[written by Valerie Keller]

I'm a 4+ years resident of Pennsport in South Philly, and before that Bella Vista for over 10 years, so I have a great fondness for South Philadelphia and all the culture and neighborhoods and mix of people around here. Where I live now is about three and a half blocks from the proposed site for Foxwoods Casino. Need I say more?

[written by Andrea Preis]

I seem to always be angry about something these days - if it's not the war in Iraq, it's sub-prime lending; if it's not the 76ers, it's the high price of pizza. There's always a new issue in the shadows waiting to jump out and drive me crazy. But few things have pushed my buttons like the issue of the casinos and the sneaky way the legislation was passed. We the People don't want them and especially not in the neighborhoods that were chosen as sites, one of which happens to be MINE!

[written by Mike Toklish]

I live at 114 Federal Street - a two minute walk from the proposed Foxwoods Casino. I am totally opposed to any casino being sited in any densely populated urban neighborhood. It is a recipe for disaster.

[written by Norma Van Dyke]

Tom Ferrick was bored. Released from a year’s constraint of promoting the City for the Great Expectations series, he wanted to have some fun. So he (publicly; twice) placed his bet that casinos would be a winner for Philadelphia and stood back to enjoy the uproar which ensued.

[written by Frederic Murphy]

Yogi Berra would say “Deja vu all over again” to the Inquirer articles on the overstated benefits of the convention center expansion. The Inquirer published similar articles after the stadiums were funded with city taxes that would have been better spent on tax reform or the schools. Yet, the Inquirer has never questioned the economic impact of a project before it was a done deal.

To the Editor:

As a civic leader on the central Delaware, Tom Ferrick’s column “Why casinos won’t ruin Philadelphia or riverfront” was a disappointment, especially considering his previous encouragement to have ‘Great Expectations’.

To the Editor:

How sad: Tom Ferrick, paragon of "civic journalism," guardian of Great
Expectations, parroting discredited casino PR in his apologia for
Waterfront slots casinos (Sun. Dec. 16).

Ferrick mocks casino critics as "nuts" and "crazy.” But one has to
wonder where Ferrick's own head is when he claims gambling – legalized
in the middle of the night, without hearings, via a 145-page amendment
to a 33-line horse racing bill – came to Pennsylvania in an open,
democratic fashion. Or when he ignores the PA Intergovernmental

Tom --

Hate to say this, but, you aren’t going to have an easy week – yet again!

To quote you, “…Traffic around them will be mucked up. There will be an increase in crime around the casinos. The casinos themselves are Grade B designs, in my view. I am not at all sure they picked the best locations on the waterfront from them.”

Mr. Ferrick-

I am now calling you out in front of your editor. I hope this letter provides you with journalistic opportunities.

Prove the validity of your beliefs on the economic benefits of casinos. Prove it with research. Create a balance sheet, backed up with research, that shows how the +'s and -'s add up. Your opinion on casinos seems like it comes from 'the gut'. For checks and balances - do this research with a journalist whose 'gut' says casinos have no economic benefit for the City. Maybe an editor (Vernon?) could be the arbiter of the final balance sheet entry per item.

Tom - I like reading your column. You believe that casinos will improve City finances. It is important to understand that that position is supported by no independent statistical studies; those studies do not exist. Additionally, the record is clear that the advent of casinos has not delivered meaningful tax relief to cities where that has been the sales pitch.

Temple mathematics professor Frederick Murphy testified before the City Council's Rules Committee that one casino alone would develop a minimum annual budget deficit of $30 million to the City from a net loss of jobs and other considerations. Other studies indicate significantly larger deficits.