Friday, August 15, 2008

I was sorry to read the Aug. 13 letter about the economic difficulties faced by breeders of thoroughbred horses and others associated with the care and maintenance of the animals in Maryland. I love horses, and I am a lifelong resident of the state.

However, turning our residential community of Laurel into a gambling mecca, with almost 5,000 Las Vegas-style slots slated for Laurel Park, is not the answer. Casinos and residential communities don't mix. The governor and other pro-slots factions seem to have forgotten why Maryland outlawed slot machine gambling under Gov. J. Millard Tawes in 1963.

Selling out our family and community values in these troubled economic times is the wrong choice.

MARJORIE SCHULENBURG

Laurel