The night before, more than 500 people had turned up at the Sullivan County Community College field house for what can only be described as a tour de force by Park Place, the largest gambling company in the world. But their enthusiasm did not appear to carry into the next day. The talk swirling about Mr. Didinsky's sizzling grill was about the weather, football and taxes. Not casino gambling. People had heard it all before, the short-order cook explained.
People are tired of talking.
Want to see some action. Many residents of the rural county certainly want something to happen. Unemployment is running above the state average and the county's largest private employer, the Frontier Insurance Group, has laid off more than 400 people, more than half its work force, over the last year, and is in danger of collapse. I hope these towns can come back to life again. They'll believe it when they see it.