Dent leaves Allentown to Democrats

As U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15, is set to retire, Democrats will target his district in midterm elections.

We’re often critical of government — federal, state and local — for not listening to the voices of people. The criticism is justified.

People are frustrated, discouraged, and they don’t believe — with good reason in many cases — that their elected representatives have their best interests at heart.

But this is different. The people spoke — to LNP, to state lawmakers, to their local officials.

“Decades of financial mismanagement is not made right by the legalization of an activity that is designed explicitly to lull them (the gamblers) into a trancelike state that the industry refers to as ‘continuous gaming productivity,’ “wrote Edgar Stoesz, of Akron, in an April letter to the editor.

“I have to believe that there are other means of funding our state programs without relying on the ‘pie-in-the-sky’ promises of one of the most destructive and addictive behaviors of modern society,” Elizabethtown resident David Bowie wrote last year.

We’ve written about this topic several times within the past year, not because we’re anti-gambling but because we’ve never believed the people of Lancaster County wanted casinos, nor do we believe gambling should be pervasive in Pennsylvania.

For those of you who spoke via your letters to LNP, who wrote and called your elected officials, we want you to know that someone was listening.

It’s not a coincidence that all 60 county municipalities have opted out of the casino expansion. They got the message — your message.

“Truly, there is no other place in Pennsylvania or the United States that has the heritage, character and culture that we are blessed with, and we all have been entrusted with preserving those important qualities and our way of life,” Aument and Martin wrote in their letter to local governments.

“However, the time has come and you must make a choice about what is best and we hope you will carefully consider the social and other impacts that gambling has on our people, communities and economy and make an appropriate decision.”

Apparently, those impacts were, indeed, seriously considered. We laud Sens. Martin and Aument for leading this effort and appealing directly to local governments. And we are proud of our municipalities for not capitulating to the lure of casino revenue. As we wrote last month, tourism-focused East Lampeter and Strasburg townships, as well as Strasburg Borough, were among the early opt-outs.

We have several concerns about gambling.

Relying on gaming revenues to plug budget holes is no way to do business. And revenue projections are notoriously unreliable and generally unrealistically high.

Gambling can be addictive. Approximately 3 million to 4 million Americans have a gambling disorder, according to the National Center for Responsible Gaming (an industry group).

In a January 2017 editorial, we cited a Baylor University study that found that gambling addiction carries hefty social costs, including loss of worker productivity, unemployment costs, bankruptcy and the costs of treating illnesses related to pathological gambling (anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disorders).

We remain concerned about the impact that expanded gambling will have on the Pennsylvania Lottery, which raises revenue for senior programs.

History shows that state lotteries tend to suffer when the gambling options are spread around.

In other words, if more people are playing slot machines, fewer will be buying lottery tickers.

Finally, and most important, we have never believed, as we’ve written repeatedly, that gambling comports with the values of Lancaster County.

Are there those who disagree with us? Of course. But the actions of all 60 county municipalities would seem to confirm our belief.

This is a win for the people of Lancaster County. We realize that it seems such victories are few and far between.

But as the new year gets underway, it should do us all some good to know that victory is still possible as long as we’re still willing to speak.