[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  OLDER PEOPLE DO NOT NEED CHAPERONES

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2000

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, in the May issue of 
SeniorScope, the newspaper published by the city of New Bedford dealing 
with issues of particular importance to older people, editor Rona Zable 
has an excellent column. Ms. Zable effectively refutes those who would 
interfere with the rights of older people to make their own decisions, 
specifically in this case with regard to their choice to gamble if they 
wish in legal establishments. I have been struck by the degree to which 
people who usually respect the rights of others to make their own 
choices make an exception for gambling, and for some reason, people 
seem often ready to use a caricature of older people as an excuse for 
this. Indeed, some who believe that we should make a radical change in 
the Social Security system and have people be dependent on their stock 
picks for retiring income draw an inexplicable line against letting 
them go to a casino every so often with some of that retirement income.
  As Rona Zable trenchantly asks, ``are older people perceived to be so 
witless, so gullible, that we need to be protected from ourselves lest 
we buy too many lottery tickets or play bingo too often? . . . If 
Congress is really concerned about senior citizens, they ought to do 
something about the sky high cost of prescription drugs. Because, 
chances are, we're more apt to blow the family inheritance at the 
drugstore counter than we are at the casinos!''
  Mr. Speaker, Ms. Zable is exactly right and I submit her very 
thoughtful essay here.

                 Do You Need a Chaperone at the Casino?

       There are folks out there who are quite concerned about 
     you. They worry that one of these days, you might gamble away 
     your kid's inheritance.
       ``Are Casinos Preying On Our Elders?'' was the headline of 
     a recent story in the AARP Bulletin. Noting the popularity of 
     bingo halls, lotteries and casinos, the article asked, ``Is 
     it harmless entertainment? Or are older Americans being 
     targeted deliberately by advertising and marketing efforts 
     designed to ensure that they keep pumping large sums of money 
     into the gambling industry.''
       The focus of the article was a study published in the Law 
     Journal of the University of Illinois College of Law. The 
     author stated that older people are at greater risk than 
     others for problem gambling because of circumstances that 
     make them vulnerable . . . namely, loss of a spouse 
     loneliness and boredom. The study concluded that ``the casino 
     industry targets its marketing to older people because they 
     are reliable spenders with leisure time to visit casinos 
     often.''
       Well, duh! Like--we didn't know that?
       Apparently, our legislators also believe that seniors are 
     more at risk than other age groups for problem gambling. 
     Timothy A. Kelly, executive director of a commission 
     appointed by Congress to examine the economic impact of 
     gambling, believes state and federal lawmakers should 
     consider halting the expansion of gambling around the nation 
     pending further research. Kelly, whose National Gambling 
     Impact Study Commission spent two years examining the issues, 
     says, ``We heard a lot of stories about elderly parents 
     gambling away the family inheritance.''
       Aw, come on, guys. Seriously--does any SeniorScope reader 
     know of any elderly parent who gambled away the family 
     inheritance? (Maybe some younger folks have done that, but 
     not the old folks).
       To me, this is one more instance of the Dumbing Down of 
     Senior Citizens. Are older people perceived to be so witless, 
     so gullible, that we need to be protected from ourselves lest 
     we buy too many lottery tickets or play Bingo too often? Do 
     we need Big Brother to watch over us at the blackjack tables 
     and slot machines?
       If this sounds like I am some kind of a big-time casino 
     player, rest assured I am not. In fact, I have never set foot 
     in Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. But I defend the right of anyone 
     over age 21 to spend their money where they please--be it a 
     casino, bingo hall, sports arena, vacation resort, ect. It so 
     happens I am a ``shopping mall'' person . . . and just as 
     some people enjoy the socialization and buffets at Foxwoods, 
     I enjoy the clearance sales and food court at the Galleria 
     Mall.
       Nor would I like it one bit if the Senate appointed a 
     Commission to limit the expansion of malls to curtail 
     shopping by senior citizens. Or, for that matter, to limit 
     the expansion of restaurants because older Americans are 
     eating out too much and putting on weight.
       If Congress is really concerned about senior citizens, they 
     ought to do something about the sky high cost of prescription 
     drugs. Because, chances are, we're more apt to blow the 
     family inheritance at the drugstore counter than we are at 
     the casinos!


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