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The group opposing a casino
has been criticized by some of the
supporters for saying the same
things over again. What, pray tell,
happened in David Dear's article?
He has only said the same things
that were-used in the beginning
when the cat was out of the bag.
“Jobs” , restaurants, service indus-
tries, tourists, etc. To which | say b-
a-l-o-g-n-a, or baloney as some
would pronounce it.
The job number is highly in-
flated but even higher in David
Dears mind. Now he's promising
8,000 jobs, 4000 two year con-
struction and 4000 employees of
the resort. WOW!
1500 hotel rooms! Who needs
the local inns? Restaurants on site!
Who needs local feeding spots?
Tourists? With everything conve-
niently located on 1-85 why would
they leave that area?
All ‘those “facts” questioned and
aside let's ask this one. Where will
the money come from to pay for all
the construction, the land, the em-
ployees, the power and water, the
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.com
low cost food and the profits for the
“resort”? Mostly local losses.
Having mentioned facts and ref-
erences check this out:
Gulfport, Mississippi opened its
first casino in 1993.
According to the Gulfport Police
Department, which incidentally,
doubled in size from 75 to 150 offi-
cers in less than five years;the city
experienced a 92% increase in
overall crime from the first seven
months in 1993 to the same period
in 1994. Increases were noted in
the following crime types:
200% sexual battery, 311% rob-
bery, 100% burglary, 160% vehicle
thefts, alcohol related accidents in-
creased 101%, domestic violence
related incidents increased from
nearly 3,000 to more than 5,000 (a
69% increase) between 1992 and
1994. Socioeconomic Impact of
Gambling, Seminole County Sher-
iff's Office, 2011.
Having mentioned facts, check
this out: FACT: The casino is not
a... done deal as some have told
you. The people spreading that are
spreading misinformed rumors or
lies or both.
FACT: The support letters written
KingstMountain
JAY RD
for and signed by the County Com-
missioners and Mayor and City
Council (except Keith Miller) on
your behalf were sent along with
the Catawba Indian Application to
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The
letters were not official acts by the
boards although they are written
and look like they are official.
FACT: A representative of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs confirmed
that if the request for land trust is
found to be legal, then community
input will have influence on their
decision to allow a casino in our
area, that is why the letters are im-
portant and why they were sent
along with the application. There is
no public vote but your opposition
can be as strong as a vote if we do
it collectively.
FACT: A representative of the
Eastern Trust Division of the BIA
said directly to me by phone that
he had never known an Indian
Tribe to try to develop trust land
and gambling in an area where
they weren't welcomed. That is an-
other reason the letters are so im-
portant and why many of us find
them deceitful and unethical.
FACT: Both the County Board of
.
Commissioners and the Kings:
Mountain Mayor and Council ear-
lier admitted they did not do any
studies of possible down sides to a
casino in our area although some
claim that they have since done
studies.
FACT: Both the County and City
have been addressed numerous
times and asked to review verifi-
able facts in a public forum and
they have totally ignored those re-
quests and have been unwilling to
publicly acknowledge the growing
opposition to a casino.
FACT: All Commissioners,
Mayor and Council have been in-
vited to attend informative meet-
ings related to problems with
having a casino and only two have
attended any.
FACT: Even though this issue is
currently dealing with the support
letters that the County and City offi-
cials wrote about the casino, this is
a problem not contained by City
and County lines. The horrible so-
cial and economical effects will
reach east as far as Charlotte and
50 miles west, 50 miles north, and
50 miles south of Kings Mtn.
FACT: It's not over until God
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
says it is.
David Dear has said he's staked
his reputation and career on the
Catawba Indian Resort giving many
years of positive economic impact
to citizens of Cleveland County.
| for one, don't want to see
David Dear lose his reputation or
his livelihood over this issue, but in
this case he is wrong. The facts |
have studied are completely con-
trary and polar opposites to his.
Unlike David Dear my 57 years of |
working life was spent in the pri-
vate sector where people are de-
pendent on themselves and God
and believe equal exchange of |
money and goods is the best way to
do business.
I even have some experience in;
the gambling arena that | believe
makes me more qualified than
David Dear to speak on the sub-
ject. While I appreciate any effort |
David Dear has put forth to bring
real meaningful jobs to Cleveland
County just remember it only takes
one “aw crap” to do away with a
lot of atta boys.
BEAUFORD BURTON
Kings Mountain
Mountaineer Foothall
“The SMAC Game of the Week”
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“Your Positive Media Network.
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