Letters, 8/8: Let state win dollars

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I read the recent Local View (Aug. 4) regarding gambling in Nebraska. The writer, a longtime opponent of gambling, makes statements that are very general.

That slot machines are the “crack cocaine of gambling” is an attempt to scare the reader. She says “a new casino will send more people to Omaha’s homeless shelters.” Really. Has a study of past or present residents in Omaha homeless shelters because of gambling been done? Let’s have the figures!

Many Nebraska residents drive to Council Bluffs casinos every day. Where are the masses of our residents who are homeless and begging on the streets because of Iowa casinos?

Millions, and I mean millions of dollars, are spent by Nebraskans in Iowa each year gambling. This money could be going to Nebraska and the taxes generated could be used for building and maintaining our infrastructure, not Iowa’s.

One last observation. We lost the Nebraska State Fair to Grand Island. We lost Allegiant Airlines to Grand Island. Many folks used the airline for traveling to Las Vegas primarily for that “nasty” gambling habit. We continue to lose gambling revenues to Iowa by those who impose their will on us. Let’s have Lincoln and the state of Nebraska win for a change!

Chuck Zellers, Lincoln

McCain’s bellowing odd

Crude oil prices have fallen 18 percent in the past three and a half weeks (“Oil bubble continues to shrink,” LJS, Aug. 5). John McCain’s people would have you believe this was his doing: He had only to speak the magic words “offshore drilling.” Here on earth, we know the real reason for this drop: Americans have been driving less. Lower demand, lower prices. Isn’t that exactly how it’s supposed to work?

Apparently not. The American people have just demonstrated a remarkably quick and effective way of lowering oil prices — conservation — but McCain will have none of it. “We must drill now,” he’s taken to bellowing, his outrage mounting as the price continues to fall. Anyone else find this odd? Anyone else wondering whose interests he’s trying to protect?

Jordan Stump, Lincoln

Oh, the irony

At the beginning of the summer we had rain; we had lots of rain.

Even so, our mayor thought it might be prudent to ask the residents of Lincoln to practice conservative watering. He recommended we water only on alternate days. No one needed to water. We didn’t water for most of May and June because of low temps and all that rain I mentioned before.

Well, I read in the Journal Star recently that the Lincoln Water System is concerned that it is not making enough money because people did not use enough water. I wonder if Lincoln Water System will have to raise the rates.

Gas … up to $4-plus per gallon for a while. We were advised to carpool, walk, ride the bus, drive less. Again we did what was recommended to us by the powers that be. Now I read in the paper that because we are using less gasoline, tax revenues have fallen and the roads and highways we have been using less may not receive necessary repairs because of lack of funds.

Use too much and we are told we are abusing and using up the natural resources. Use less and we are told we will have to pay more.

Jeanne Bolin, Lincoln