Dear Mayor Rahm Emanuel:
Chicago does not need a casino. This city for me is a second home. It?s where I come to be rejuvenated when I want to get away from Madison, Wisconsin, where I also live and teach. I come to Chicago to enjoy the many riches the city has to offer: great theater, wonderful art museums and galleries and restaurants, plenty of sports, Millennium Park, and music everywhere. That?s why tourists come to Chicago, to partake of its energy and cultural life.
I realize that the city has an enormous budget deficit, but a casino is not a remedy. If anything, it will change the city?s character. For one thing, many tourists will spend (or rather lose) their money at the slot machines and blackjack tables rather than in the restaurants, the museums, the stores. Keep in mind that people must lose millions of dollars in order for a casino to rake in the enormous sums of money that have made a few rich people even more wealthy.
Which brings me to another point: a Chicago casino will have a devastating effect on people in poor and working class communities. Granted, Chicago gamblers now go to Indiana or to casinos outside of the city, but it takes a bit of effort for them to get there. A Chicago casino will be a short CTA ride away and the people who can least afford to lose what little they have will risk it all for the elusive jackpot.
At the risk of being disrespectful, let me say that I find it absolutely irresponsible for you and all the other public officials who support a Chicago casino to unleash this insidious form of entertainment on the public.
In closing, Mr. Emanuel, please tell me if you plan to go and gamble? If so, how often will you put your money in the dollar gobbling slot machines or on a blackjack table so that the City can generate new revenue. How much money are you willing to bet AND LOSE?
Respectfully:
Sandra Adell, Author: CONFESSIONS OF A SLOT MACHINE QUEEN: A MEMOIR (See also my blog: ?A Black Woman?s Reflections on Casino Gambling? www.saadell.wordpress.com)
Source: http://saadell.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/dear-rahm-emanuel-chicago-does-not-need-a-casino/
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