Thursday, December 23, 2010

Remember the corrosive effect on NC politics of video poker and the lottery? Alabama is the latest state where gambling interests have upturned the political establishment – with federal indictments of state legislators involving six- and seven-figure bribes. The confession of a top lobbyist is awesome reading. You have to wonder how eager Gov. Perdue and NC legislative leaders are to wade into deep water with the crowd promoting sweepstakes poker for our state. Speaking of cash money and the sin industry, here’s a fascinating story about the political contributions given by beer wholesalers to dozens of members of Congress as the industry was seeking their sign-on to a crucial piece of legislation. The beer boys are huge contributors to state legislators, too. Can someone explain why they stepped up their giving in the 2010 election cycle to NC state legislators? Hmm. . . .