Don’t feel sorry for us

I must respond to Rep. Faircloth’s column, Thursday, Feb. 17, titled “Casino monopoly.”

Rep. Faircloth quotes a list of authorities who say casinos are bad for many reasons and not of the great beneift their proponents claim them to be.

He intended to oppose it but thinks it would alleviate the “terrible poverty” in Washington County and now supports the casino.

I don’t know who Rep. Faircloth talked to in Washington County who thinks the casino would be good, unless it was Calais businessmen or some of the Indians.

In eastern Washington County, we have Georgia-Pacific in Woodland, a good shopping center in Calais; in Eastport, Guilford Industries, the shipping activities at the port, a growing aquaculture business along the entire coast as well as traditional fishing activities.

We have many in the county who have moved away to earn a living elsewhere, but have retired and returned here, buying or building homes.

Then, there are poor souls like me who have stayed here for low wages, now low Social Security and like it here just as it is. We may be poor, but learned to live that way long ago (don’t feel sorry for us).

We trade in Calais, although it now gets crowded there in the summer with tourists and Canadian shoppers. If half of those going to spend $48 million at the casino travel Route 9, it’s going to get more crowded.

I urge Rep. Faircloth and others to vote against the casino. Washington County does not need the casino and the Indians shouldn’t need it; they have what is left of their $80 million. James A. Brown Pembroke