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Faxes Sent to Anthony H. Williams

Letters

From:	KT
To:	Senator Williams
Date:	Monday, 05/05/08
Subject:	Don't Enshrine Bigotry Into Our Constitution

Senator Williams:

I am writing to urge you to vote against the amendment to the Pennsylvania
Constitution that would enshrine bigotry, hatred and narrow-mindedness in our
state constitution. It is very sad that in this day and age this state is considering a
constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. If this passes it will just prove that
Pennsylvania is the backwards backwater that many believe it to be. The
constitution is supposed to be a source of freedom and liberty, not a limitation on
those things. Please vote no.

Kimm Tynan

Dear Governor Rendell:
Please "Do The Right Thing" and allow City Council and the
citizens of your past stewardship to do their job and assess
the casino location issue.
Jim Curry

Dear Governor Rendell:

Philadelphia does want to increase jobs and revenue in the city
-- we are just not willing to do *anything* to make that happen!
I believe that more businesses, tourism, and permanent residents
can be attracted to our city WITHOUT CASINOS. I see what
Atlantic City has become and that is NOT my vision for the future
of Philadelphia.

Although my Quaker principles cause me to prefer that there not
be casinos at all in our city, if they must come there should be
better places of locating them than along the Delaware
waterfront. Let's think of more family-friendly and
environmentally-friendly ways of using this space for all of our
citizens and visitors. Please stop the pressure on our mayor and
our city council! Allow Philadelphians to decide for
Philadelphia if and where we want casinos!

Sincerely,

Alison Lewis

Dear Governor Rendell:

I voted for you for Governor.

I voted for you for the things you did for Philadelphia while I
was away living in California - it was a completely different
city when I returned after 10 years. You were in office during
that time period and a city that I left that was crime ridden
and down trodden was once again alive and hopeful...you even
got the young yuppies like me excited about living and
investing in town again.

I love Philadelphia - you have claimed the same, but I don't
believe you anymore. How can someone claim to love
Philadelphia but have such distain for Philadelphians?

I'm worried about my city, sir. I'm worried when a woman gets
shot at 6pm at nightat 22nd and Christian when kids are still
running around aside from the countless horror stories like
that all across the city. I'm worried that our police force is
discouraged.

However, on point, I'm mostly worried what will happen when
Philadelphia, a city that wouldn't be forced to take the King's
rule, taxes and law, the birthplace of our freedom as a nation
and where we started to voice our opinion as Americans is being
strong armed into accepting a wide sweeping change in our
society without having a say in the matter.

If Philadelphia is not allowed to have their say in due
process, then we are only left with what we have. Who knows,
you know I bet if we were allowed to vote on the measure, if we
had a say in where the Casinos were to be built, Philadelphia
may have said yes and been part of the process. While I am
opposed to casinos in Philadelphia, if the majority of my
fellow citizens were in, then I would at least respect that due
process was followed. Then I would hope they didn't want to
build one on the Scukyill River.

Your comments hurt, sir. I realize you are seeing this as good
for Philadelphia. When I see my paycheck each week I wonder,
maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Philadelphia won't be bullied - you of all people should be
inimately aware of that.

Respectfully,

Margaret Talbott-Lane

Dear Governor Rendell:
I am writing as one of the 1.5 million constituents of our
courageous City Council led by Councilman Frank DiCicco and our
elected representatives in the General Assembly (Senator Fumo,
and Representatives O’Brien, Keller and Josephs) and of our
newly-elected Mayor Michael Nutter, who are united with PNA in
an effort to re-site the casinos.

Your intemperate and misplaced attack this week is not
appreciated by the residents of Philadelphia, who have worked
for over a year to relocate the two casinos in Philadelphia
away from neighborhoods.

You, and the casino operators, stand alone in the way of moving
these slots parlors to more appropriate locations. Please
direct your efforts, and the considerable goodwill you have as
the most popular politician in Pennsylvania in the last thirty
years, to finding a better location for the casinos and for
creating a waterfront which will be a valued legacy to good
planning and good government.

Respectfully,

Dear Governor Rendell:

I write this as a constituent of Philadelphia's courageous City
Council, led by Councilman Frank DiCicco, and our elected
representatives in the General Assembly (Senator Fumo, and
Representatives O’Brien, Keller and Josephs) and of our
newly-elected Mayor Michael Nutter, who are united with PNA in an
effort to find a better location for the proposed casinos.

Your intemperate and misplaced attack this week is not
appreciated by the residents of Philadelphia, who have worked for
over a year to relocate the two casinos in Philadelphia away from
neighborhoods.

You, and the casino operators, stand alone in the way of moving
these enterprises to more appropriate locations. Please direct
your efforts, and the considerable goodwill you have as the most
popular politician in Pennsylvania in the last thirty years, to
finding a better location for the casinos and for creating a
waterfront which will be a valued legacy to good planning and
good government.

