Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009.
Honorable Governor Rendell,
In response to your speech today before the Pennsylvania Legislature and as one that often visits Pennsylvania, I would request that you do not pursue your plan to install video poker gambling machines in places of business throughout your state as a method of revenue generation for your state government (or for any other stated reason). Please don’t misunderstand my rationale for this request, I am essentially a true libertarian and I believe that any American should be entitled to pursue nearly any happiness as long as such poses no danger to any other. However, video poker gambling machines (and the likes) would only seem to provide a means whereby more money would often be taken from those that most-likely need to save their money or likely taken from those that should spend on the necessities of life. Such a sentiment [the preference for consumer spending on goods and needs for the necessities of life] would be opposed to spending such monies on a long-shot and unlikely dream of an immediate jackpot pay-out offered by a video poker machine. I ask you, can you relate to such a sentiment as that which I put forth to you here? Do you not realize the temptation such an installed video poker gambling machine would pose to a down-trodden individual who was reduced to his/her last five dollars? It would appear that you care not of such a temptation posed to those who must make vital decisions concerning where to spend one’s last few dollars. To be clear, I admired your success as Mayor in the city of Philadelphia, however, I would request that you not place such greedy machines in venues whereby those machines would likely prey upon the hopes, dreams, and psyche of those most in need of a few extra dollars.
Thank you,
AVT
