Chicago Sun-Times: Government-run gambling won't help Chicago

FEATURED LETTER

Two news items: Chicago to seek a joint state-city owned casino; Great Britain wants to change gambling laws to allow mega-casinos.

These two stories thousands of miles apart are linked by the greed of gambling bosses to dig deeper in the pockets of hard-working people, the poor and, yes, the elite for more money. Tony Blair and Rich Daley have a common goal in mind: to raise more tax revenues for their governments without telling people they are being taxed.

The willing partners of these two politicians and the driving force on these gambits are the gambling companies that stand to reap billions of dollars in profits. The gamblers know that governments in need of dollars will turn to casinos as an easy way to raise money for public budgets.

In September, 1.2 million gamblers to Illinois' nine casinos put almost $140 million into the pockets of the gambling owners. Another $71.5 million went to state government and $8.2 million to local government. On average, $112 per person went in gross receipts to the gamblers. Another $63.83 went to the government in taxation. Altogether, each customer to a gambling boat lost on average $175 to the alliance of gamblers and government.

The aura of state-owned gambling is not any different than mob- owned gambling. While the actors are different, the goals and mechanisms are the same. If you win too much or don't bet enough, you'll be a persona non grata at the gambling tables. So the only people truly wanted by the Chicago mayor or the British prime minister are those ones who will lose and line the pockets of the unholy cartel of gamblers and government.

If people mistrusted government before, they will even more so after government becomes the owner of the casinos.

Doug Dobmeyer,

spokesman,

Task Force to Oppose

Gambling in Chicago

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Invest in America

As a retired Marine, I've been following the ongoing competition for the contract to build the next fleet of presidential helicopters. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed that there hasn't been more coverage of this important issue.

Your readers should be aware what's at stake as the Defense Department weighs its choice between the all-American team of Sikorsky Aircraft/Northrop Grumman and Italy's Agusta Westland. This contract is for only 23 helicopters, but the winner stands to gain an advantage in winning other military contracts and business. Equally important, the Northrop Grumman facility in Rolling Meadows will produce parts for Marine One, which is good for Illinois' economy.

Sikorsky has been providing helicopters to every president since Dwight Eisenhower with a perfect track record. Why now go with a foreign manufacturer for the president's helicopter? Should we really be using our tax dollars to further the research and development capabilities of our competitors from around the world?

The Marine One helicopter is the most photographed and most recognized helicopter in the world, and it's a symbol of the United States. I think most Americans would agree that it would be ridiculous to see our president in a motorcade of Fiat or Peugeot limousines, so why an Italian helicopter?

These are just some of the questions that should be answered as our government is about to spend hundreds of millions, if not billions, of our tax dollars for this new fleet of presidential helicopters. This isn't just about money -- it's about pride in our country, and for some of us, pride in the U.S. Marines.

James "Pate" Philip, president, State Senate (retired)

Mom's killer is still out there

I'm writing this letter out of anger -- anger at a system that is supposed to protect the innocent and punish the guilty.

My mother was brutally killed in 1992. Gregory Clepper was charged with killing 14 women, including my mother. Living in the same community, the only neighborhood in Chicago with 722 registered sex offenders in 1996, were two other men charged with multiple murders. Between the three of them, they were charged with about 25 murders.

The state charged Clepper with my mother's murder with no DNA or other physical evidence, only his confessions. His confessions lasted only until 2000. After another man came forward and confessed to one of the murders, the judge dismissed all of Clepper's incriminating statements. But according to the police, the murder cases are closed, and no further investigations will be done.

My mother's killer is still out there, and somebody is getting away with murder.

John Abington,

Greater Grand Crossing

The real threat

President Bush is warning us that "Kerry's stands would be a threat to world peace." What world peace? Where? And they scream "Four more years!"

But four more years would not necessarily be a bad thing. They didn't have quite enough rope to hang themselves with the first four, but the next four will provide them with rope to spare. And their place in history will be etched even deeper in the chapter of America's lowest point, and a time when she faced her greatest threat -- as a nation -- by an "enemy within."

They tried to shred her Bill of Rights, they tried to twist her into a new form, a nation controlled by them through a plutocracy -- the wealthy ruling the nation and the world. And they tried to do this in the greatest democracy in the world. But they will fail because America, once the beacon of freedom to all, is too precious to lose.

So I say give them four more years. The whole world is watching and will rise to the challenge. All humanity needs the former America, that beacon of freedom -- not the neo-America being set up now to rule the world.

Robert Waldmire, Rochester, Ill.

We can't afford 4 more years

Bravo to the Sun-Times for reversing what has been mostly unquestioning support of the current misadministration. Today's endorsement of John Kerry for president is well-reasoned, but also speaks to what so very many Americans have been feeling: that a keen intellect, insatiable curiosity and flexibility are character traits badly lacking in George Bush and are exactly what are required to deal with the tremendous challenges now facing the world. Neither our country, Iraq or the economy can afford four more years of the same.

Kate Roche, Irving Park

A wise decision

Four years ago, the Sun-Times endorsed George W. Bush for president. This year it is endorsing John Kerry. This indicates that the Sun-Times editorial board is capable of learning from its mistakes.

Too bad George W. Bush isn't.

Daniel Welch, Wheaton

No panderers need apply

Usually I look forward to the common sense the editors present on the left-hand column of the Commentary page. But in Sunday's "Time to shift command to Kerry," I feel abandoned. This is pre-9/11 thinking at its worst.

You're condemning the president for following a course of action that Senate leaders approved with overwhelming authority, based on intelligence that the entire world saw as genuine. This president put his political future on the line by making some unpopular but necessary decisions on the war on terror. And now you're holding up a man who is not a "waffler" but "flexible." Flexible to the point of breaking?

I want my president to be strong and committed, not a panderer worried about the feelings of the rest of the world. You claim that Kerry is no "weakling." I say you are wrong. I say he will weaken this country if given the chance to run it.

You ask, "Do you like the direction our country is heading?" My answer is a resounding yes.

Scott Sinclair, Gurnee

Stamp out vote fraud

My 100 percent solution to stop voter fraud in the 2004 election: After each voter votes, stamp his right hand with a red "USA" in indelible ink. It has worked in amusement parks for years. I have leftover stamp pads from my years as a teacher, if we need them.

Molly DeBevoise,

Newark, Ohio

MY TWO CENTS

"Sikorsky has been providing helicopters to every president since Dwight Eisenhower with a perfect track record. Why now go with a foreign manufacturer for the president's helicopter? The Marine One helicopter is a symbol of the United States." --James "Pate" Philip