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Mahalo for killing gambling measure

Multiple kudos to Hawaii’s Senate, organizations and concerned citizens for nixing SB 893, which proposed casinos be established at the Hawaii International Center and new Aloha Stadium. A lesser bill that would legalize sports betting and online poker remains under review.

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For those who have witnessed or been directly affected by the fallout of a casino culture, there is no redeeming defense.

Fundamentally, the revenue derived stays in the casino. Like terminal illness, domestic violence increases, there is a higher rate of home foreclosures, higher problematic gambling, property values decrease, and increased addiction problems result.

Sadly, a higher proportion of low-income workers are drawn to the tinsel and 24-hour enclosed glitter of a casino environment, other than a population of retirees.

The somber effect casino lifestyles is that America becomes increasingly polarized into haves and have-nots. The possibility of anyone hitting a mega-jackpot is 1 in 49 million.

An island friend stated he makes a number of gambling forays annually to Las Vegas. The sincere question remains temporarily deferred — if he ever accomplished a jackpot in marriage.

Landmark research of marital dysfunction in the South Bay, focusing on San Jose, Calif., identified patronage of Casino Club One as the biggest cause of divorce.

For comic relief, recently defeated SB 893 offered a profit percentage for treatment of gamblers with severe addictions. Aside from dodging causation, it is like endorsing the psychological malady of sadomasochism!

Hawaii itself stands as a pristine treasure. It is up to its people to continue to defend and vote for its identity, rather than surrender to the sameness and corporate greed that would tarnish its irreplaceable character.

Jim Barker

Keaau

’President Trump is not America’

We are in crisis in America. What we need is a leader who will give us hope for our future. We need a leader that loves our nation and our people, all of our people. We need a leader who believes that we can and shall bring hope and light to our nation and the world.

President Obama said it best when he coined the phrase: The audacity of hope.

It takes a strong belief in our nation and our will to believe we can and will make it through these times of chaos and division. It is far too easy to think that what is happening to our government is permanent, and there is only darkness and repression to look forward to.

We can and we shall find our way out of this mess we are in. That is the greatness of America.

Stick together, America. Do not let anyone tell you that some of us are not American enough or white enough or whatever.

Not Red America or Blue America. We are one America. One from many.

President Trump is not America. He is just one man. We, the people, are America.

We hold the real power. We bestow power. We can remove power.

Hope is difficult when night is falling and the wolves are howling.

This is not a time to stand alone. We must stand together.

Stand together, friends and neighbors.

Stand together. Remember who we are.

Thomas Beach

Waimea