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Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Senator's Affair Revealed in Text Message
By AP / KEVIN FREKING
(WASHINGTON) — A Nevada man whose wife had an affair with Sen. John Ensign said he discovered the relationship after intercepting a text message around Christmas in 2007.
"How wonderful it is. ... Scared, but excited," it read.
Doug Hampton recounted the text message during an interview taped for broadcast Monday night on ABC's "Nightline." The interview covered a lot of ground already made public since Ensign, R-Nev., admitted to the extramarital affair in June, but provided new details about how the affair was discovered as well as the senator's reaction when Hampton confronted him. (Top 10 Political Sex Scandals: Sen. John Ensign)
The acknowledgment of the affair has led to a huge fall from grace for a man that many viewed as a rising star within the GOP. He's now fighting to complete a second term in office that continues through 2012.
The Hamptons and Ensigns had been close family friends for years. Hampton told "Nightline" he confronted Ensign when both families were present during a Christmas Eve gathering. "John cries like a kid. Puts his head in his hands, cries like a little boy," Hampton said, adding that he heard remorse and panic in his old friend's voice but now believes it was disingenuous.
Hampton continued to work for Ensign as his co-chief of staff. He said that the two went on a trip to Iraq in February 2008. He said he was having troubles with his telephone and asked to borrow Ensign's to call his wife. He said Ensign scrolled to a listing for Aunt Judy instead of Cindy Hampton. "And then I realize, Wow, wow, something is seriously wrong," he said, that the affair was still going on. (Top 10 Political Sex Scandals: Kwame Kilpatrick.)
Hampton makes clear through the interview he isn't going away quietly and believes Ensign abused his power in pursuing the affair. Ensign's legal team has said it's confident that all laws and ethics rules were followed in the case, which includes Ensign helping Hampton gain employment with a lobbying firm as well as Ensign's parents providing the Hamptons with a payment of nearly $100,000 that they described as a gift. "I truly wish that I could publicly respond to each one of Doug Hampton's allegations," Ensign said. "They are full of half truths and untruths. I will cooperate with any investigation because I have not violated any law or Senate ethics rule. If Doug Hampton violated federal law and rules, I did not advise him to do so, I did not suggest that he do so, and I did not cooperate with his doing so."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
cofer told faculty no furloughs at ulm if they taught for free, now what?
Priorities at ULMposted Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
The University of Louisiana-Monroe unveiled its plan on Monday to cope with a $4.5-million reduction in state funding for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, which began July 1.Like every publicly funded higher education institution in Louisiana, ULM faced a cut in state appropriations for the new fiscal year. The higher education community as a whole was dealt a more than $100 million budget cut. The cut was necessary in light of a more than $1 billion budget shortfall the Legislature encountered during its regular session. The 2009 regular legislative session adjourned in late June.According to ULM, the university will not renew contracts for 36 faculty and other staff members to deal with its reduction in state funding in the new fiscal year. More than 41 vacant faculty and staff positions will be eliminated. Also, staff members at ULM will take furloughs from one to four days depending upon their annual salary. Staffers who make less than $30,000 per year and ULM law enforcement personnel will not be affected by the furloughs. Faculty members won't be affected by furloughs either.According to Laura Harris, a spokesperson at ULM, no tenured or tenure-track faculty members were terminated to aid the university's efforts to balance its budget, which must be approved by the governing board at the University of Louisiana System later this month.If Harris is correct, ULM was wise not to terminate any tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Tenured and tenure-track faculty represent the backbone of any university.In the meantime, let us recall what ULM proposed earlier this year when we learned the higher ed community in Louisiana faced a more than $200 million budget cut for the new fiscal year. At the time, ULM President James Cofer proposed that the university should eliminate some 49 tenured and/or tenure-track faculty positions to deal with ULM's share of higher ed's budget cut. Thanks to some fast-and-loose budgeting employed by the Legislature, higher ed was dealt a roughly $100 million budget cut instead of a more than $200 million cut in the new fiscal year.Let us recall as well that when we learned the higher ed community would be asked to trim its expenditures in the new fiscal year, literally every university president in the state called on the Legislature to raise taxes to offset proposed budget cuts for higher ed. Thankfully the Legislature ignored higher ed's bellyaching.While we regret to witness any of Louisiana's institutions of higher education deal with a reduction in state funding, we would do well to remind ourselves of why universities exist in the first place. They exist to educate people.That said, we are a bit disturbed by ULM's decision to spare its athletic department—for the most part—in sharing in cuts the university leveled to balance its budget. After all, ULM is projected to use some $2.7 million in state funding to prop up its athletic department in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.ULM should rethink its position on athletics versus education.If the university sticks to its guns, so to speak, we'll have a clear understanding of what's important at ULM and what's not.
