The big-money people have Linn County in their sights. I don’t know why it’s anyone else’s business whether Linn County wants to vote on a casino. Why does the Riverside casino owner fund a lobbying group to convince us not to vote when it costs taxpayers nothing to ask questions, nothing to build?

We deserve the right to have a real debate, the right to decide whether we want to support a casino from a social and cultural perspective. We deserve the right to decide if we want to invest in local jobs. We deserve to decide if we want the money going to casinos in other counties or into Linn County development. We deserve the chance to decide about having a local entertainment and social venue in our community, or if we want to travel two or three counties away.

Don’t let outside casino owners steal your right to vote. Sign a petition to decide what’s best for our community, and ignore those who have ulterior motives.

Mary L. Burke

Lisbon