Cowlitz Casino supporters, get a clue and a grip.

This morning's fishwrapper contained one of a seemingly endless series of clueless observations by yet another person more concerned about convenience in getting their gambling fix than they are about the community we live in... a community that none of the Cowlitz Mafia (David Barnett, Phil Harju, 99% of the Cowlitz Tribe, The Mohegans and now Paskenta Band) live in or mostly have lived in for the entirety of their lives.

Nevertheless, supporters and tribal shills occasionally send letters to the editor of the Columbian in like this one:

Casino would bring jobs

The news media tell us that we are in the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929. The city of Vancouver cannot balance its budget, so instead of spending more monies on fighting the development of the Cowlitz Tribe casino, it appears to me that the project may be the only show in town that will bring employment to the presently high percentage of unemployed in the area. We should get rid of our present way of thinking and start supporting the project.

When they build the new Interstate 5 bridge with light rail, they could extend the light rail to the casino and make it easy to recapture some of that Portland money.

Ronald Jensen
VANCOUVER

Flawed reasoning can be a dangerous thing.

First, the megacasino will bring jobs all right; hundreds of sub-minimum wage jobs will be offered.

It will also bring crime, corruption, traffic, housing shortages and school overcrowding, but who cares as long as I can make it to the buffet on time, eh?

The bizarre notion that this casino would accomplish any positive impact to local governments is just that: bizarre. The casino will be an economic black hole that will cost the people who actually live here hundreds of millions of dollars as we pay for the dramatically increased infrastructure needs this project will require.

There will not be any I-5 Bridge replacement, let alone with light rail. But if their were, isn't it odd that the casino junkies close their eyes to the BILLIONS of dollars such an extension to the proposed megacasino site would cost the taxpayers? Want loot rail out to the casino? Who cares how much such a massive project would cost?

Casino supporters think that some magic wand exists somewhere that would allow these things at the flick of the wrist. Some here, for example, have whined about the idea of putting the casino in downtown Vancouver as if such an idea would only need the signing of a few papers to magically happen. Those advocating such a move obviously have no idea and don't care about the massive complexities of citing casinos and reservations; and of course, the Cowlitz have no more ties to this area then m,y Cocker Spaniel.

And if that thing is built, our already saturated I-05 corridor would magically heal itself; housing would grow out of the ground like magic beans; schools, teachers, transportation infrastructure and the massive impacts on social services? Not to worry, the magic casino fairy would just fly in and drop all of these things off and it wouldn't cost those of us who actually live here a cent... as long as our casino junkies can make it to bingo on time and hammer those slots.

Nothing like the vision of a selfish gambling addict, is there, Mr. Jensen?