Democratic gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis has just weighed in on the attempts this morning by the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to raid the VictoryLand and Country Crossing gambling halls:
I recognize that Alabamians are deeply divided over gambling, and that the law is all too unclear on what kind of gaming is legal in our state. But midnight raids that leave thousands of workers unemployed are not the answer. Alabama voters should have an opportunity to participate in a statewide vote that would clarify the legal definition of gaming. Then, each county should make its own choice as to whether it wants gaming facilities within its borders. Ultimately, the citizens of Houston County and Macon County should be the judge of whether Country Crossing and VictoryLand survive. I will never believe that we go wrong letting the people decide.
Again, Davis marks out pragmatic ground in a divisive debate. With unemployment in Alabama hovering somewhere between 11 and 18 percent, depending on whose numbers you use, it doesn't seem smart to add thousands of people to those rolls at once -- especially if the justices of the Alabama Supreme Court are content to sit on their hands while these injunctions and requests to lift injunctions are flying back and forth.
In my mind, they bear increasing responsibility for most of this confusion. By hearing just one of these big cases, they could provide clarity for us on existing law once and for all. The sooner that happens, the better -- especially since the Alabama Legislature is now in session and could use the ruling to craft a constitutional amendment to put before the people of Alabama as early as this fall.
For the record, Davis's opponent, Ron Sparks, called the attempted raids "insanity."
No pragmatism there.
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