We're "about to see Armageddon" In Kentucky's General Assembly.
Read why from Joe Gerth's "Beshear's longevity is at stake".
Follow the article below:
Beshear's longevity is at stake
FRANKFORT, Ky. — On the first night of the special session of the Kentucky General Assembly, Senate President David Williams blamed Gov. Steve Beshear for the fact that no bills on the budget or on slot machines had been filed.
You can understand. Beshear hasn't been quick out of the gates when it comes to gambling.
He waited more than a month into the 2008 session of the legislature before he came forward with his plan for a constitutional amendment allowing casinos.
When he called the current special session, he waited a day to add to his call a bill that would allow slot machines at race tracks, the issue that has become the touchstone of the session.
Then he waited until just days before the session to unveil his plan for slots, giving his lobbyists and legislators little time to round up votes before the session began.
When it comes to the one issue that will define his first term, one could call him the late Gov. Steve Beshear.
So with Beshear's bill in hand and no agreement among House members to pass it, Speaker Greg Stumbo went to work last week sweet-talking wavering representatives who really didn't want to explain a pro-gambling vote to their pastors.
His horse trading caused even more delays.
As the week wore on, it became apparent that Stumbo was busy rounding up votes by handing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of elementary, middle and high school and college and university buildings to the legislators who supported slots.
After a week in Frankfort (at a cost of $60,000 a day), the House still hasn't passed a budget.
How could it?
Laden with up to $1.3 billion worth of educational goodies, the budget couldn't be written until after Friday's floor vote on gambling. How else was Stumbo to know who to pay off?
Williams called it "brazenly buying votes." And he implied that Stumbo and House Democrats were violating the Hobbs Act, the federal anti-corruption law, without actually accusing them of anything illegal.
"They think buying votes isn't illegal on the thing because they say that individual legislators are not profiting … and therefore it's not a violation of the Hobbs Act. That's what they're telling members," Williams huffed one afternoon.
Spoken like a true lawyer. They were telling members that because it was true.
Stumbo pushed the gambling bill through the House with just one vote to spare and now it's on to the Senate.
Williams has declared the bill dead when it gets to the Senate's budget committee. And he's threatening to shut down the whole session Monday afternoon if Stumbo doesn't get the gambling bill into the Senate by 4:30 p.m.
Though he has no moral objection to gambling, Williams has said relying on gambling for state revenue is bad public policy.
But you can't discount the effect of $1.3 billion in schools in 2011 if Beshear runs for reelection or Stumbo goes for the top job.
Remember what Williams said recently at the state Lincoln Day Dinner in Louisville:
"For those … who want to see a battle over taxation and spending, you're about to see Armageddon," Williams said. "We've given this governor as much money as he's going to get."
That, more than the delays, could spell the death of the slots bill.
And Williams might be hoping to write the political epitaph for the late Gov. Steve Beshear.
Follow the article below:
Beshear's longevity is at stake
FRANKFORT, Ky. — On the first night of the special session of the Kentucky General Assembly, Senate President David Williams blamed Gov. Steve Beshear for the fact that no bills on the budget or on slot machines had been filed.
You can understand. Beshear hasn't been quick out of the gates when it comes to gambling.
He waited more than a month into the 2008 session of the legislature before he came forward with his plan for a constitutional amendment allowing casinos.
When he called the current special session, he waited a day to add to his call a bill that would allow slot machines at race tracks, the issue that has become the touchstone of the session.
Then he waited until just days before the session to unveil his plan for slots, giving his lobbyists and legislators little time to round up votes before the session began.
When it comes to the one issue that will define his first term, one could call him the late Gov. Steve Beshear.
So with Beshear's bill in hand and no agreement among House members to pass it, Speaker Greg Stumbo went to work last week sweet-talking wavering representatives who really didn't want to explain a pro-gambling vote to their pastors.
His horse trading caused even more delays.
As the week wore on, it became apparent that Stumbo was busy rounding up votes by handing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of elementary, middle and high school and college and university buildings to the legislators who supported slots.
After a week in Frankfort (at a cost of $60,000 a day), the House still hasn't passed a budget.
How could it?
Laden with up to $1.3 billion worth of educational goodies, the budget couldn't be written until after Friday's floor vote on gambling. How else was Stumbo to know who to pay off?
Williams called it "brazenly buying votes." And he implied that Stumbo and House Democrats were violating the Hobbs Act, the federal anti-corruption law, without actually accusing them of anything illegal.
"They think buying votes isn't illegal on the thing because they say that individual legislators are not profiting … and therefore it's not a violation of the Hobbs Act. That's what they're telling members," Williams huffed one afternoon.
Spoken like a true lawyer. They were telling members that because it was true.
Stumbo pushed the gambling bill through the House with just one vote to spare and now it's on to the Senate.
Williams has declared the bill dead when it gets to the Senate's budget committee. And he's threatening to shut down the whole session Monday afternoon if Stumbo doesn't get the gambling bill into the Senate by 4:30 p.m.
Though he has no moral objection to gambling, Williams has said relying on gambling for state revenue is bad public policy.
But you can't discount the effect of $1.3 billion in schools in 2011 if Beshear runs for reelection or Stumbo goes for the top job.
Remember what Williams said recently at the state Lincoln Day Dinner in Louisville:
"For those … who want to see a battle over taxation and spending, you're about to see Armageddon," Williams said. "We've given this governor as much money as he's going to get."
That, more than the delays, could spell the death of the slots bill.
And Williams might be hoping to write the political epitaph for the late Gov. Steve Beshear.
Labels: Democratism, Kentucky politics, Republicanism
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 5:07 PM
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