Wade Kach Lets Us Down

I hate to say it, but Wade Kach let us down in the House Slots Bill vote.  That bill will send the slots referendum "to the people" in a bizarre move generally not available under the Maryland Constitution.

Unless the Soddomites on the Severn are trying to punt the ball.

Questions for Wade: 

1. If you are going to send bills like slots to referendum, then why do we need a General Assembly? 
2. What in God's name did we elect you to do?
3. Why are we spending all this money on a special session if you and your colleagues are going to punt the ball?
4. What ever happened to a republican (small r) form of government?
5. If we get to vote on the slots bill, why don't we get to vote on tax increases?  How about on spending?

I have not decided whether I support slots.  On the one hand, the state government is already deeply mired in questionable gambling with lotto.  And frankly, the odds on the Little Italy 3 digit game are FAR better than the odds on the Maryland 3 digit game.  So why not?

On the other hand, why in the hell is the government shoving slots down the throats of people who DON'T WANT IT (Worcester County) and not putting them at Pimlico. After all, slots are supposed to HELP the HORSERACING INDUSTRY and there is already gambling at PIMLICO.

So then I read a little more into the bill.  And guess what?  This isn't just a slots bill.  Oh no.  This referendum has the potential to make Maryland a pure gambling state.  That's right.  With this little referendum, John Paterakis can look forward to the day (finally) when he can fill up that Waterfron Marriott with the big casino it was actually built to hold.  You see, the referendum includes the procedures for expanding gambling in the future to all sorts of table games.

Things that make me go hmmm.  How much money did John Paterakis give to the Guvnah?  We know that the owners of Ocean Downs did a real nice job paying off Guvnah O'Malley to the tune of $40k.

But why is Wade Kach voting for this? I am assume that he is opposed to slots at Timonium.  Not sure why, though.  That place is the biggest waste of viable commercial property in central Baltimore County.  Putting slots there would a) help the state pay for it and b) deflect calls like mine to sell the damn property to developers who would pay property tax on it.

I'm sorry, Wade.  You do a great job with constituent service.  But in voting for this stupid referendum -- which will have ZERO IMPACT ON THE STATE BUDGET UNTIL 2010 AT THE EARLIEST -- was a disservice to the district as a whole.

I look forward to reading soon why Wade Kach was so interested in punting the ball.  Because it's not much more than a bad squib punt.