When Governors Attack.....

Did anyone else see our esteemed former Governor Ed Rendell on 60 Minutes last night ? Apparently, he's a bit touchy when faced with questions regarding the human cost of the Commonwealth's support of the gambling industry-



While I can't disagree with his opinion that the media is comprised of simpletons and idiots, a longer cut of the interview showed Rendell presenting the argument that people are going to gamble anyways, so why not in casinos that are paying tax revenue to the state ? Maybe we should apply the same logic to crystal meth- hey, people are going to do it anyway, why shouldn't the state get a cut ?

I have to applaud Leslie Stahl for (finally) making the point that the casino tax "revenue" is actually comprised of losses which are being paid by our own citizens. The citizens that pay these losses are usually the ones that can least afford to do so- the elderly, the poor and those addicted to gambling.

As I recounted in an earlier post in 2009 , Pennsylvania controls both liquor and gambling. When the state government takes over prostitution, it will give the mob a serious run for its money.