http://www.ouachitacitizen.com/news.php?id=4645
The University of Louisiana-Monroe unveiled its plan on Monday to cope with a $4.5-million reduction in state funding for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, which began July 1.Like every publicly funded higher education institution in Louisiana, ULM faced a cut in state appropriations for the new fiscal year. The higher education community as a whole was dealt a more than $100 million budget cut. The cut was necessary in light of a more than $1 billion budget shortfall the Legislature encountered during its regular session. The 2009 regular legislative session adjourned in late June.According to ULM, the university will not renew contracts for 36 faculty and other staff members to deal with its reduction in state funding in the new fiscal year. More than 41 vacant faculty and staff positions will be eliminated. Also, staff members at ULM will take furloughs from one to four days depending upon their annual salary. Staffers who make less than $30,000 per year and ULM law enforcement personnel will not be affected by the furloughs. Faculty members won't be affected by furloughs either.According to Laura Harris, a spokesperson at ULM, no tenured or tenure-track faculty members were terminated to aid the university's efforts to balance its budget, which must be approved by the governing board at the University of Louisiana System later this month.If Harris is correct, ULM was wise not to terminate any tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Tenured and tenure-track faculty represent the backbone of any university.In the meantime, let us recall what ULM proposed earlier this year when we learned the higher ed community in Louisiana faced a more than $200 million budget cut for the new fiscal year. At the time, ULM President James Cofer proposed that the university should eliminate some 49 tenured and/or tenure-track faculty positions to deal with ULM's share of higher ed's budget cut. Thanks to some fast-and-loose budgeting employed by the Legislature, higher ed was dealt a roughly $100 million budget cut instead of a more than $200 million cut in the new fiscal year.Let us recall as well that when we learned the higher ed community would be asked to trim its expenditures in the new fiscal year, literally every university president in the state called on the Legislature to raise taxes to offset proposed budget cuts for higher ed. Thankfully the Legislature ignored higher ed's bellyaching.While we regret to witness any of Louisiana's institutions of higher education deal with a reduction in state funding, we would do well to remind ourselves of why universities exist in the first place. They exist to educate people.That said, we are a bit disturbed by ULM's decision to spare its athletic department—for the most part—in sharing in cuts the university leveled to balance its budget. After all, ULM is projected to use some $2.7 million in state funding to prop up its athletic department in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.ULM should rethink its position on athletics versus education.If the university sticks to its guns, so to speak, we'll have a clear understanding of what's important at ULM and what's not.
http://www.ouachitacitizen.com/news.php?id=4645
louisiana political corruption
Impeachment hearings open today for Judge Thomas Porteous
By Jonathan Tilove
November 17, 2009, 7:05AM
A federal court refused Monday to issue a temporary restraining order to block the opening of congressional hearings today into the potential impeachment of U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous of Metairie.
Judge Thomas PorteousBut Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said attorneys for Porteous may still file for a preliminary injunction later this year, though he counseled that their chances for success are a "very, very long shot."
Richard Westling, representing Porteous, said he will consult with his client and let the court know his decision Nov. 30.
Irvin Nathan, general counsel for the House of Representatives, argued against the temporary restraining order, saying that if Leon had granted it, it would have been the first time in history that a court had tried to block any kind of congressional hearing.
"There is not a case in our history in which a court sought to keep a congressional proceeding from proceeding," Nathan said. Leon agreed that granting the restraining order would have been "beyond extraordinary."
The hour-long hearing was held in the federal courthouse in Washington, a few blocks from the Capitol.
At issue is whether Congress, in considering impeachment, is violating Porteous' Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by using testimony he was required to give under a grant of immunity from criminal prosecution to forumlate strategy and prepare witnesses in making the case for impeachment.
