Letters to Editor

Seniors should be using the Senior Dining Sites

Where are all the seniors, aged 60+, who have no desire in cooking nutritional meals, complain about food costs, dislike eating alone, etc.?

Are they aware of the many Senior Dining Sites located out in the county, as well as the city?

Five of the sites offer meals 5 days a week and the other four sites offer selected days; spaced conveniently so that no one has to drive a great distance.

For a suggested donation of $2.50, you will receive a nutritional, tasty and “heart healthy” meal, together with the camaraderie, conversation and social time to enjoy with your peers. All meals are by confidential donation.

The only requirement is to register at the dining site you choose and then call them by 10:30 a.m. the preceding day to give them a 24-hour notice of the day(s) you want to attend.

If a special diet is needed you only have to talk with the site manager.

I try to take advantage of the Adult Nutrition Program administered by Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, Inc.; served at the American Legion in Twin Lakes and prepared by Hoffman House Catering, as often as my time allows.

I personally was hesitant to join, under the impression that this was only for the needy/poor.

I think that many seniors (as I did) believed there was some sort of stigma attached to using the service. Why? The service is subsidized by the Older American Act, which is us.

Your income has no bearing on eligibility and you will find many professional retirees as well as people from all walks of life participate. It is pleasant to share a meal with someone else and enjoy good conversation.

I urge all seniors to give it a try and I am sure you will return. For more information, call (262) 658-3508, ext. 116.

Barb Wetherbee

Board Member KAFASI

Twin Lakes

More government is not the solution

It appears a civics lesson is in order for some. For the past four years, Paul Ryan, as Chairman of the House Budget Committee, has passed a budget. The Democratically controlled Senate has refused.

The CRs (continuing resolutions) to fund the government are only necessary because there hasn’t been a budget agreement.

The spending has to be controlled in Washington, or we will lose our choices, freedom and liberty. It has already begun. Our choices are being dictated more and more by the government and we are losing more and more of our freedom.

We need strong leaders in Washington that understand that more government is not the solution to anything. Ryan understands what hangs in the balance right now.

Ryan cares about people truly in need and that our country needs to help those that can’t help themselves. However we have made it too easy and profitable for some to become dependent and lose the initiative to reach their full potential.

It is clear that President Obama is trying to get the majority of our friends and neighbors dependent on the government, with more takers than makers. The future of our country is at stake if something isn’t done to increase personal responsibility which increases each individual’s potential.

C.S. Lewis says it so well, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” The slippery slope has begun.

Jan Deters

Janesville

I urge approval of Kenosha casino

Since the debate has intensified about the Menominee casino proposed for Kenosha, I have wondered about how we came to this point in the discussion of gaming in Wisconsin.

I learned that gaming has been a divisive issue ever since the creation of our state in 1848. All forms of gaming were prohibited by the state constitution when it was first adopted, however, many laws have changed since then to allow certain gaming activities under certain circumstances.

Between 1965 and 1987, voters approved amendments to the constitution to allow sweepstakes, charitable bingo games and raffles (through sites like WDW Bingo), and on-track pari-mutuel wagering and racing (for example, using a betting mobile at a dog racing track). In 1987, voters also approved the creation of the state lottery.

Indian gaming came to be when the federal government passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988.

This law allowed Indian tribes the exclusive right to operate gaming activity on tribal lands in order to encourage tribal economic development and self-sufficiency, and strengthen tribal governments.

Per the law, tribes can only operate off-reservation casinos if the federal Department of the Interior determines that the gaming establishment on newly-acquired lands would be in the best interests of the tribe, would not harm the surrounding community, and if it meets the approval of the state’s governor. In 1991 and 1992, 11 Wisconsin tribes, including the Potawatomi and the Menominee, entered into gaming compacts with the State of Wisconsin and began operating casinos.

Gaming compacts between tribes and the state must be renewed periodically, and can be amended. The compact with the Menominee Tribe was amended in 2000 to include provisions for an off-reservation casino in Kenosha.

The U.S. Department of the Interior denied the Menominee’s 2009 request for federal approval of the proposal, but in 2011, the Department agreed to reconsider the decision. The Menominee resubmitted an application, and it was formally approved in August of 2013.

That brings us to our current situation. The Menominee Tribe has fulfilled every legal requirement to establish a casino in Kenosha.

The final step is Gov. Walker’s approval. As you can see, we have come a long way to get to this point.

The Menominee have worked hard for many years in hopes of building a casino in Kenosha, which will surely help strengthen their tribe, as well as draw from the high level of players already using online betting sites similar to www.bosbobet88.com.

The casino will also bring countless benefits to the state and the region.

Despite the Potawatomi Tribe’s opposition, the Menominee have a right to go ahead with this project. Kenosha County is certainly in favor, approving a 2004 referendum on the question. I trust that Governor Walker will make the right choice to approve the project. However, until the project is approved, those waiting for the casino can play gambling and betting games on their mobiles, including fantasy baseball. Alternatively, if sports betting isn’t for you, traditional casino games like poker can be found online. No one knows how long the delay will be, but at least there’s an assured source of entertainment while we wait!

Samantha Kerkman

Wis. State Representative


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