12 THE VOORHEES SUN — DECEMBER 22-28, 2010


EDITORIAL


DAN McDONOUGH, JR. Publisher


ALAN BAUER


STEVE MILLER ED LYNES


General Manager & Editor Executive Vice President Vice President of Sales


in our opinion Bet on it Gaming changes make ‘cents’ for N.J.


Congress or the courts) in New Jersey. You can certainly blame the state for doing a number of, well, not really bright things, but, if these changes move for- ward, the Legislature and gov- ernor deserve a pat on the back. Backers of the measures esti-


B


y the time you’re reading this, the state might be half- way home on bills that would allow everything from on- line gambling to sports betting (with some help from


A good bet?


mate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue will be gen- erated if gambling opportunities are expanded. Jobs will come with these changes, too. Plus, it’s hard to imagine that very many folks would be


Do you think gambling should be expanded in New Jersey? Share your thoughts in the Forum section at www.voorheessun.com, where you also will find edi- torials and letters to the edi- tor.


against it. Gambling already exists in New Jersey – in terms of the lottery, Atlantic City casinos and race tracks. The big prize, of course, is tapping into the Internet gam-


bling market. H2 Gambling Capital, as reported by the Ameri- can Gaming Association, estimated that, in 2009, Internet gam- bling revenue for offshore companies was $5.4 billion from play- ers in the United States, and $25.8 billion from players world- wide. In other words, this is a rather big business, and while New Jersey wouldn’t be tapping all of that market, even just a small slice of that pie would be tasty. The state needs money. Local municipalities and school dis- tricts need money. Taxpayers are ridiculously overburdened. Ummm, if people are going to gamble, why not let them gamble in such a way that the revenue stays closer to home? No doubt there will be debates, amendments, etc., as these measures get close to final passage, but timing might play a big role. Should things heat up in the spring, when the discussion over how many teachers are getting the ax due to funding cuts, you just might be surprised how many folks jump on the “gam- bling isn’t so bad” bandwagon.


DAN McDONOUGH, JR. Co-Chairman & Chief Executive RUSSELL CANN Co-Chairman & Chief Financial Officer MICHAEL LaCOUNT, Ph.D. Vice Chairman


www.elauwit.com Many ways to say happy holidays This time of year brings joy,


happiness and a focus on friends, family and sharing special times. Our diverse community celebrates in various ways with long-standing traditions. Our Hindu community cele-


brates Diwali between mid-Octo- ber and mid-November. Known as the “festival of lights,” Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama from his 14-year long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana.


In joyous


celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayod- hya, the Capital of Rama, illumi- nated the kingdom with oil lamps and burst firecrackers. Di- wali also marks the victory of good over evil. Hanukkah was celebrated for


eight days and nights starting on Dec. 1 and on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar.


The


word “Hanukkah” means “dedi- cation” in Hebrew.


On each


night of Hanukkah, the meno- rah is lit to commemorate a mir- acle which occurred after the Jews proclaimed victory over the Syrian Armies in 165 B.C.E. Other traditions associated with


Michael Mignogna MAYOR’S MESSAGE


Hanukkah are dreidel (a popular game), latkes (tasty potato pan- cakes) and sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts without the hole). The origin of Christmas was to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian invention of the 1860s and celebrated every Dec. 25. Probably the most cele- brated holiday in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of hundreds of years of both sec- ular and religious traditions. In our culture, Christmas has also become a time to exchange gifts.


The popular image of Santa Claus was created by a German American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who drew a different image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast’s Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s. Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration which fo- cuses on community responsibil- ity, commerce and self-improve- ment. Kwanzaa is neither politi- cal nor religious and not meant to be a substitute for Christmas. It is simply a time of reaffirming African American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa means “first fruits of the har- vest” in the African language Kiswahili. It is celebrated Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 and was start- ed in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ka- reenga.


On behalf of the Township Committee, have a safe and happy holiday season!


Michael Mignogna is the mayor of Voorhees. He can be reached at mmignogna16@comcast.net.


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