The Washington Post
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20071
Dear Editor:
Dr. James Dobson is at it again in his op-ed published Nov. 23 in The Post, this time decrying the results of this year’s elections and questioning the gaming industry’s involvement in the political process. I’ve known Dr. Dobson for many years and share his views on many issues. But on the issue of gaming, he’s just plain wrong.
Voters in Alabama, Arizona, California, Missouri and South Carolina all exercised their right to vote and decided for themselves that some form of gaming would be appropriate in their home states. Instead of accepting their decision, Dr. Dobson attributes it to nefarious outside forces. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to accept the judgment of voters unless they share his own personal view of morality.
The gaming industry’s participation in the political process is no different than any other industry that represents millions of employees, customers and shareholders. What Dr. Dobson isn’t talking about is the political influence of his cohorts of the Christian Right, a movement far more active with a network far more extensive than ours. For example, the Christian Coalition is ranked as Washington’s seventh most powerful lobbying organization in the Dec. 7 issue of Fortune magazine. It’s ironic that Dr. Dobson would be complaining about us exercising our First Amendment rights, since the Christian right itself faced similar challenges when it emerged as a political force several years ago.
What’s even more remarkable is that, after a year of site visits to places like Atlantic City; Boston; Chicago; Biloxi, Miss.; New Orleans; and Las Vegas as part of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Dr. Dobson still can’t understand why many people believe that gaming has had - or can have - a positive impact on their communities. Countless numbers of employees, elected officials, civic groups, church officials, research organizations and academics have testified before the commission about the benefits of gaming. They’ve talked about the more than $3 billion in tax revenue generated every year by the casino gaming industry, which goes toward education, public safety, new libraries, infrastructure improvements and other local projects. And they’ve talked about the more than 1 million jobs generated directly and indirectly, reducing dependence on public assistance and creating significant numbers of job opportunities for former welfare recipients, women and minorities. Maybe Dr. Dobson just doesn’t want to hear that many communities and people are thriving today as a direct result of this industry. Or maybe he saw his appointment to the commission not as an opportunity to gather the facts but as a forum to disseminate his already established views on gaming.
Dr. Dobson also was incorrect concerning the casino entertainment industry’s relationship with the commission on which he serves. Despite Dr. Dobson’s claims to the contrary, the gaming industry was fully supportive of a federal commission that would conduct a balanced examination of gaming. We opposed the original Dobson-inspired legislation that called for a commission to study only the negative aspects of gaming and would have granted the unelected commissioners unprecedented powers. We have never been fearful of the truth - just opposed to a one-sided examination of our industry by those who oppose the right of individuals to spend their entertainment dollars as they see fit. Since the commission began its work in 1997, we have had an excellent working relationship with the chair, Kay Coles James, and have been supportive of her efforts, as she and seven of the other eight commissioners would no doubt attest.
In his op-ed piece, Dr. Dobson raises the usual myths, superstitions and unsubstantiated allegations about the impact of gaming. In doing so, he and his chief anti-gaming adviser, Ron Reno, fail to take into account basic factors that any competent, qualified social scientist would take into consideration. For example, Dr. Dobson charges that gaming results in an increase in the number of suicides, despite recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control, the University of California-Irvine and Christian Marfels, Ph.D. (Gaming Law Review, November 1998) suggesting that high suicide rates are the result of a large visitor influx, population growth and/or regional differences. When these legitimate factors are taken into account, the suicide rate in Colorado Springs, Colo., hometown to Dobson and his organization, Focus on the Family, is comparable to Las Vegas, and far exceeds the suicide rate in Atlantic City, N.J. Can we attribute that to the presence of Focus on the Family?
Dobson and Co. can’t have it both ways. They were fully engaged in a debate of these issues with voters and lost. The truth is, 92 percent of Americans believe casino entertainment is acceptable for themselves or others, according to a recent survey by Yankelovich Partners, Inc. Despite this overwhelming public support, Dr. Dobson and his friends continue to feel that somehow they know what’s best for voters, even after their moralist views have been rejected at the polls and in the marketplace, given the tens of millions who visit casino resorts annually.
Let’s give our fellow citizens more than a little credit. They can think for themselves and vote for themselves without the self-righteous interference of others, including Dr. Dobson. Despite his whining about the results, the American people have spoken.
Sincerely,
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