Nathan argued that the Justice Department long ago decided not to prosecute Porteous and that impeachment is explicitly not a criminal proceeding. It is also, he said, a congressional responsibility wholly beyond the power of the court.
Westling countered that impeachment is, in effect, a "quasi-criminal'' proceeding that could lead to Porteous being removed from office and barred from holding future federal office. That would happen if the House impeaches Porteous and the Senate convicts him.
Leon told Westling there was "just no precedent" for his pleading that Porteous' Fifth Amendment rights were being compromised in the impeachment proceedings. Westling replied that impeachment cases are very rare, and that he does not think there has ever been an impeachment case where immunized testimony was being used to help construct the case against the defendant.
Even without a temporary restraining order, Leon said, Porteous faces no imminent danger of lasting harm. While the House Judiciary Committee task force will hold its first hearings today and Wednesday on the Porteous case, Leon said the full House probably will not vote until the spring on whether to impeach Porteous and send his case to the Senate for trial.
Eight potential witnesses have been granted immunity to testify before the impeachment task force.
Before his appointment to the bench, Leon was counsel to Congress in the investigation of three sitting presidents, including in the Iran-Contra and Whitewater cases. He was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush.
Porteous was nominated by President Clinton.
Among other things, he stands accused of making false statements in his personal bankruptcy filing, on his annual financial disclosure forms and on his applicaton for a bank loan, and not disclosing financial gifts from lawyers who appeared before his court.
While he continues to receive his salary as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, he is not allowed to hear cases.
. . . . . . .
Jonathan Tilove can be reached at jtilove@timespicayune.com or 202.383.7827.
© 2009 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.
By Jonathan Tilove
November 17, 2009, 7:05AM
A federal court refused Monday to issue a temporary restraining order to block the opening of congressional hearings today into the potential impeachment of U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous of Metairie.
Judge Thomas PorteousBut Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said attorneys for Porteous may still file for a preliminary injunction later this year, though he counseled that their chances for success are a "very, very long shot."
Richard Westling, representing Porteous, said he will consult with his client and let the court know his decision Nov. 30.
Irvin Nathan, general counsel for the House of Representatives, argued against the temporary restraining order, saying that if Leon had granted it, it would have been the first time in history that a court had tried to block any kind of congressional hearing.
"There is not a case in our history in which a court sought to keep a congressional proceeding from proceeding," Nathan said. Leon agreed that granting the restraining order would have been "beyond extraordinary."
The hour-long hearing was held in the federal courthouse in Washington, a few blocks from the Capitol.
At issue is whether Congress, in considering impeachment, is violating Porteous' Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by using testimony he was required to give under a grant of immunity from criminal prosecution to forumlate strategy and prepare witnesses in making the case for impeachment.
Nathan argued that the Justice Department long ago decided not to prosecute Porteous and that impeachment is explicitly not a criminal proceeding. It is also, he said, a congressional responsibility wholly beyond the power of the court.
Westling countered that impeachment is, in effect, a "quasi-criminal'' proceeding that could lead to Porteous being removed from office and barred from holding future federal office. That would happen if the House impeaches Porteous and the Senate convicts him.
Leon told Westling there was "just no precedent" for his pleading that Porteous' Fifth Amendment rights were being compromised in the impeachment proceedings. Westling replied that impeachment cases are very rare, and that he does not think there has ever been an impeachment case where immunized testimony was being used to help construct the case against the defendant.
Even without a temporary restraining order, Leon said, Porteous faces no imminent danger of lasting harm. While the House Judiciary Committee task force will hold its first hearings today and Wednesday on the Porteous case, Leon said the full House probably will not vote until the spring on whether to impeach Porteous and send his case to the Senate for trial.
Eight potential witnesses have been granted immunity to testify before the impeachment task force.
Before his appointment to the bench, Leon was counsel to Congress in the investigation of three sitting presidents, including in the Iran-Contra and Whitewater cases. He was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush.
Porteous was nominated by President Clinton.
Among other things, he stands accused of making false statements in his personal bankruptcy filing, on his annual financial disclosure forms and on his applicaton for a bank loan, and not disclosing financial gifts from lawyers who appeared before his court.
While he continues to receive his salary as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, he is not allowed to hear cases.
. . . . . . .
