Ministers Against VLTs

"The church has a responsibility to help bring morals to the area and help bring people out of certain lifestyles," said Bishop James M. Briscoe, pastor of Free Gospel Church of Bryans Road in Indian Head. "Gambling is something we don't need in the community." Proponents say that legalizing slots would help produce badly needed revenue for education and other programs in a state facing serious budget problems. Ministers have been an important part of the anti-slots effort, said Bridgett Frey, a spokeswoman for Marylanders United Against Slots. The group provides brochures describing arguments against slots to ministers and other community leaders, and the material "flies out the door," she said. Marylanders United lists more than 30 religious leaders among its roughly 150-member steering committee, including Briscoe, treasurer of the Charles ministers alliance. "People are so jaded by Annapolis at this point that politicians are a difficult group to trust," Frey said. "But when your pastor looks at you and says this is the wrong decision for the state, we think that's a very powerful message." Members of the ministers alliance said that moral and religious beliefs prompted them to oppose the legalization of slot machines. Many cite Scriptural prohibitions against gambling, including a passage from Proverbs that says, "An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed." Pastor Willie R. Hunt, who leads New Community Church of God in Christ in Waldorf, said he has seen the harm that gambling can cause families. He said he has counseled people who have lost their homes and watched personal relationships deteriorate. Briscoe, a lifelong Maryland resident and longtime pastor in Prince George's and Charles counties, said he remembers watching people put money into slot machines for hours during the 1950s, when they were legal. The machines prey on lower-income people hoping to get rich quickly, he said, and they contribute to the moral degradation of the community.

Maryland Voters urging No Vote to VLTs

The Maryland General Assembly did not write any new funding for education into the proposal last year—since the politicans and gambling industry lobbyists were eager to pressure various groups into supporting the Referendum. "Promising" money to State-funded organizations if they supported the Referendum without any written guarantee was a way to push organizations of teachers and others to support this Amendment to the Maryland Constituton.The money which is supposed to come, in a few years, from slot machines to the State Treasury has been informally, conversationally, "ear-marked" numerous times over.Anybody who has even casually listened to advertisements and politicans knows that the money which is supposed to come, in a few years, from slot machines to the State Treasury has been informally, conversationally, "ear-marked" numerous times over. The gambling establishments could never bring in the exaggerated, many-times-over, claimed, advertised, and rumored benefits for the horse racing industry, for senior citizens, for police and fire protection, for public schools, for the Maryland Teachers Pension Fund, to underwrite health care for needy residents, and everything else.Where's the owner of the big company that Maryland plans to let run gambling establishments here? Canada. This means one-third of the proceeds will go out of the country.Meantime, we know that one-third of the money will go to the owners of the gambling corporations—those people who contend they will be performing such a public service for the State. And, where's the owner of the big company that Maryland plans to let run gambling establishments here? Canada. That's what these proponents of Question 2 call "bringing money into Maryland." That is what these endorsers of the Amendment to our State Constitution call "keeping the money in Maryland."

Ohio Pols Against VLTs

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and Ohio Racing Commissioner Jerry Chabler yesterday urged people to vote against a constitutional amendment for a single gambling casino in the Cincinnati area.Issue 6 on the statewide ballot asks voters to amend the Ohio Constitution to allow a casino resort off I-71 in Clinton County.The mayor said the issue does nothing for northwest Ohio; Mr. Chabler said it would threaten existing jobs at Ohio's racetracks.MyOhioNow.com, the group sponsoring the casino initiative, claims the proposal will yield 5,000 new jobs and generate a 30 percent gross-receipts tax that would be distributed to all Ohio counties.While the amendment would subject the casino to a tax of up to 30 percent on its gross receipts, if another casino is built in Ohio, the Clinton County casino's maximum tax rate of 30 percent would be reduced to 25 percent, or to the taxation level of the future casino if that rate is lower.It is unclear whether a Native American casino would be considered not taxable - meaning that the Clinton County's casino tax rate would remain at 30 percent - or if its tax rate would be considered zero, a recent analysis found.U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland also oppose Issue 6.

Hidden Costs of Gambling (PA)

In the last year, the number of calls to the Pennsylvania Council on Compulsive Gambling has jumped 39 percent to 1,250 a month. Those numbers will likely continue to climb as more slots parlors open and more people get hooked. The New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling estimates that 20 percent of the customers in Atlantic City are problem gamblers. One study found that each compulsive gambler costs the economy between $14,000 and $22,000, which comes to $280 to $440 for every citizen.Nevada - where Las Vegas is the casino capital - often ranks at or near the top among states in suicide rates, crime, divorce, individual bankruptcies, gambling addiction and high school dropouts. Look for many of these same problems to increase in Pennsylvania as slots gambling spreads.

Cellular Phone Tower

The civic has contacted the Town of Hempstead regarding the unacceptable, and disrespectful condition of the property in front of the Cellular Phone Tower, located on 443 Hempstead Turnpike. (Picture shown)

We had been informed Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino to do the necessary cleaning and visual improvement as promised. His assistant informed us that they have contacted the appropriate agency in an attempt to resolve this issue.

When the tower was first installed, with much hesitation, and extensive criticism from the Civic, and local community members, we were promised that the property will have extensive and beautiful landscaping. As everyone can see, that is not the case.

Several weeks and months had past and the property has not improved. In fact, you can see it degrading.

This matter may require a more direct communication with the Town of Hempstead to resolve this visible eye sore in the community.

Belmont Stakes

The week of the Belmont Stakes, starting on May 31at, has the potential of having a long lasing positive influence on the community. As long as NYRA puts family and community first, success will spill over to the neighboring businesses and be a positive component to the surrounding communities. Additionally it is important that enforcement of current laws and regulations take place to serve as an opportunity for revitalization.
Not every community has the opportunity to be on national television and the whole world watching. Individuals from across the country and world will be attendance, and participate in watching the “Sport of Kings,” at the most famous track in American horseracing. Elmont has the unique benefit of hosting the Belmont Stakes since 1905.
On June 7 regardless of how financially successful the day or week is. It helps to remind us, of what Historic Belmont Park really represents. Belmont Park by its design and accessibility is the peoples’ track. Whether or not you enjoy horseracing, there is the potential of history in the making. It is a day that helps us to remember passion of a sport, culture that existed on the Hempstead Plains since the 1600s and the history of champions.

I hope that once again, Elmont will be in the history book as we celebrate another Triple Crown winner.

NJ and Gambling

New Jersey, after supporting a full out Ban on VLTs, ponder the question of Keno.

Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic said he opposed the keno idea.
Whelan, chairman of the Senate Wagering and Tourism Committee, said, "I think the casino industry is facing challenging times right now and we need to support the industry in Atlantic City and not divert our attention with keno or VLTs or other issues from around the state."

As the industry is already suffering, instead of expanding; focus should be on improving the current products into a more productive and safer operation.

New York could learn ad thing or two.

Hopefully with open hearings and forums, the state, and the surrounding communities where the "burden of adding VLTs" will become unnecessary.