Property tax rebates were the carrot the Rendell Administration used to convince Pennsylvania voters to accept state-sanctioned casino gambling. The governor's plan was simple -- sugar coat gambling with property tax rebates. It is a similar approach to one used by the Pennsylvania Lottery -- which devotes a portion of sales to programs benefitting senior citizens.
Regardless of who profits, ill-gotten fruit can have a bitter taste.
Even ignoring the industry's close ties to organized crime -- a substantial concern to overlook -- the prospect of profiting from the sale of chances to anyone willing to place a bet inspires ambivalence in many. The government's role in the endeavor may be even more troubling considering the social cost of gambling addiction.
Yet, property tax rebates have been accepted by almost all. A school board in Lancaster County will allow residents to decide by referendum whether the district should participate. Otherwise, property owners have largely accepted the governor's carrot -- a decision that can hardly be blamed at any time, but particularly in difficult economic conditions.
There is at least one exception.
Last week, officials in the Warrior Run School District said they received a check from a local Amish farmer who refused to accept his share of the state's gambling profits. The move is in keeping with an admirable Anabaptist tradition of conscientious objection. Faced with governmental policies that conflict with their religious beliefs, members of the Amish and Mennonite community have long sought ways to satisfy their community responsibilities without sacrificing their moral grounding.
Diogenes of Sinope may be best-remembered for his vain search to find an honest man. The Greek philosopher likely would have appreciated the stance of the Warrior Run farmer who decided he would stay true to his beliefs.
Opinion
Snubbing the governor's carrot
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Good-paying jobs
I am writing in response to comments made by several lawmakers and certain media regarding people receiving unemployment compensation not searching for employment but only wanting extensions.
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Economy is tough but still pay rises
It was my first time attending a Lewisburg School Board meeting last night. I went to hear public comment on the Boards recent decision to extend the Superintendents contract, which included a 20-plus percent pay raise.
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Sunbury has a lot to offer
I would like to respond to the letter writer that inferred that Sunbury was a pretty package with nothing inside.
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Mutual aid is necessary
Mutual aid agreements in local law enforcement strike at the heart of basic small-town decency. When a neighbor is in need, those equipped to help ought to drop everything and spring to aid.
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Lifting me higher
I am not a winner of a Pulitzer Prize, nor am I an author of best selling novels, I'm just a human being attempting to live life here on earth with purpose and I can find no greater way to do that than through my faith and my belief in God.
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Understaffing
I read with interest your article regarding police mutual aid in Northumberland County.
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Carney, Marino ought to get focused on issues
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney and Tom Marino ought to focus on the issues in the upcoming campaign for Congress.
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Blatantly unfair
The Pennsylvania Republican Party is supporting an effort to strike third-party candidates from the general election ballot in November.
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Fiscal responsibility
This editorial letter is only the second such letter I have been moved to pen in my lifetime.
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Schools need a little help from home
Milton High School failed to meet its adequate yearly progress under Pennsylvania's version of the federal No Child Left Behind because one student did not show up for the standardized test.
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Good-paying jobs
