After reading Ronnie Polaneczky's column today, I am wondering if Philadelphia has invented Casino Correctness. You know, the feeling that you can't possibly support slots parlors coming to Philadelphia because 1) none of your friends, or people that you would like to hang with, do 2) you'll be called an apologist for the gambling industry.
Peer pressure is not exactly the best way to conduct public business.
Now, please don't fill up my e-mail box. I am not expressing a pro-slots-parlor position here. I am not sure whether the advent of slots would be a mere nuisance or a really incredibly bad, city-altering decision. The only decision I've made is that I am unlikely to spend a dollar there, because gambling really isn't my thing.
I am just a little alarmed by Casino Correctness, and the reaction that some Fishtowners have faced (as described in Ronnie's column) when they expressed their support for the slots. It was a typical smashmouth Philly reaction to someone voicing a view opposed to the popular one. But this is hardly the way to have a reasoned discussion about the pros and cons of slots parlors,
Of course, if we'd had a actual debate in the state legislature about slots -- with time for the neighborhoods to have their say -- we wouldn't be in the situation anyway.
Comments (5)
As far as I know, FACT was created in April, after FNA (the city recognized organization representing the residents of Fishtown) voted against the current Sugarhouse location. Prior to the meeting held last night residents of Fishtown have been recieving robo-calls and direct-mail literature from Sugarhouse inviting them to come out to the FACT meeting in support of Sugarhouse.
There have been many, many meeting held by FNA where Fishtown residence in attendance had a chance to have their voice heard, no one was shouted down. A vote was held, open to all Fishtown residents and the majority were against the Sugarhouse location, this does not make FNA anti-casino, it just reflects the views of the majority of Fishtown residents. There is nothing wrong with being in favor of the slots....but there is something wrong about biased reporting that ignores facts.
Posted by Roma258 | June 5, 2007 10:56 AM
Roma258: Actually, you have your facts wrong. SugarHouse did not put out pieces of direct mail nor did we do any robo-calls about FACT or about last night's meeting. We have been putting out pieces of direct mail and some limited number of calls because we need to correct the record about the things the anti-casino forces have been saying. That's what we have been doing and in that process, we have had hundreds of people say they support us and want to get involved. We notified some of those supporters about last night's meeting.
We have never given any money to FACT despite the claims of our opponents. I would be interested, of course, in knowing who is funding the anti-casino operation in the City. Why won't Casino Free Philadelphia reveal who is funding them? Given their desire for greater "openness" from the Casino Gaming Control Board, shouldn't they practice what they preach?
But I am still puzzled by the vitriol about whether we were working with FACT. We always said we wanted to talk to the community -- and no one has questioned whether the people who attended last night's meeting were residents of Fishtown. So they are Fishtowners who support SugarHouse and we welcome their support and look forward to working with them. It's a shame that the anti-casino people won't even talk to us.
Posted by Dan Fee | June 5, 2007 5:09 PM
Dan Fee: what's better for Philadelphians? 130,000 new ILA jobs paying 70-100K per year (according to your old boss Rendell) or 6000 casino jobs paying, what, an average of $12-15 an hour? The ILA's Jim Paylor believes casinos will result in a loss of CURRENT jobs.
Dan Fee: you'll mention property tax relief, but do you mention that your old boss Rendell admits, that with the sales tax increase, the average Pennsylvania homeowner will pay $6 less a year in taxes. Non-homeowners will obviously pay more. Fishtowners (and other gentrified neighborhoods), according to the Inquirer, will pay more when the Commonwealth reasseses taxes in 2008. Probably double to triple I estimate.
Dan Fee: you'll say you're rejuvenating Fishtown. It already happened, pal.
Dan Fee: what's better for Philly and its families? Increases in crime and traffic casinos will bring OR parks, bike trails, and residences (non-gated) that a Penn Praxis design would yield w/o casinos?
Dan Fee: you'll deny the crime stats. Then why is the state police establishing an 116-trooper casino unit? Why did the phila. police chief say he'd need 100 officers to patrol casinos along Delaware Avenue? Because you all know crime will increase in Fishtown...that's why.
Dan Fee: I could go on and on. I got engaged 2 weeks ago. I own in Fishtown, and my fiance in Pennsport (Foxwoods). Because of your casino and the traffic, drunks on the street high from your free booze, and crime it will bring - WE ARE MOVING FROM PHILADELPHIA TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN. I would never raise children in the shadows of a casino (I live .5 miles away).
I won't speak for anyone than myself. My fiance and I are taking out $8K in wage tax with us. Recalculate your benefits to the city by subtracting $8,000. How many more are like us...and we were both born and raised in this city. Were you?
In my opinion, you're nothing but a legal mob boss. Good luck fleecing the middle class of Philadelphia of their savings, potential jobs and quality of life.
Just MY opinion.
Posted by bob | June 5, 2007 10:02 PM
Those who are supporting casinos coming to this city's Fishtown and Pennsport sections really feel they don't have any other choice. For those who head up the anti-casino groups certainly aren't giving them any sense of alternative hope. If anything, they're driving them to be supportive of the casinos, however irrational that might be. For in brief, this is has become carpetbagger city at this point, and oh, are the carpetbaggers ever out in droves! You should've seen so many of them last Wednesday (May 30) piled into the basement of Center City's United Methodist Church when the "Citizens' Hearing on Philadelphia Parks" was held. I think this city is seeing more carpetbaggers seizing upon it than the South did following the Civil War, with that hearing last Wednesday being Exhibit A.
Folks, do you know that if you could've gotten aboard the Titanic in its final hour you could've been the poorest, most uneducated person in the world, yet during the course of that one golden hour decked yourself out with the finest clothing and jewelry, gorged yourself with the most luxurient food and drink in the world and so on, and with not a single thing to stop you. And that I feel really does sum up Philadelphia at this point. The carpetbaggers have seized upon this city and there's not a single thing to stop them. They are like dormant crooks who all suddenly sprung to life as thieves the moment the iceberg was struck, and they've been going nonstop ever since. And they will till long past the last lifeboat has parted and the last smokestack has submerged. And then they'll be gone the way of the great ship itself. For that's how greed and getting what you're not deserving of works, folks.
Posted by Steve W. | June 6, 2007 2:08 AM
BOB, Amen. I couldnt have said it better myself. I guess people haven't been in A.C in awhile. All you see is Boobie bars, Pawn shops, speak easy's, drunk bums and a lot of Casino lights. Oh dont forget the "point", the best hooker spot in town. Why in the world would you want to take Philadelphia, a history enriched, working class, family oriented city of pride. To turn it into a trashy, classless, named "Party Town" just like Las Vegas, and Atlantic city? Its 2 freakin hours away!!!
Posted by Fishtowner | June 19, 2007 10:55 PM