Respectfully,

Dear Governor Rendell:

am writing as one of the 1.5 million constituents of our courageous City Council led
by Councilman Frank DiCicco and our elected representatives in the General
Assembly (Senator Fumo, and Representatives O’Brien, Keller and Josephs) and of
our newly-elected Mayor Michael Nutter, who are united with PNA in an effort to re-
site the casinos.

Your intemperate and misplaced attack this week is not appreciated by the residents
of Philadelphia, who have worked for over a year to relocate the two casinos in
Philadelphia away from neighborhoods.

You, and the casino operators, stand alone in the way of moving these slots parlors
to more appropriate locations. Please direct your efforts, and the considerable
goodwill you have as the most popular politician in Pennsylvania in the last thirty
years, to finding a better location for the casinos and for creating a waterfront which
will be a valued legacy to good planning and good government.

Respectfully,

Gene Gualtieri

Dear Gaming Oversight Committee Member:


I support HB 1477 and want a 1,500 buffer between the
casinos and our neighborhoods.

Thanks.

Nancy Boyd

Dear Mayor Street:

The City of Philadelphia has no business giving publicly owned
riverfront land to SugarHouse for a fraction of its real value.
Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands.

Hallwatch estimates that the publicly owned land SugarHouse seeks
to use for its slots parlor would go for $30 million on the open
market while the Daily News estimates SugarHouse will only pay
slightly more than a quarter of a million if you approve their
application.

Don't do it! State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected
officials have provided you with compelling evidence that the
City does not have the authority to give away state land for a
fraction of its real value. Please take their advice and say no
to the SugarHouse land grab.

Dear Mayor Street:

Please disapprove SugarHouse Casino's request for a license to
build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands.

This is a outrageous attempt to circumvent the lawful process
which every other commercial entity currently is subject to.
Sugar House should not get help from the city in trying to
disenfranchise the neighborhoods around its proposed development.

Dear Commerce Director Naidoff:

Please do not approve SugarHouse Casino's request for a license
to build its facility on state-owned riverfront lands.

State Senator Vincent Fumo and other elected officials have
provided you with compelling evidence that the City does not have
the authority to give away state land for a fraction of its real
value. Please take their advice and say no to the SugarHouse land
grab.

Dear Mayor Street:

Say no to the SugarHouse land grab. Keep casinos off our
riverfront and out of our neighborhoods.

Dear Senator Williams,

I am very concerned with this bill and hope you vote against
it. Many people share a concern with correcting the mortgage
industry, but mandating 100k in assets or a bond for loan
officers is not the issue. Loan Officers did not lend the
money for many of these adjustable rate mortgages; the lenders
and banks did. In addition, requiring borrowers to pay for
their refinance is ludicrous! Borrowers refinance to save money
and reduce payments, if they had money many wouldn't
refinance. The industry is now helping many people save money,
and I can say less than 1/2 percent has money to bring to the
closing table. Congress needs to put tighter reins on these
banks and mandate them to stop offering loans that people may
not necessarily qualify, and to force banks to switch back to
manual underwriting with a person approving the file, and not a
computer.

Laura Burrell
Best Interest Rate Mortgage Company
New Jersey

Dear Governor Rendell:

Nowhere else in this country have casinos been permitted to locate next to
residential neighborhoods--only in Pennsylvania.

Please let me know what you are doing to right this wrong by relocating the casinos
away from my neighborhood. I know from your letter of October 9 that you wrote
the casinos and suggested that they move. What else did you do?

According to this Inquirer story from August 3 you promised neighborhood leaders
that you would:

support resiting both casinos more than 1,500 feet away from neighborhoods if
viable sites were identified urge the casinos developers to consider such sites
make state resources available to enable the process.

Please provide me with specific answers about what you did to keep each part of
your promise to neighborhood leaders by October 22, 2007.

Casinos and neighborhoods do not mix. Councilman Frank DiCicco provided you on
August 9 with other locations that would allow the casinos to make money, but also
protect neighborhoods.

As a responsible and respected public official, I expect you to protect me and my
family by requiring casinos to locate at least 1500 ft from all neighborhoods. Rep.
Babette Joseph's House Bill 1477 would turn this common sense requirement into
law. Since you say you have no power to force the casinos to move, I respectfully
suggest that you take steps to obtain this power by making the passage of House
Bill 1477 your number one goal in the legislature.


Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods and for people--
especially children--who live in them.

Yours,
Ray Murphy

PS- Frankly, although I know this issue was resolved a long time ago, I wish that Act
70 itself had never been passed. A serious effort to ammend the constitution and
the uniformity clause would have provided the state with a real chance at finding a
long-term revenue stream (via a graduated PIT) to fully fund our schools and more.

