Dems Dump on Lottery Deal
Democratic leaders in the Legislature are asking Atty. Gen. Kane to kill the lottery deal signed by Gov. Corbett to give lottery management to the Brits.
Dems Dump on Lottery Deal
John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist
By the end of the very day Gov. Corbett announced details and defended his decision to contract with the British firm Camelot Global Services to manage the state lottery, top legislative Democrats formally asked Atty. Gen. Kathleen Kane to kibosh the contract.
House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa sent a letter to Kane on Thursday claiming the contract violates state and federal law.
Kane has 30 days to review then approve or reject the contract.
In a letter to Kane, who took office Tuesday, the pair of Dems contend Corbett usurps the authority of the Legislature to expand gaming (part of Global's plan to increase lottery profits) which Dems contend is purely the purview of lawmakers under provisions of the 1971 lottery act and therefore "contrary to Pennsylvania law."
The letter also contends the contract violates federal law which states that "all significant business decisions" regarding state lotteries must be "conducted by a State acting under the authority of State law."
The Corbett administration has said it has legal authority to enter into the contract.
The two Dems also filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a pending lawsuit seeking to dump the deal brought by the state workers' union AFSCME Council 13, some lottery employees and some other Democratic lawmakers.
The Guv says the contract is needed to expand the lottery and increase profits for the future because the state continues to age.
Kane's response, whatever it is, whenever it comes, sets her up for an early label.
As the current darling of statewide Democrats (first woman, first Dem elected to the post of AG) she can be cast as a partisan foe of Republican Corbett if she rejects the contract or a disappointment to partisan Dems if she okays it.
Such is life in the political arena. Welcome, Ms. Kane, to the show.
- What are you talking about, man? The state has EVERY moral obligation to guarantee the best possible wages for its workers. And there's no guarantee that this firm will make one more penny for the state than our already extremely profitable lottery system does.
@cityslicker, please copy/paste your post into a spell checker next time. It made little sense. But what you did manage to prove is just how insulting liberals/Dems are on these boards. Did you have a problem when Obama sold Chrysler to Fiat, an Italian company? I doubt it.— psyrus- while on the surface i don't like the idea of turning it over to a private company when i see the expensive dinners charged by the turnpike comm. i think maybe we need a change.— rysagr
- Dem party: we want our nepotism over what is best for the state.— CD75
- Who says paying a British firm billions out of state lottery fund is best for the state, cd? If they guarantee $34 billion, then they expect to pull a whole lot more than that out of the lottery. Why not keep it all here? That is what is best for the state, if you could think a little bit. — mike l
- Corbett could offer a cure for cancer and the Pa. Democratic Party would reject it and the Inky would smear it.— CD75
- Actually, most republicans can't stand Corbett either. Your posts would work better if you substituted Repubs for Dems and Obama for Corbett. Troll.
— wokmaster - Corbett would sell it to the highest bidder and make sick pay have to pay through the nose to get it. Hey, cd, you in favor of Corbett selling the State Police? You ready to hire your own police force? — mike l
- Phillies2008WSChamps - the lottery is already profitable? Why sell? Privatization fails the general public in almost all cases.— FishtownYo
- "Privatization fails the general public in almost all cases." --- Then why the hypocrisy over selling PGW? Why is there no outrage at that privatization? The end result of a private company owning PGW is higher monthly bills for consumers.— psyrus
- wow wok calling someone a troll. what's next calling them a clown. typical lib resort to name calling. but mommy the republicans are sooooo mean. lol— rysagr
- Nah, not mean. Just dumb. And I suppose repubs calling the president Obummer, etc. is so adult? Geez,grow up. — mike l
- "You hear of foreign capital in Latin America. You do not hear of concessions to foreign capitalists in the United States. They are not granted concessions. They are invited to make investments. The work is ours, though they are welcome to invest in it. We do not ask them to supply the capital and do the work.... Human rights, national integrity, and opportunity against material interests---that, ladies and gentlemen, is the issue which we now have to face." Woodrow Wilson, October 27, 1913. (P.S. If Corbett started "procuring" slaves instead of unilaterally expanding gaming, I presume that Republicans and Greenhill would argue that that was legal executive action as well? P.S. To our British Brothers, we know you need investment opportunities with the decline of your empire, but there has to be another way.— RR
Tom, great job, please keep up the fight for hard working families of Pennsylvania! Hard working families, fixed income seniors and low income families can no longer afford to have terrorist unions holding super glue to our heads demanding more of our money. The radical terrorist unions, in coordination with the imbedded socialist party, will force children to starve, our seniors to lose their homes, force seniors and low income families to choose between foreclosure and purchasing life saving medicine as they are not tolerant or compassionate when it comes to their greed.- Dude, I'm worried about you. Turn off the FOX noise and go outside. Talk to a real person. They're nice, seriously. Your delusion is shocking.
John is the author of the book "On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting" (The History Press, 2012). Reach John at baerj@phillynews.com.
