Beshear meets with Senate Dems on casinos

After meeting with House Democratic leadership in the morning, Gov. Steve Beshear met with Senate Democrats Tuesday at noon.

Beshear said afterward that they talked about a number of issues, including the constitutional amendment to expand gambling.

The bill that House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, maneuvered through committee last week would allow nine casinos but would not reserve any licenses solely for racetracks.

Beshear said he and Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley, of Richmond, agreed "very strongly" that if the casino amendment gets to the Senate that protections for the horse industry should be inserted.

"Senator Worley assures met that it has significant support," Beshear said of the casino bill, which has not yet come up for a vote in the full House.

"I think the casino amendment is very much in play," Beshear said. But it does not yet have the 60 votes necessary to pass the House. "We're in the fifties," Beshear said. "That's of people I feel pretty certain would be a 'yes.'"

He said those are votes "of folks who can be in favor of the speaker's version, and if there are concerns ... we note that."

He said he's struggling to get the casino bill on the ballot as a way to avoid raising taxes, which said are his "last option." House leaders are to present their proposed two-year budget to him on Thursday. That budget is likely to include an increase in taxes on cigarettes.

-- Janet Patton

Comments

[Carl]

Does anyone really know what Beshear is doing right now??? He is digging up as much dirt on any republican he can to force them to vote on this measure. Sure enough there is plenty of corruption to go around the capitol on both sides of the aisle. The good thing for all of us is that WE WILL KNOW WHO the dirty republicans are that Beshear sqeezes and blackmails. Then we can vote their crooked republican tails out. If there is any doubt how terrible this bill is, read this Richmond article:

http://www.richmondregister.com/archivesearch/local_story_060215426.html

[Kelsey]

Keep the faith. The Casino Bill is close to ready to go on the house floor for a full vote. My close friends in the house say the votes are now there, Sen Worley and Sen Carroll both tell me to get it to them and they can get it thru the Senate. Lets do this for Ky.
Go Obama.
kelsey.

[Jim Anderson Stivers]

Check this out . . . I cam across this sight while searching . . . Check out what these ladies are doing to combat slot machines and casinos in their area.

The Freedom Players is part of an emerging citizen movement to stop exploitive gambling in America. Citizens came from across the country to join our first Freedom Player action held in Lynden, Washington in February 2008.

The Freedom Players intend to spotlight the most blatant form of exploitive gambling - slot machines and video poker machines.

Our action is simple but its implications are enormous. We enter the casino, sit down at the slot machines, put in our money - and don't push the 'play' button. We are simply playing the machines the way we want to play them. Apparently, it is not fast enough for the casino owners who consider it entertainment only when you're losing money, sharply contrasting the frantic, continuous play the design and technology of the machines are intended to induce.

While we played the machines, some of us talked. Some knitted. Some read a book. All of us exercising our freedom to play these machines in such a way as to awaken the conscience of our country about exploitive gambling and our government's role in it.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS AND CHECK OUT THIS VERY INTERESTING, WELL DONE SIGHT.

http://www.freedomplayers.org/

VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7sgZSOJHSE

Jim Anderson Stivers
Frankfort, KY.