Monthly Archives: November 2023

Casinos

 Richmond, Va. voted, for the second time, not to have a casino. The casino was to be built in the south Richmond area, which we consider ‘the poor side of town’. This time and the last time a great amount of money went toward ads (tv, radio, etc.) to get people on board. The mayor and many top officials were for the casino saying it would bring a great amount of money into the city, especially the southside of Richmond.

               The mayor and others said most of the money gained from having the casino would go toward funding the schools (which is badly needed) and other needed improvements around Richmond. The same was said about the tolls on I-95 (before they were removed) and not much was seen. There are still tolls on other roadways around Richmond and still I haven’t seen much improvement except in downtown Richmond. The same was said before there were lottery tickets (scratch-offs, etc.), it was approved, it’s still ongoing and still not much is seen of the money gained.

               They were against Petersburg, Va., a city twenty miles down I-95 to the south of Richmond, also that is my hometown. Both times I wanted Petersburg to get the nod, but Richmond got it on its ballot instead. I live just outside Richmond therefore I could not vote for or against the casino. I really don’t know what all the fuss about the casino was because Virginia already has casinos. I don’t know why they were against Petersburg getting it either, so I decided to take a little ride.

               I have fond memories of Petersburg although it was during segregation. The Bill of Rights came to be the year I entered the U.S. Air Force. The city is known for the Civil War Battle of the Crater, among a few other things. When I retired from the air force, I became a policeman in my hometown.

               As I drove around the city, I saw vacant houses everywhere and vacant lots where houses or buildings used to be. There were plenty of nice homes scattered around but the mostly Black neighborhoods were in very bad shape. Trash and overgrown weeds and grass, vacant houses, empty lots, no businesses everywhere. I could see why Petersburg needed the casino to have a money flow, but I wonder if they would put it to use in the downtrodden areas.

 When I was on the police force the officers used to joke about the city council by calling them the city clowns. When I was on the force back then the city council was almost evenly split between White and Black members. When one side voted yes, the other side voted no and vice versa. I don’t know what is going on today. This is why I wonder if casino money would be used for great benefit.

I left Petersburg and started thinking about casinos (I’ve been to a lot of them all over the country) and thought about where a lot of them were located. Then when I pictured where a lot of them were it dawned on me that it was impoverished areas. So much for making the areas better.

My mind is still wondering if the casino is the best thing to have in either city. I just threw it out there, to clear my mind and to see what others think (like me you don’t have a dog in the fight either). I am also wondering what Richmond and Petersburg are going to do now. I believe many higher-ups still want to fight for a casino.

This and That

The voting is over, but the fireworks are just starting. 2024 should be interesting and that should go higher than a nuclear blast cloud. The past voting and the upcoming election should make everyone leery about paying a great amount of time viewing polls. This past election showed polls as being wrong because the polls had Republicans leading by, in most cases, a large margin and I see they mostly use anti-Biden polls. I, personally, am glad the polls were wrong, not only here in Virginia but across the United States. Although I am not female, I still have an opinion on abortion and I believe the woman should choose for herself, not someone telling her what she can or cannot do. That one issue influenced the election and made the polls wrong.

               Flipping to another political issue. Boebert. Did you hear about the congressional bill that was being debated and congresswoman Boebert objected to it because money was to go toward the illegal immigrants? The congressman that was presenting the bill had to explain to her in length that there was zero amount of money in the bill that is allocated toward immigrants. She still did not understand and then went on a rant about President Biden and what he was and was not doing. She consulted with a congressional aide and, low and behold, she only read a portion of the bill and assumed the rest. There are a few more like her and a couple that are worse.

               One of the largest issues that is on the burner are the two wars. This issue is so hot I really don’t want to touch it, but I must touch a small piece of it. I will only say what my feelings are and, I know, I will have people coming at me from both sides.

               I don’t like war (I’ve been there, done that) but there have always been wars. From the beginning until now. As for the Israel-Hamas War I believe Israel is justified for fighting after being attacked. I have a heavy heart for the hostages, but this is war. As far as destroying Gaza, my heart is twice as heavy, but the Palestinians are culpable. They do not want Israel to exist either, and they knew that tunnels were being dug underground (their homes, hospitals, and other buildings (on one television interview it could be heard) and they did not say or do anything about it. They can not cross the border for safety and that country is a semi-Arab country. Why? The Republicans are saying Biden is not doing enough especially by saying he wants a pause in the war, he did not say cease fire. Hamas does not respect either and they are very cruel. They cut off the head of women, children (including babies), and execute unarmed men/women. I must side with Israel. If someone hit me, why would people not expect me to hit back.

               The war in Ukraine has some of the same overtures. They were jumped and territory was occupied. Rumors are out about Putin being gravely ill and there are some saying he is dead; however, the war goes on. The Russians intentionally destroyed entire cities and targeted civilians and hospital. How many screamed about that? How many crowded protests were there? Why is there a call from the Republicans to defund them? Explain it to me as if I were a five-year-old.

               There is much, much more on my mind, not counting my personal problems. I don’t let much bother me because there isn’t much I can do about it except vote when the time comes.