Comments for Getting Into Nature http://into-nature.com Don Corrigan - Environmental Journalist and Nature Writer Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:42:47 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Lewis Green – Clean Air, Clean Water & Unspoiled Land by Don Corrigan http://into-nature.com/2010/01/29/lewis-green-clean-air-clean-water-unspoiled-land/#comment-309 Don Corrigan Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:42:47 +0000 http://into-nature.com/?p=247#comment-309 Lew Green was a champion of the environment, but also of the First Amendment. He defended St. Louis Journalism Review and this blogger from what we know in the biz as a frivolous libel law suit. Green won the day at every level of the state courts against a lawsuit that should have been summarily dismissed by the judge at the circuit level. Lew Green was a champion of the environment, but also of the First Amendment. He defended St. Louis Journalism Review and this blogger from what we know in the biz as a frivolous libel law suit. Green won the day at every level of the state courts against a lawsuit that should have been summarily dismissed by the judge at the circuit level.

]]> Comment on Tell Us Your Meramec Stories by bob sargent http://into-nature.com/2008/05/01/tell-us-your-meramec-stories/#comment-302 bob sargent Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:19:03 +0000 http://doncorrigan.wordpress.com/?p=30#comment-302 Hey Dickie, I hope this finds you doing well. We did the Huzzah several years from the Brown's rental after you loaned us Treehouse's recording by Shipley. Drop me a note if wish. Sarge Hey Dickie,
I hope this finds you doing well. We did the Huzzah several years from the Brown’s rental after you loaned us Treehouse’s recording by Shipley. Drop me a note if wish.
Sarge

]]> Comment on Yet Another Casino? by paulpeterson52 http://into-nature.com/2009/11/20/yet-another-casino/#comment-283 paulpeterson52 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:32:08 +0000 http://into-nature.com/?p=238#comment-283 Interesting article. I'm curious - has the casino been approved? I thought the vote was just to allow re-zoning so a casino COULD be built, not an approval to build one. I'm also curious if there's been any talk of Missouri granting an additional gaming license. My understanding is that the number of licenses is capped at 13, and there are already 13 casinos in MO, if you count the one being built in Lemay. So even if the council did vote to approve a casino, how would it operate without a license? I'm also a little surprised by your comment that casinos are an industry that produces nothing. The same could be said of many other industries, such as sports franchises, or movie theatres, or museums. These examples, like casinos, are forms of entertainment, and while they may not produce tangible goods, they do provide a service, and they do provide jobs and tax revenue. There are studies that say that casinos even offer increased property values and revenues for small businesses in the vicinity. Is it possible that casinos aren't as evil you seem to make them out to be? I also think one could easily make the argument that a casino offers more tax revenue, jobs and other economic benefit than a nature preserve. I am hesitant to fault a casino for its inability to "produce something" versus the production capabilities of a conservation area. Especially in current economic conditions. Maybe we need a better argument. Still, your point about conservation is valid. It is sad to see natural resources fall prey to any business (be it a casino or anything else). I suspect that if you asked the casino operators, they'd be only too happy to have the freedom to operate someplace other than on (or near) a river. Maybe the solution to this ecological quandary is in getting legislation to lift the restrictions that require casinos to locate so close to rivers and other ecological conservation areas. What if the environmental groups you mentioned in your article joined forces with the casino industry to change the laws? Give the casinos somewhere else to go, and maybe they'll leave the conservation areas alone. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the odds of getting the state to allow casinos to build away from water are better than the chances of stopping a casino operator from building (assuming, of course, that they can get a license). Paul Peterson http://bit.ly/8kGxdz Interesting article. I’m curious – has the casino been approved? I thought the vote was just to allow re-zoning so a casino COULD be built, not an approval to build one. I’m also curious if there’s been any talk of Missouri granting an additional gaming license. My understanding is that the number of licenses is capped at 13, and there are already 13 casinos in MO, if you count the one being built in Lemay. So even if the council did vote to approve a casino, how would it operate without a license?

I’m also a little surprised by your comment that casinos are an industry that produces nothing. The same could be said of many other industries, such as sports franchises, or movie theatres, or museums. These examples, like casinos, are forms of entertainment, and while they may not produce tangible goods, they do provide a service, and they do provide jobs and tax revenue. There are studies that say that casinos even offer increased property values and revenues for small businesses in the vicinity. Is it possible that casinos aren’t as evil you seem to make them out to be?

I also think one could easily make the argument that a casino offers more tax revenue, jobs and other economic benefit than a nature preserve. I am hesitant to fault a casino for its inability to “produce something” versus the production capabilities of a conservation area. Especially in current economic conditions. Maybe we need a better argument.

Still, your point about conservation is valid. It is sad to see natural resources fall prey to any business (be it a casino or anything else). I suspect that if you asked the casino operators, they’d be only too happy to have the freedom to operate someplace other than on (or near) a river. Maybe the solution to this ecological quandary is in getting legislation to lift the restrictions that require casinos to locate so close to rivers and other ecological conservation areas. What if the environmental groups you mentioned in your article joined forces with the casino industry to change the laws? Give the casinos somewhere else to go, and maybe they’ll leave the conservation areas alone.

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the odds of getting the state to allow casinos to build away from water are better than the chances of stopping a casino operator from building (assuming, of course, that they can get a license).

Paul Peterson
http://bit.ly/8kGxdz

]]> Comment on Yet Another Casino? by Marsha Clark http://into-nature.com/2009/11/20/yet-another-casino/#comment-278 Marsha Clark Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:26:17 +0000 http://into-nature.com/?p=238#comment-278 The voting shows that Council member Wasinger was absent at the time of the vote. I was troubled by this. Earlier, I had expressed my concern to my Council representative (Wasinger). I do not typically post others' replies to my correspondence, but this is a public matter. Therefore, I'll share what my Council representative's assistant stated about this important County Council decision in reply to my concern: Missouri law limits the number of casinos in the State to the thirteen already in operation. And so, there is currently no license available for another casino in St. Louis County. Even if a license was available, there are many federal, state, and county regulatory processes that must be cleared before a casino development could be considered for approval. Given the many unanswered questions related to this development, Councilman Wasinger believes it is premature to approve the zoning change requested by North County Development, L.L.C. For that reason, Councilman Wasinger voted against the zoning change. Regards, Michael F. Chapman Executive Assistant to Councilman Colleen M. Wasinger 3rd District, St. Louis County Council The voting shows that Council member Wasinger was absent at the time of the vote. I was troubled by this. Earlier, I had expressed my concern to my Council representative (Wasinger). I do not typically post others’ replies to my correspondence, but this is a public matter. Therefore, I’ll share what my Council representative’s assistant stated about this important County Council decision in reply to my concern:

Missouri law limits the number of casinos in the State to the thirteen already in operation. And so, there is currently no license available for another casino in St. Louis County. Even if a license was available, there are many federal, state, and county regulatory processes that must be cleared before a casino development could be considered for approval.

Given the many unanswered questions related to this development, Councilman Wasinger believes it is premature to approve the zoning change requested by North County Development, L.L.C. For that reason, Councilman Wasinger voted against the zoning change.

Regards,

Michael F. Chapman
Executive Assistant to
Councilman Colleen M. Wasinger
3rd District, St. Louis County Council

]]>