How about a column about the negative aspects of gambling?

It always seems ironic that a newspaper or whomever will close their opinion page by stating; “Any opinions expressed by its columnists are not necessarily those of the Ottumwa Courier.”

Yet, a complete page was written about how wonderful it would be to have a casino “right here in River City” by columnist Matt Brindley.

If the paper is telling the truth about their opinions, then all of us readers will gladly look forward to the full page that will be written soon about all the negative sides of bringing a casino to our town. I rather doubt we will see a page like that at all.

It wasn’t very long ago that I and a few others attended a county supervisors’ meeting where Ottumwa was trying to get the casino approved. Prior to the meeting, the news reporter from the Courier was having a “fun” time talking with the three supervisors about how great it would be when we could all just gamble right here instead of having to travel. He was planning, that very day, to go north with his family to gamble in another town. The supervisors all agreed it would be wonderful. The meeting seemed rigged before it even started supposedly considering all sides.

When each of these supervisors and reporter were challenged about the negative effects gambling has done to every town in Iowa and elsewhere where they have been planted, they had quick trite answers to solve the problems. If crime rises, we will just hire more police and firefighters, if gambling becomes an addiction like Matt says, then Ottumwa Regional will clean up our messes with a Gambling Addiction Center. If our county is already high with people in poverty, it won’t matter that people lose more of their hard-earned money, we’ll just “move on,” because all that gambling money will help others. There was a frivolous answer for each negative effect.

Those of us who have seen the devastation of gambling in our own families and other cities we have lived in are heartbroken that soon even Ottumwa will join the ranks of the other cities that have been decimated by having their own gambling casinos.

So, if you are serious about being a “fair and balanced” news agency, then let us see equal time written about the negative aspects of gambling since this is one of the most important decisions that Ottumwa is on the cusp of bringing into our nice town.

Zelda Anderson

Ottumwa