The Governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch, has taken a position on the expansion of gambling in the state – waiting a mere seven years to announce that he’s against it. Funny how he’s called that one now that it can’t cost him an election. (He’s retiring in 2012 after his fourth term in the Corner Office).
It must take some guts for a governor to take a stance on gambling while their position is under threat.
According to reports, Lynch’s newly stated reasons for his views are:
- “New Hampshire has no structure in place to regulate large-scale gambling operations,
- Casinos will have a negative effect on our quality of life,
- The revenue would not be as large as promised,
- Casinos could actually cost jobs in the long run,
- Once it’s here expanded gambling will proliferate,
- The casino industry would soon dominate state politics,
- Since when do we implement bad ideas from Massachusetts?”
Wow, pretty strong views there John, especially considering you have had no opinion on the matter for the past seven years. It can’t have taken Lynch all this time to think these ones up, can it? They are hardly original – as these types of opinions have been postulated by a few people already who are against the expansion of gambling in New Hampshire.
Despite his recent statement, doesn’t actions speak louder than words? Waiting all this time, Lynch could have saved legislators and activists time and money by giving his veto threat years, or even months, ago. Doesn’t this just show how this governor knows that most people in his state are for the expansion of gambling? Why else would he be so scared of voicing his opposition to it while his title was in the hands of voters?
Nevertheless, a year from now, New Hampshire will welcome a new governor. Will this happen again? Voters in the state at least deserve a governor that will make his/her views known immediately, so people will know where they stand before the voting begins.