Jonathan Tilove can be reached at jtilove@timespicayune.com or 202.383.7827.
© 2009 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Good News from Connecticut:Slots Revenue Down
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State budget may take hit from slots
State budget may take hit from slots
Published on 10/13/2009 in Home »State »State News
Hartford (AP) - Connecticut officials say this year's state budget could end up further in deficit because of declining slot machine revenues at the two casinos in the state.
Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun give Connecticut 25 percent of their slot machine revenues, under contracts with the state.
State officials say there could be a $50 million deficit in slot machine revenue when the fiscal year ends June 30, 2010. That's in addition to the $500 million deficit Comptroller Nancy Wyman is predicting for the year.
State officials planned for a 1 percent increase in slot machine revenue this year and a 3 percent increase next year in the current two year, $38 billion budget. But both casinos reported slot revenue declines of more than 10 percent in August.
"Regional"
State budget may take hit from slots
State budget may take hit from slots
Published on 10/13/2009 in Home »State »State News
Hartford (AP) - Connecticut officials say this year's state budget could end up further in deficit because of declining slot machine revenues at the two casinos in the state.
Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun give Connecticut 25 percent of their slot machine revenues, under contracts with the state.
State officials say there could be a $50 million deficit in slot machine revenue when the fiscal year ends June 30, 2010. That's in addition to the $500 million deficit Comptroller Nancy Wyman is predicting for the year.
State officials planned for a 1 percent increase in slot machine revenue this year and a 3 percent increase next year in the current two year, $38 billion budget. But both casinos reported slot revenue declines of more than 10 percent in August.
"Regional"
Thursday, September 10, 2009
States Face Drop in Gambling Revenues
September 10, 2009
States Face Drop in Gambling Revenues
By IAN URBINA
CINCINNATI — Casinos and lotteries in most states are reporting a downturn in revenue for the first time, resulting in a drop in the money collected by state and local governments, according to new state data.
The decline comes as states are rapidly expanding gambling in hopes of stemming severe budget shortfalls, and it indicates that gambling is not insulated from broader economic forces like recessions, as has been argued in the past.
The drop has led some gambling experts to wonder whether the industry is reaching market saturation, whereby a limited number of gamblers with a fixed amount of money to bet is being split across a growing number of gambling options.
States that have been invested in gambling the longest have been hit hardest. Illinois reported a $166 million drop in tax revenue in fiscal year 2009, from 2008; Nevada had a $122 million drop, and New Jersey $62 million.
In hopes of enticing more gamblers, New Jersey lawmakers have repealed a smoking ban, and in Illinois they are considering allowing free drinks on riverboat casinos.
“The data shows that states take a real chance in depending on gambling because this revenue is not likely to keep pace with growing budgetary needs,” said Lucy Dadayan, a senior analyst at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University at Albany, which will release a report on the subject next week.
“In the absence of new types of gambling, it can become a zero-sum game as states compete for the same pot.”
Others, however, argue that the current decline is temporary, and that the industry has plenty of room to expand. Some experts expect revenues to bounce back, but doubt they will be as robust as they were before the recession.
The 12 states that have casinos made $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2009, which ended June 30, a 7.4 percent drop from last year, according to the state data. Among the roughly 42 states with lotteries, 38 reported data indicating that they made $14.5 billion this year, a 2.6 percent drop compared with the earnings from the same states last year.
Gambling critics have long maintained that it provides short-term revenue at the expense of long-term social costs, like increased crime and addiction. But the new data also shows that the revenue collected by states and local governments is decreasing while competition for it is on the rise. Still, state leaders are looking for ways to get a piece of the earnings.
Here in Ohio, Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat and former Methodist minister, reversed his opposition to gambling and, in conjunction with the legislature, issued a directive allowing video slots at the state’s seven racetracks.
In Colorado, voters last year backed an increase in betting limits at casinos, and Missouri voters approved the end of limits on how much a gambler can lose. “We need those slots like nobody’s business,” said Mildred Cox, 77, who for 28 years has run the concession stand at River Downs here, one of the seven horse racing tracks slated to receive some of the state’s 17,500 proposed new slot machines. “Look at this place, it’s desolate.”
Across from her, a crowd of older men, betting tickets in hand, stood staring at several televisions mounted on the wall showing races in other states and Canada.
