We need better ideas than gambling

An economic crisis coupled with voters' aversion to any tax increase has created a perfect time for lawmakers to introduce a bill in Springfield that calls for five new casinos in Illinois to “raise money for the state.”

This has spawned conflict between existing casinos versus lawmakers and the proposed new gambling communities, because everyone knows there is a finite amount of disposable gambling revenue to be spent in this state, and any new gambling opportunities will simply reallocate money from existing ones.

Just think of what Illinois would be like if we had leaders who instead put forth the same effort to attract manufacturing jobs that are synergistic (every new manufacturing job creates up to six and a half support jobs) as opposed increasing ways to extract money from citizens (recent estimates indicate that it costs society $3 in debt/lost production/addiction/etc. for every $1 raised from gambling) in venues that will simply cannibalize each other.

Voters need fresh ideas and new leaders, not old tricks from entrenched politicians.

Keith Gray

Mettawa