‘Casino Town Hall’ at the Convention Center in Philly - September 13th

The casino town hall meeting was very interesting. Although the turnout was good ( I would estimate 150-200) , I would have liked to see the place filled up. The convention center is a good place to start, and I think there should be even more casino town hall meetings that travel among the different neighborhoods in a series. I think that an all out war must be declared by community residents on these casinos. At the end of the day, these companies will lose money and patience if their plans are delayed and thwarted by well-organized individuals and groups. We must undermine all of the myths about casinos - that people actually win money often, that they will provide real and lasting jobs for community members, that they will spur further development, through a targeted media and outreach campaign to mobilize neighborhood residents. We have to remember that most of the information they are getting now comes from the casinos and the politicians that support them to lure them with false promises. I think that one of the most interesting points that was highlighted at last night's meeting was that local and state governments are increasingly seeing casinos as a way to get revenue. That's a very powerful thing that we need to understand and I think it reflects the competition among cities and regions for revenue at a time when the federal government has abandoned its commitment to funding states and cities. I am wondering how our government has the billions it takes to fund this war on a daily basis but must make war on its own citizens for some paltry millions to fund local services? Casinos are a tax on the poor, pure and simple. And there is every indication that the gap between poverty and wealth in Philadelphia is increasing. Casinos will only make it worse.