Gambling on our State's Future?

Back when I was a little kid, my parents bought my sister and me a highway bingo game. We'd play it on road trips, marking stuff as we spotted it until we could complete a full row. Our game consisted of nothing more than personal bragging rights, and it was really just a simple way to pass those all-too-familiar family roadtrips. I also remember playing bingo at school, marking our cards as we learned different vocabulary terms. Oh, for bingo to be simple again...

Today, thanks in large part to the actions of Troy King, bingo is one of the most complex issues our state faces. Under the guise of upholding the "rule of law," Troy King has broken from longstanding precedent and acted with questionable ethics. Now, believe me, Troy King tries to defend his actions. After it was reported that he would not be included in Governor Riley's anti-gaming task force, King told the Birmingham News on January 4, 2009: "The law is the law, and is due to be respected." This certainly sounds good, and like most conservatives, I certainly believe in the rule of law. The problem is that, on this issue, Troy King appears to be in his own world. Jeff Sessions, Bill Pryor, Bob Riley, and other conservatives have all held consistent positions on the issue, and even the state's courts have generally sided with these conservatives. The Birmingham News said in an editorial on July 7: "Alabama appeals courts in the past have frowned on attempts to use narrow exceptions like charity bingo to carve out bigger loopholes for the gambling industry." Additionally, the News alluded to the fact that AG King is now standing in the way as the Supreme Court could define the precedent more clearly, and I suspect he likely wants to keep from 'losing' his side of the issue.

The problem with Troy King's argument is that he tarnishes the name of the respectable conservative leaders who held this office before he arrived. First, let's get this straight. This is NOT B-I-N-G-O. These are slot machines--they look like slot machines, they sound like slot machines, they act like slot machines, and they breed corruption like slot machines. Additionally, let's get straight that Troy King's immediate predecessor, Bill Pryor, was also an advocate for the rule of law. I remember when Pryor was nominated for his federal judgeship, and the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy and his liberal colleagues pressed Pryor on his adherence to the rule of law and his refusal to accept the "evolving" standards of today's left. For King to say that today he is respecting the rule of law is both an insult to those who held the office before him and an even larger insult to the voters of Alabama who have repeatedly rejected these corrupt exceptions at the polls.

So, if Troy King is truly in his own world, why is he so keen on supporting gambling in Alabama? Perhaps it's due to his close connections with the gambling industry. Earlier this year, we learned that King was a guest of honor at a party in the Wiregrass held by gaming developer Ronnie Gilley. After schmoozing with the crowd in Houston County, his office turned around six weeks later and issued an opinion favoring the developer. Newspapers across the state criticized this action, but the trail doesn't end there. Troy King has also been involved in the shady world of Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, and he has ties to gaming interests. Before the 2006 election, the Birmingham News attempted to trace the money, and they tracked contributions to major PACs. This is all alphabet soup, but the end result always seems to come back to gambling interests. Take this one example: just before the 2006 election, King received some $16,500 from a VENDPAC fund. Well, that is linked to funding from FGAPAC. The FGAPAC is then linked to CANPAC and gaming Magnate Milton McGregor who gave $275,000 to it. Confusing, right? Well, it's meant to be, and there are plenty of other examples out there. Bob Blalock of the News called it a "political shell game," and this is exactly how the liberal interests want it. Jere Beasely, a liberal trial lawyer heading Artur Davis' campaign was quoted in the News as saying that lawyers were giving more to PACs because "they [candidates] think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." Gambling interests are the same way, trying to concoct a political shell game impossible for voters to follow.

Let me be clear--these actions are not conservative. In my view, conservatives believe in responsible economic growth which generates consistent revenue to fund programs and encourage further growth. The problem with gaming is that it is heavily dependant on the economy. When folks have large amounts of discretionary income, they go gamble. However, in times like these, when we are in economic crisis, people have less money. In an economy where gambling is legal and used to provide state services, though, the state government has to hope that people with less money continue to gamble what they have in order to fund state programs. This is perverse, and it is not true growth. However, conservatives are also against gambling because it clearly violates the rule of law in our state. I never want an AG who uses activism to impose law, but I do believe in an AG who stands up for the rule of law, when Alabamians have clearly expressed their will, and that will is frequently validated by precedent.

Troy King is clearly not living up to the conservative values of his campaigns. After winning our trust in 2006, he has left it behind because it is no longer politically expedient for him. However, we have the chance to keep him honest now, by asking him to pledge to refuse contributions from gaming interests and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. We would also do well to encourage him to add transparency to PAC contributions, so that voters get to know the whole story about who is influencing their candidates. I hope that after the 2010 elections, when we finally have a new AG, we can go back to the days where bingo is bingo again, instead of an end-run around the rule of law in order to enrich the powerful, corrupt gaming interests in this state.