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June 29, 2009

Listen to what they say, but watch what they do

Ronnie Ellis

Mercifully, it’s over. The special session which was supposed to respond to a budget crisis but turned into a battle over electronic slots at horse tracks finally ended Wednesday, 10 days and $600,000 or so after it began.

It reminded me of something a journalism instructor at Western Kentucky University told me 35 years ago: “Listen to what they say, but watch what they do.”

They said Kentucky faced a budget crisis. Then they proceeded to give tax breaks to homebuyers, automobile owners and military personnel – defensible perhaps if affordable but as Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, said “irresponsible” without a way to pay for those tax breaks in a time of fiscal “crisis.” There were more treats in the economic incentives bill which passed both chambers – creating further pressure on the state treasury.

Moberly helped put together an “economic stimulus construction plan” (as House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg described it with a straight face) which would spend more than $1 billion to bond new schools. Of course it was really about passing the slots bill. He said it was an opportunity to replace old and dilapidated schools. But Stumbo used it to secure (some said buy) votes for the slots bill. Only representatives who voted for the gambling measure would get new schools in their districts.

Proponents said it was all about saving Kentucky’s signature horse breeding and racing industry. (Sometimes it’s coal, sometimes it’s whiskey, but this year horses are the signature industry.) But when Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, offered another way to boost incentives and purses without gambling, Gov. Steve Beshear refused to place Williams’ idea on the agenda for debate. Of course, horsemen contend – probably accurately – Williams’ actual intent was simply to de-rail the gambling proposal.

For his part, Williams promised a fair debate in the Senate if the slots bill got out of the House. It did and Williams’ assigned it to the budget committee where Republicans outnumber Democrats 12-5 and where it predictably died. House Democrats made it easy for him, since they assigned the bill to the corresponding budget committee in their chamber.

Beshear began the session saying the budget was the top priority. Then he spent the first eight days of the session working on the slots bill. He first said he wanted a “clean bill,” one with no earmarks for the state’s gambling proceeds. But he quickly came around to the idea of tempting reluctant House members with schools. He said it was finally time for an “up or down vote” on gambling but would not say its failure would end the debate.

He began a Wednesday afternoon press conference praising the bi-partisan cooperation which passed three of four of the items on the session agenda and ended by saying lawmakers actually produced a budget plan which will require even deeper cuts than his. He said Williams and the Republican dominated Senate killed the gambling measure which could have saved the horse industry and vowed to keep fighting for expanded gambling.

Disingenuously, Beshear said “it is too early to tell” if the gambling debate will be a central issue in 2010 legislative campaigns. Three hours later, he told a rally at Keeneland in support of expanded gambling that “we’ve got to change some of the state senators and let’s get started right now.”

Maybe it’s not over after all. Just remember: listen to what they say, but watch what they do.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort, Ky. He may be contacted by e-mail at rellis@cnhi.com.

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