2.10.08
Letter-to-the-editor
Casino is latest self-serving project to be pushed on area
I have lived in this area for 25 years, and I have seen one misguided, self-serving project after another promoted in the guise of helping the local economy or improving the quality of life. All which yielded the same result: a windfall for relatively few private interests. Meanwhile, the city and the majority of the residents are left to foot the bill for the cost overruns, the cost of infrastructure improvements and still are left with - for the most part - totally inadequate facilities and limited, at best, economic impact.
Now the latest "savior" of Port Huron is the casino. No matter where it's built, it will make the landowners, contractors (with connections) and very few others a lot of money and leave the rest of us fighting for a few low-paying service jobs. The following is an excerpt from an economic study on the Wayland Casino near Grand Rapids prepared by the Anderson Economic Group:
"The casino will result in the creation of between 46 and 56 tourism-related jobs. We consider tourism-related jobs to be those jobs created through the expenditure from out-of-state visitors. This results in a minor overall effect on the economy.
"To support one job, it requires more expenditure at a casino than at the average noncasino establishment. This is because a large portion of the casino expenditure is directed (1) out of state, and (2) to uses that have a lesser spin-off effect on the economy."
So here we go again. The citizens of Port Huron have been sold another bill of goods by the "good ole boys," and I anticipate reading in TalkBack for years to come, comments such as, "Lied to again," and "Where's the casino money?"
I have lived in this area for 25 years, and I have seen one misguided, self-serving project after another promoted in the guise of helping the local economy or improving the quality of life. All which yielded the same result: a windfall for relatively few private interests. Meanwhile, the city and the majority of the residents are left to foot the bill for the cost overruns, the cost of infrastructure improvements and still are left with - for the most part - totally inadequate facilities and limited, at best, economic impact.
Now the latest "savior" of Port Huron is the casino. No matter where it's built, it will make the landowners, contractors (with connections) and very few others a lot of money and leave the rest of us fighting for a few low-paying service jobs. The following is an excerpt from an economic study on the Wayland Casino near Grand Rapids prepared by the Anderson Economic Group:
"The casino will result in the creation of between 46 and 56 tourism-related jobs. We consider tourism-related jobs to be those jobs created through the expenditure from out-of-state visitors. This results in a minor overall effect on the economy.
"To support one job, it requires more expenditure at a casino than at the average noncasino establishment. This is because a large portion of the casino expenditure is directed (1) out of state, and (2) to uses that have a lesser spin-off effect on the economy."
So here we go again. The citizens of Port Huron have been sold another bill of goods by the "good ole boys," and I anticipate reading in TalkBack for years to come, comments such as, "Lied to again," and "Where's the casino money?"
BOB MORRISON
Note: While the operators of Detroit commercial casinos are required to pay the City of Detroit 11.9% of net gaming revenues; those bankrolling the Port Huron off-reservation casino scheme have negotiated with Governor Jennifer Granholm to pay the City of Port Huron just 2% of net gaming revenues. By comparrison, this could leave tens of millions of dollars a year on the table that otherwise would go to the City of Port Huron -- further, the surrounding cities, townships and counties get nothing but will certainly feel the negative impacts.
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