As a bell rang, the horses sprinted by, competing for a winning prize of $4,600. But the men barely broke their concentration from the televisions.
“You can’t attract the best horses and the biggest bettors with purses like that,” said Ms. Cox, pointing outside at a largely empty grandstand.
Thirty years ago, gamblers had to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to bet legally. Now, a dozen states have commercial casinos, 12 have “racinos,” or slot machines and other games that are installed at racetracks, 29 states have Indian casinos, and at least 42 states and the District of Columbia, have lotteries.
“When budgets get tight, expanding gambling always looks to lawmakers like the perfect quick-fix solution,” said John Kindt, a professor of business and legal policy at the University of Illinois who studies the impact of state-sponsored gambling. “But in the end, it so often proves to be neither quick nor a fix.”
Crime jumps 10 percent in areas with casinos, personal bankruptcies soar 18 percent to 42 percent and the number of new gambling addicts doubles, Mr. Kindt said. Predicted state revenue often falls short and plans frequently get tripped up by legal fights or popular opposition, he said.
In Delaware, for example, Gov. Jack Markell said in March that he wanted to legalize sports betting in casinos, which he said would bring in $53 million in the first year to help plug an $800 million budget shortfall. But the plan was blocked by a federal court in Philadelphia on Aug. 24 on the grounds that it would undermine confidence in professional sports.
In Ohio, Governor Strickland reversed his stance on video slots at racetracks based on a “conservative” estimate that the new machines would net more than $760 million to the state.
But the slots are not likely to arrive here any time soon because a lawsuit is pending before the Ohio Supreme Court that argues that the plan should be placed before the voters. The slots may also get overtaken by a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot and would allow four full-fledged casinos, one each in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo.
Still, Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president of the American Gaming Association, said states had plenty of reasons to want to expand gambling.
“Even though our revenues are down during the recession, bringing a casino into a community will still provide new jobs, new tax revenues, new opportunities for local vendors and other benefits that didn’t exist before,” Mr. Fahrenkopf said. “It isn’t surprising that as consumers are tightening their wallets, and with less discretionary spending for entertainment, they are spending less when they visit casinos, too.”
About 60 percent of people who participate in casino gambling have cut back on spending on the activity, according to a 2008 national survey conducted by the association.
Despite the downturn, revenue from racinos grew this fiscal year, producing $2.9 billion in taxes and fees in 12 states compared with $2.7 billion the year before, a 6.7 percent increase.
But Ms. Dadayan of the Rockefeller Institute said the racino windfalls might be short-lived because slot profits usually soften with time as their novelty wears off and more states add machines.
If Pennsylvania and Indiana, where slots are new, are excluded, the total slot revenue from the other 10 states with racinos actually fell by $76 million in fiscal year 2009, a 4 percent decline.
States Face Drop in Gambling Revenues
By IAN URBINA
CINCINNATI — Casinos and lotteries in most states are reporting a downturn in revenue for the first time, resulting in a drop in the money collected by state and local governments, according to new state data.
The decline comes as states are rapidly expanding gambling in hopes of stemming severe budget shortfalls, and it indicates that gambling is not insulated from broader economic forces like recessions, as has been argued in the past.
The drop has led some gambling experts to wonder whether the industry is reaching market saturation, whereby a limited number of gamblers with a fixed amount of money to bet is being split across a growing number of gambling options.
States that have been invested in gambling the longest have been hit hardest. Illinois reported a $166 million drop in tax revenue in fiscal year 2009, from 2008; Nevada had a $122 million drop, and New Jersey $62 million.
In hopes of enticing more gamblers, New Jersey lawmakers have repealed a smoking ban, and in Illinois they are considering allowing free drinks on riverboat casinos.
“The data shows that states take a real chance in depending on gambling because this revenue is not likely to keep pace with growing budgetary needs,” said Lucy Dadayan, a senior analyst at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University at Albany, which will release a report on the subject next week.
“In the absence of new types of gambling, it can become a zero-sum game as states compete for the same pot.”
Others, however, argue that the current decline is temporary, and that the industry has plenty of room to expand. Some experts expect revenues to bounce back, but doubt they will be as robust as they were before the recession.
