59 near the cable company tower.
Frankly, we are neutral on a new casino, except for the new restaurants it might bring, and eventually a convention center. We would look forward to eating a good steak without having to travel to Monkey Island or Miami. But we can't stand the smoke in the casino itself so we don't go there. The smokers may have the right idea…they will die of lung cancer before they lose all their money.
Labels: Observations
posted by Editor | 1:55 AM
1 Comments:
I strongly agree with the opinion that a casino is not in the best interest of the Grove community. Therefore, I have sympathy for those protesting the proposed new casino in Grove. However, I do not understand where a protest can lead, other than to stir up emotions.
Given that the courts have held that Native Americans can build and operate casinos under their status as soverign nations, are we not engaged in a futile effort? The casino interests have also funneled a great deal of money back to our politicians (in the form of campaign donations) that have resulted in state governments in many areas, including Oklahoma, passing casino-friendly laws.
Anyway, if someone out there has an understanding of how protesting can be part of a strategy that has a chance of succeeding in keeping a casino out of Grove, let's hear it. But otherwise, we seem to have no choice but to accept this and move on.
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