Published: February 27, 2008 04:45 pm            

In Your View — 02/28/06

Rural voters must act to stop casinos

In the wake of ongoing developments swirling around the casino issue, ominous forces are aligning themselves over Greenup and Boyd Counties. A perfect storm is brewing that threatens to silence the voice of rural voters.

The first threat concerns the deceptive posture of rural legislators who are claiming they simply want to let the people decide. While sounding democratic and well intended, the truth is that Jefferson County has more than 486,000 registered voters. It takes 32 east Kentucky counties to offset the Louisville area alone. Rural legislators need to represent the voice and values of their constituents, not those of Louisville and Lexington.

The second threat involves the procedures for locating free-standing casinos. Many key legislators are insisting that all decisions concerning these matters be decided by local governing bodies instead of the electorate in those areas. As reported in The Independent on Feb. 20, House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, said submitting the casino question to rural voters might mean there will be no casinos in Kentucky outside of race tracks.

The third developing threat is found in county elected officials. If Rep. Clark gets his way, much will hinge on local county leaders. On February 16, The Independent reported the Greenup County judge-executive as saying that casinos would be “a great source of revenue.”

Rural Kentuckians must act now. It is time we call our representatives and senators and ask them to vote “no” on all gambling expansion proposals. If we buy into the lie of “letting the people decide,” our opportunity to be represented will be lost.

The message line, 1-800-372-7181, is open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. It closes at 6 p.m. Fridays.

Brett Green, Argillite



Earning the same; getting less back

I’ve heard a number of people comment about how their W2 forms didn’t look quite right, as if it didn’t actually state what they should have paid in for the past year for as much as they worked.

I worked just as much in 2007 as I did the previous years before, making about as much money, but this time around, I’m only getting a fraction of what I usually get back in federal taxes and have to pay state a little. I’ve never encountered that before.

This is a bit disconcerting. If this keeps up, maybe next year I’ll get nothing back from federal and have to pay an entire paycheck into state.

If our forefathers could see what is going on with our country today, they would shake their heads in deep dismay. They went to all of that trouble to rid the then controlling power from taxing them to death, only to have the same happen now from our own.

If you’re not on welfare or wealthy, you’re just financially screwed. It’s getting so that it doesn’t pay to work. Prices on everything are going up but most people’s wages stay dormant. They’re not able to keep up with the demands of inflation.

I can’t shake that queasy feeling that something is not kosher about this year’s tax returns and W2 forms. This is just one more kick in the buttocks. Just call me Rawhide.

In the very near future, one will be able to tell if somebody is a working man — he’ll have no money.

Thomas W. Elam, Pikeville



Thank Bill Clinton for bringing NAFTA

I heard an advertisement for Barack Obama in which he said he was against NAFTA ((North American Free Trade Agreement).

Then I heard an advertisement for Hillary Clinton on Feb. 25 in which she said she had opposed NAFTA from its inception.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t NAFTA produced, directed and signed by President Bill Clinton, Hillary’s husband?

Wasn’t this the beginning of companies in the United States moving jobs south of the border?

Wasn’t this about the same time that all the Mexicans — or Hispanics, if you want to be politically correct — decided to come north?

Thank you, Democratic Party.

Jim Preston, Catlettsburg

        

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