The 12 states that have casinos made $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2009, which ended June 30, a 7.4 percent drop from last year, according to the state data. Among the roughly 42 states with lotteries, 38 reported data indicating that they made $14.5 billion this year, a 2.6 percent drop compared with the earnings from the same states last year.
Gambling critics have long maintained that it provides short-term revenue at the expense of long-term social costs, like increased crime and addiction. But the new data also shows that the revenue collected by states and local governments is decreasing while competition for it is on the rise. Still, state leaders are looking for ways to get a piece of the earnings.
Here in Ohio, Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat and former Methodist minister, reversed his opposition to gambling and, in conjunction with the legislature, issued a directive allowing video slots at the state’s seven racetracks.
In Colorado, voters last year backed an increase in betting limits at casinos, and Missouri voters approved the end of limits on how much a gambler can lose. “We need those slots like nobody’s business,” said Mildred Cox, 77, who for 28 years has run the concession stand at River Downs here, one of the seven horse racing tracks slated to receive some of the state’s 17,500 proposed new slot machines. “Look at this place, it’s desolate.”
Across from her, a crowd of older men, betting tickets in hand, stood staring at several televisions mounted on the wall showing races in other states and Canada.
As a bell rang, the horses sprinted by, competing for a winning prize of $4,600. But the men barely broke their concentration from the televisions.
“You can’t attract the best horses and the biggest bettors with purses like that,” said Ms. Cox, pointing outside at a largely empty grandstand.
Thirty years ago, gamblers had to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to bet legally. Now, a dozen states have commercial casinos, 12 have “racinos,” or slot machines and other games that are installed at racetracks, 29 states have Indian casinos, and at least 42 states and the District of Columbia, have lotteries.
“When budgets get tight, expanding gambling always looks to lawmakers like the perfect quick-fix solution,” said John Kindt, a professor of business and legal policy at the University of Illinois who studies the impact of state-sponsored gambling. “But in the end, it so often proves to be neither quick nor a fix.”
Crime jumps 10 percent in areas with casinos, personal bankruptcies soar 18 percent to 42 percent and the number of new gambling addicts doubles, Mr. Kindt said. Predicted state revenue often falls short and plans frequently get tripped up by legal fights or popular opposition, he said.
In Delaware, for example, Gov. Jack Markell said in March that he wanted to legalize sports betting in casinos, which he said would bring in $53 million in the first year to help plug an $800 million budget shortfall. But the plan was blocked by a federal court in Philadelphia on Aug. 24 on the grounds that it would undermine confidence in professional sports.
In Ohio, Governor Strickland reversed his stance on video slots at racetracks based on a “conservative” estimate that the new machines would net more than $760 million to the state.
But the slots are not likely to arrive here any time soon because a lawsuit is pending before the Ohio Supreme Court that argues that the plan should be placed before the voters. The slots may also get overtaken by a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot and would allow four full-fledged casinos, one each in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo.
Still, Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president of the American Gaming Association, said states had plenty of reasons to want to expand gambling.
“Even though our revenues are down during the recession, bringing a casino into a community will still provide new jobs, new tax revenues, new opportunities for local vendors and other benefits that didn’t exist before,” Mr. Fahrenkopf said. “It isn’t surprising that as consumers are tightening their wallets, and with less discretionary spending for entertainment, they are spending less when they visit casinos, too.”
About 60 percent of people who participate in casino gambling have cut back on spending on the activity, according to a 2008 national survey conducted by the association.
Despite the downturn, revenue from racinos grew this fiscal year, producing $2.9 billion in taxes and fees in 12 states compared with $2.7 billion the year before, a 6.7 percent increase.
But Ms. Dadayan of the Rockefeller Institute said the racino windfalls might be short-lived because slot profits usually soften with time as their novelty wears off and more states add machines.
If Pennsylvania and Indiana, where slots are new, are excluded, the total slot revenue from the other 10 states with racinos actually fell by $76 million in fiscal year 2009, a 4 percent decline.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sen. Voinovich: "When it comes to gambling you can't be half pregnant".
