Tuesday, January 13, 1998

For video casinos

I am writing in response to your Jan. 9 editorial about video casinos. I enjoy playing video casino machines. They are fun and entertaining. For Sen. Fraser to say there is a "moralistic problem" with video casinos isn't fair to the industry or the people that like to play.

I wonder if Fraser has ever played golf and had a little side bet on the outcome? Or if he has kids and has ever taken them to a carnival and let them throw a dart at a balloon in hopes of winning a stuffed animal? Sounds like gambling to me.

I also sell gift certificates to a video casino. When a customer redeems the certificate, the receipt is marked that it has been paid for with a certificate and no returns allowed. Any change left over is put on account toward future purchases. As far as state regulation, maybe so. Bingo, lottery and horse racing are all regulated by the state. But like Grandpa said, a crook will always be a crook. Someone will always try to find a way to get to you.

I have never won "big chunks" of $5 certificates. When you are playing machines that are penny or nickel machines, a lot of luck and patience would be required to do so. I have neither.

Maybe Fraser would like to come visit a nice, respectable, clean video casino that offers legal amusement. I would be glad to show him one.

KEVIN WADE

Stamford

Guns and safety

Judging from Steven Williams' Jan. 4 guest column, "Americans safer with guns," I must draw two conclusions: Williams likes crime statistics and has a strange conception of safety.

He apparently tried to use various crime statistics to prove that the more firearms Americans have, the safer they are. Well, I have a few stats of my own.

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, there were 19,614 murders in this country in 1996. There were more than 20,000 homicides in both 1995 and 1994, with 70 percent committed with guns. The usual homicide rate in the U.S. is 10 deaths for every 100,000 residents.

Compare this with stats from two sensible little constitutional monarchies, the United Kingdom and Japan. Both of these countries have murder rates of less than one per 100,000, less than one-tenth the U.S. rate. Conversely, Guatemala, a right-wing dictatorship with no weapons laws, has a rate of 63 per 100,000.

Because 20,000 murders do not equal safety to me, more guns won't make Americans safer because they were never safe in the first place. Also, with 200 million handguns already in private hands, what will the addition of even more guns do? Eventually, it will probably bump the homicide rate close to the Guatemalan level.

RICKY JANNISE

Abilene

Garbage pickup

After residing here for 19 years I am confused. I once believed Abilene was a clean city, one in which we could be proud. As of late, though, it seems that while our city streets are beautified, the alleys have become the hideaways for all manner of trash.

With the rates we now must pay, is there a rationale as to why trash and overfilled canisters remained overflowing during the holiday season? Is this what my city feels my neighbors and I are worthy of? Other areas of our fine city are maintained on a regular basis, so why not our neighborhood? Are we of the north side of town so unimportant?

I question the resolve of a refuse department that refuses to collect trash on what must be the busiest holiday of the year. It is with a mixture of sadness and anger that I comment on such a filthy issue.

I don't know about you, but I don't feel so clean and proud.

DONALD GEDEON

Abilene

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