the casino in Buffalo... there's a lot to the issue, but one thing about it is really offending me right now... NOBODY ASKED US! The governor woke up one morning and said "I know how I'm going to close the gap in our budget, I'm take a piece of Buffalo and give it away to a sovereign nation. They can take the land right off of the tax rolls and make $150 million off of it each year from a casino." And he didn't even ask the State government, nor the Erie County or Buffalo government. And he sure as hell didn't use a referendum to ask us, the people who live here. I'm offended, in fact it really pisses me off.
Especially since Buffalo is not doing bad right now, there's actually a lot of old architectural gems being renovated and turned into mixed use apartments and commercial buildings. And new buildings are even starting to fill in the parking lots. The nice areas of the city are actually growing, as more people are moving into the downtown neighborhoods. Main St is improving from the theatre district past the medical campus and all the way up to the Artspace lofts project near Summer St. There's also the interesting Health Now building right behind City Hall and all kinds of stuff is happening. All we need is for the government not to screw up real bad. You can read about it at Buffalo Rising's City page
. Now is not the time to be giving pieces of downtown real estate away to a sovereign nation.The jobs argument is bullshit, look at other cities that have tried this, like Atlantic city, Detroit, or Niagara Falls, yes even in Niagara Falls at least two hotels and a restaurant have closed, and they actually have tourists! By contrast 80% of the money that the casino makes in Buffalo is going to come from us, the local economy, and it's not staying here, it's going to the Senecas.
The casino will also be nicely situated at the center of all the bus routes, Downtown, where people who can't afford cars can easily get to. Not so with the Niagara Falls or Salamanca casinos. The poor in Buffalo are going to get poorer. I live in an inexpensive Allentown apartment, most of my neighbors in this building are poor, both white and black, I thought about them. Who would go, would they spend more money than they could afford, and what would they do to try and get that money back? What would happen to our neighborhood because of their poverty? I don't like what I see, really.. more theft, more drugs, more broken car windows and missing stereos, more people outside bothering you for change, or asking you to buy their crap, electronics and fake drugs. It won't be as nice of a neighborhood. This is one of the most pedestrian friendly and architecturally beautiful sections of the city, but people will enjoy it less, and less often, because they will be harassed and confronted by the struggling poor.
It's not good, I mean seriously if you want numbers here's some stuff from Donn Esmonde's recent article
:The casino will make $150 million a year
About 80 percent of the people who will gamble at a Buffalo casino live within 50 miles of Buffalo,
The casino brings about 1,000 jobs (although at a cost of some existing jobs), with those workers taking home about $25 million a year.
The state gets about $30 million of the annual casino profits,
With the City and County splitting about $7 million.
But $25 million in take-home pay and a $7 million local cut doesn't balance the nearly $150 million we'll pay for it.
"The number one casino spinoff business is a gas station," Thompson said. "Maybe a restaurant within walking distance . . . Most people going to the casino won't do a single thing in Buffalo other than gamble."
If you read this whole thing you definitely care enough to call some representatives and say that if a casino is proposed the public should have a say,
tell them to introduce a bill to their legislature so that they have to address the issue and hear from their constituents about it.
Or encourage them to sponsor a referendum for the people to vote on. This process is going way too fast, it needs to be properly deliberated. We are handing over a chunk of our city.
You may have read in my last post that there is a public comment period from now until November 7th, you have to fax (FAX# 202-208-6950) or e-mail (webteam@ios.doi.gov) Gale Norton, the Interior Secretary, she's the one who approves land transfers. I encouraged my representatives to send her a fax as well.
You can find your city reps here:
County reps here:
State reps here:
peter, I'd rather get the results from Niagara Falls Casino before rushing to get one completed here. particularly because this is a perminent change, it's not just any developer, we can't get the land back easily.
Uncut, I know what you mean, trusting the masses can let you down, especially when the news media doesen't do its homework before parroting the mayor's sunny predictions. but a lot of people I talk to are unsure of the idea, if they do accept it and try to look on the bright side it's usually because they think it's a done deal and there's nothing anybody can do. if people understood that it was their decision and that the legeslatures have to vote on it we will have some serious descussion. and I will be out there working my ass off to get information out.
A referendum is a good idea to see what Buffaloians think about the casino. But one of the bugbears of democracy is that majority rules.
If one has a group of three and two of them vote to kill the third person, that is true democracy in action.
I'm not at all certain that a referendum would vote down the casino
First of all I'm glad that you are speaking up for what you belive in. My view is a differant then yours But i think it is important for people to get invovled who arn't in government no matter what side they represent. I do agree that it is wrong that the people really had no say in it. But that being said I can't belive I'm supporting the crooks. I think the politians don't want what is going on with the peace bridge to go on with a casino. A good portion of us on (e:strip) might be dead before a bridge is finished or even before a decision is made. To be honest the citizens don't have much of a say in what goes on. We elect officals and they do what they want, or what there consituants want so they can get reelected. We don't really have a direct government verry often anymore. Some times there will be some proposal that is on the ballot on election day, but that isn't to often. I think there should be more votes on things be the citizens and not just be registerd voters. It wouldn't be perfect but you could have a vote by mail system. Everyone in the city gets a ballot by mail and they fill out social securtiy numbers and all that information then when done with the vote put it in the mail box. Give a certain window maybe two weeks to send out all the ballots and have them returned. But that will never happen because it takes the power away from the politians and gives it to the people.