A Casino Right in My Front Yard
Is gambling legal in your state or province? If the answer is yes, guess what: Ohio has just joined you as of this past election! There are plans to build four big casinos in the state. One of them is quite clearly going to be built right in my front yard.
It's not that I didn't already know this was inevitable. My "front yard" is a section of downtown known as "Broadway Commons", and currently it is a vast, ugly parking lot. It's only one component of the view outside of my windows, but I won't deny that it is an something of an eyesore.
I think you get the picture. Almost anything would be an improvement.
I am somewhat ambivalent about the idea of a casino right next to my place. They say property values will go up, but I'll also have to deal with the inconveniences that come with casinos, like noise, lights, drunk people, possible riff-raff, etc.
I live in an interesting neighborhood, to say the least. A bail bondsman works out of the first floor of my building. Across the street is the Hamilton County Justice Center, with its 1,240 inmate capacity, run by Sheriff Simon Leis, Jr., who was portrayed by James Carville in the movie The People vs. Larry Flynt. The neighborhood behind me, Pendleton, is kind of hit-and-miss. Just one block away is a beautiful old church which was converted into a bell museum by the Verdin Company (by reservation only). I can tell how fast traffic is moving on I-71 from my living room. Fire trucks and/or police cars pass by every 30 minutes, and the passing city buses make the floor vibrate. I can clearly see the headquarters of at least three Fortune 500 companies: Proctor & Gamble, Kroger, and yes, even Macy's. Okay, I've gone on long enough. Maybe adding a casino will be no big deal.
What do you think? Should I welcome the coming of a casino next door, or should I sing a song of woe for the future?
Nothing beats a sleek post-modernist gambling den.