Friday, September 04, 2009 Reginald FieldsPlain Dealer Bureau ChiefColumbus- U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a longtime gambling opponent, called out Gov. Ted Strickland on Thursday for flipping his position on gambling and authorizing slot machine betting at Ohio racetracks. Voinovich, speaking during a news conference called to oppose the slots plan and a separate casino issue, raised his voice, pounded a lectern and twice referred to God as the source that has helped opponents beat back every prior attempt at full-fledged gambling here. Strickland's office responded, saying the Democratic governor knew he would be criticized but offers no apologies for making the tough call for slots to help balance Ohio's budget.
Voinovich, a former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor, recalled how Strickland joined him in 2006 to oppose a gambling ballot proposal and came out against another gambling proposal just last year, saying it was bad for Ohio families and not the route to economic recovery. Strickland's plan, backed by the state legislature and approved in July, legalizes up to 17,500 slot machines at Ohio's seven horse-racing tracks under the authority of the Ohio Lottery. "Based on his past comments, he knows this is not in the best interest of Ohio families," Voinovich charged. "These slots will run 24 hours a day and be available to even people who aren't old enough to buy alcoholic beverages. "And I think he's got to understand," the Republican senator continued, "that when it comes to gambling, you can't be half-pregnant. The expansion of the lottery is opening the door to full-blown gambling in this state." Strickland's office took Voinovich's criticism in stride, saying it had few other options for balancing the budget for the next two years in light of Ohio's depressing economic outlook. Strickland is counting on the slots plan to bring in $933 million between now and June 2011. "The world changed tremendously about a year ago with the collapse of Lehman Brothers when Ohio began to face a lingering national recession which led to a shortfall in this state," said Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst.
==============================================================================
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/09/sen_george_voinovich_blasts_sl.html
Voinovich, a former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor, recalled how Strickland joined him in 2006 to oppose a gambling ballot proposal and came out against another gambling proposal just last year, saying it was bad for Ohio families and not the route to economic recovery. Strickland's plan, backed by the state legislature and approved in July, legalizes up to 17,500 slot machines at Ohio's seven horse-racing tracks under the authority of the Ohio Lottery. "Based on his past comments, he knows this is not in the best interest of Ohio families," Voinovich charged. "These slots will run 24 hours a day and be available to even people who aren't old enough to buy alcoholic beverages. "And I think he's got to understand," the Republican senator continued, "that when it comes to gambling, you can't be half-pregnant. The expansion of the lottery is opening the door to full-blown gambling in this state." Strickland's office took Voinovich's criticism in stride, saying it had few other options for balancing the budget for the next two years in light of Ohio's depressing economic outlook. Strickland is counting on the slots plan to bring in $933 million between now and June 2011. "The world changed tremendously about a year ago with the collapse of Lehman Brothers when Ohio began to face a lingering national recession which led to a shortfall in this state," said Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst.
==============================================================================
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/09/sen_george_voinovich_blasts_sl.html
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Oh The Pain!
The University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors met one week after they partied hearty with Pat Banitar (Patricia Mae Andrzejewski to her friends) at the Paragon Casino in Marksville, LA, and rubber stamped the "plan" from the lsujc/nelscu/nlu/ulm to furlough surviving faculty and staff and fire 36 faculty and staff. The lies, Cofer told the faculty that if they taught for free no one would be fired; Cofer told the NewsStar there would be no furloughs because the faculty were working for free; Cofer told KNOE TV there would be no programs eliminated. Economics, Occupuational Theraphy, Philosophy, Entrepreneurship, and Home Economics have been killed, forever. Aviation, Agriculture, and Dental Hygiene are on life support. But who cares about the chronic illnesses at ULM? Well obviously not the governor's people on the Board of Supervisors.
Maybe the Board of Regents and her highness Sally Clausen EdD will do something this week at their board meeting. She hired Cofer. Or the Regents who have budget authority over all higher education might block these furloughs and firings. But alas, the closest board member to Monroe, LA, is the morally and professionally conflicted District Attorney of Lincoln Parish and of counsel at Hudson Potts and Bernstein law firm, Robert Levy.
Maybe the Board of Regents and her highness Sally Clausen EdD will do something this week at their board meeting. She hired Cofer. Or the Regents who have budget authority over all higher education might block these furloughs and firings. But alas, the closest board member to Monroe, LA, is the morally and professionally conflicted District Attorney of Lincoln Parish and of counsel at Hudson Potts and Bernstein law firm, Robert Levy.
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