Below is a letter to the editor written by Tim Johnson of Beloit. Letters to the editors are very effective ways to let members of your community and elected officials know that there is opposition to the expansion of gambling and casinos in Wisconsin as well as an opportunity to educate why people they should oppose casinos in their communities.
There are many other ways to help (click here for more opportunities) Please join our efforts to help stop the expansion of gambling.
Your Views: Beloit casino would be opposite of our ideals
The recent job news in Beloit has been encouraging. Unemployment rates are dropping; new businesses are starting, and companies are moving north to take advantage of a favorable business climate.
I realize I’m in the minority, opposed to inserting a casino in the stateline community. I believe the casino’s presence will undermine the careful, intentional and healthy growth we’re experiencing. I have two reasons for suggesting this.
First, most are familiar with the societal maladies that frequently accompany casinos. These include increases in crime, divorce rates, poverty, drugs, etc. These are real, documented detriments that a community will absorb.
Second, the character of the casino business is simply incompatible with our hard-working personality. The next time you drive down Pleasant Street in Beloit to the downtown, and then turn onto State Street, look carefully at the murals on the old Beloit Corp.’s walls. Beloit has wisely captured those images of its history of hard work. Hard work tends to be the turtle that wins more races.
By contrast, the casino conveys the idea of the hare—quick, undisciplined shortcuts to financial security. My spirit was deflated when I heard about the casino because its character and purpose represent the opposite ideals that have defined the virtuous, roll-up-your-sleeves approach the community has taken to rebuild.
Gov. Walker will have the final say on the project. If you share my convictions, send him a letter telling him we want to rebuild our community the old-fashioned way—through hard work.
