Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Turner Caves…Again


Delegate Frank Turner, a self proclaimed opponent of gambling in Maryland, has voted in favor of gambling, again. In this post by Len Lazarick on Annapolitics Len writes that, “as a business professor at Morgan State University, he wrote an academic paper critical of casino gambling,’ to this the District 13 Dem added “I still believe they’re not great.”

But apparently casinos are still good enough to get his vote, even when it didn’t matter. On Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a slightly modified version of the guvs gambling legislation by a vote of 13 to 7.

This isn’t the first time Frank supported Maryland gambling either. When the General Assembly first took up slots legislation back in 2007, Frank voted it for it back then as well.

Frank serves as chair of the Finance Resources subcommittee which oversees gambling legislation. If he had voted against the bill it still would have likely passed. On the other hand, as chair, a vote by him opposing the bill might not have altered the outcome in the committee but may have given  a little political cover to others who might oppose it in the full house. In other words, leading instead of following the pack.

That didn’t happen. When it came time to stand up, Frank chose party over principal.

That’s what I disdain about the major political parties, particularly any political party that happens to be in power. At the end of the day, what the party wants the party gets, personal principles be damned.

And we, as voters, continue to give guys like Frank a free pass on it.

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