Dear Governor Rendell:

It is your job and responsibility to act according to the wishes
of the citizens of Pennsylvania. Why are you ignoring us in
Philadelphia and allowing this ill-conceived short-sighted
abomination to continue? Move the casinos away from our homes.
Develop better infrastructure before it is too late. Help us
capitalize on the riverfront for its natural beauty. Be the
sensible and responsible Governor we've asked you to be.

Dear Governor Rendell:

Nowhere else in this country have casinos been permitted to
locate next to residential neighborhoods--only in Pennsylvania.

Please let me know what you are doing to right this wrong by
relocating the casinos away from my neighborhood. I know from
your letter of October 9 that you wrote the casinos and suggested
that they move. What else did you do?

According to this Inquirer story from August 3 you promised
neighborhood leaders that you would:

* support resiting both casinos more than 1,500 feet away from
neighborhoods if viable sites were identified
* urge the casinos developers to consider such sites
* make state resources available to enable the process

Please provide me with specific answers about what you did to
keep each part of your promise to neighborhood leaders by October
22, 2007.

Casinos and neighborhoods do not mix. Councilman Frank DiCicco
provided you on August 9 with other locations that would allow
the casinos to make money, but also protect neighborhoods. Have
you considered them? Have you required the casinos to consider them?

As a responsible and respected public official, I expect you to
protect me and my family by requiring casinos to locate at least
1500 ft from all neighborhoods. Rep. Babette Joseph's House Bill
1477 would turn this common sense requirement into law. Since you
say you have no power to force the casinos to move (a position I
dispute), I respectfully suggest that you take steps to obtain
this power by making the passage of House Bill 1477 your number
one goal in the legislature.

Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods
and for people--especially children--who live in them.

Dear Governor Rendell:

You promised neighborhood leaders you would try to persuade the casinos to
relocate if somebody came to you with suitable sites. Councilman DiCicco provided
you with such a list on August 9, but to date neither the Councilman nor the
150,000 people he represents have heard back from you.

I ask you to do the following by October 12, 2007 at the latest:

Provide me and Councilman DiCicco with a detailed report describing your efforts to
persuade the casinos to move and your progress to date.
Convene a blue ribbon panel of experts to study and recommend alternative
locations using Councilman DiCicco's list as a starting point.
Ask the Supreme Court not to rule on any casino's request for zoning permits until
January 15, 2008 so that you and the casinos have enough time to thoroughly
explore moving their facilities elsewhere.
Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods and for the
families and children who live in them. Please let me know if you can accommodate
my request for action on your part.

Sincerely, Lee Garner

Dear Governor Rendell:

You promised neighborhood leaders you would try to persuade the
casinos to relocate if somebody came to you with suitable sites.
Councilman DiCicco provided you with such a list on August 9, but
to date neither the Councilman nor the 150,000 people he
represents have heard back from you.

I ask you to do the following by October 12, 2007 at the latest:

1. Provide me and Councilman DiCicco with a detailed report
describing your efforts to persuade the casinos to move and your
progress to date.
2. Convene a blue ribbon panel of experts to study and
recommend alternative locations using Councilman DiCicco's list
as a starting point.
3. Ask the Supreme Court not to rule on any casino's request
for zoning permits until January 15, 2008 so that you and the
casinos have enough time to thoroughly explore moving their
facilities elsewhere.

I moved to Philadelphia 2 years ago and love living here, in a
rapidly developing and changing neighborhood with many work and
life opportunities. I feel that we have a chance in this city, as
renewals happen, to move forward with good government leading the
way to a fantastic future. However the process around the casinos
represent an old, corrupt model of government imposing its will
on the people governed. Please help us citizens be heard!

Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods
and for the families and children who live in them. Please let me
know if you can accommodate my request for action on your part.

Dear Governor Rendell:
We should all be supporting the concerned citizens of this great city who want to
protect their neighborhoods from the proven ravages of casinos and the addictive
power of gambling, as well as the many documented disastrous side-effects of
building such gaming places too nearby. Please help us find a compromise; don't build
those casinos anywhere near us!
Sincerely,
Lee Garner

Dear Governor Rendell:

You promised neighborhood leaders you would try to persuade the
casinos to relocate if somebody came to you with suitable sites.
Councilman DiCicco provided you with such a list on August 9, but
to date neither the Councilman nor the 150,000 people he
represents have heard back from you.

I ask you to do the following by October 12, 2007 at the latest:

1. Provide me and Councilman DiCicco with a detailed report
describing your efforts to persuade the casinos to move and your
progress to date.
2. Convene a blue ribbon panel of experts to study and
recommend alternative locations using Councilman DiCicco's list
as a starting point.
3. Ask the Supreme Court not to rule on any casino's request
for zoning permits until January 15, 2008 so that you and the
casinos have enough time to thoroughly explore moving their
facilities elsewhere.

Thank you for your past support of Philadelphia's neighborhoods
and for the families and children who live in them. Please let me
know if you can accommodate my request for action on your part.

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