Editor, News Journal:

My wife and I have a beautiful maple tree in our front yard. In the winter it provides a beautiful backdrop to a freshly fallen snow. In the spring it has vibrant red buds that become fresh new leaves. In the summer it provides us with a shady place to rest and enjoy a cool breeze. In the fall it turns into an array of color that we certainly enjoy viewing.

The maple tree we so love can only provide us joy if it continues to live. Suppose we have a harsh winter this year, and I cut down this tree and use it for firewood to keep warm. I have enjoyed immediate gratification from the heat it provided me by burning it in my wood stove. The next spring, summer, fall and winter I have nothing left to enjoy.

Voting yes on Issue 6 is similar to me cutting down my beautiful tree to burn for immediate gratification. It seems we are in a real harsh winter here in Clinton County with the loss of jobs as DHL closes its operations in Wilmington. I am sure something else will come along to provide even better jobs for Clinton County people without voting in casino gambling.

I accompanied my wife on a business trip she took to Las Vegas a few years ago. During this trip we had to walk through a casino to get to a meeting. We took a while after the meeting to watch people gamble in the casino. We didn’t see the smiling faces, laughter, and joy you see on the casino commercials shown on television. Instead we saw despair, sadness and lost hope. I also noticed while reading Issue 6 that some of the tax revenue received by the state is set aside to fund gambling addiction prevention and treatment. This alone tells me a casino will cause problems we don’t need.

Let us think about the future of Clinton County and not cut down our beautiful tree for immediate gratification and lose a future that if left to grow would be much brighter and enjoyable. Vote no on Issue 6!

GENE GIBSON

Midland