“If gambling was the answer, Nevada would be flush”

Kudos to Gov. Rick Perry for telling it like it is:


“If gambling was the answer, Nevada would be flush”


Maybe lawmakers on Beacon Hill will have the wisdom to support an Independent Cost Benefit Analysis.

Perry renews opposition to gambling in a statewide phone chat with Texans

In a telephone chat with thousands of Texans on Monday night, Gov. Rick Perry reaffirmed his opposition to casino gambling and said the state’s Rainy Day Fund should only be used as a "last resource."

The hour-long conversation was hosted by Michael Quinn Sullivan, president and CEO of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and a strong supporter of Perry’s business-oriented, limited government policies. More than 100,000 callers were connected to the statewide hook-up, Sullivan said, and those who didn’t get to talk to Perry were invited to leave a voice mail.

Responding to questions from voters who appeared largely supportive of the Republican governor, Perry touched on a range of topics from the budget to legislative issues. Perry repeatedly underscored his commitment to balance the state budget with no new taxes and said Texas is recovering from the nationwide economic downturn faster than “any state in the nation.”

Perry said he has “been very consistent” in opposing expanding gambling in Texas and told a caller that he believes most lawmakers share his view. “If gambling was the answer, Nevada would be flush,” he said.

A proposed amendment to the state constitution would allow voters to decide on allowing casinos in Texas. Proponents say the measure would generate much needed revenue but Perry said expanding gambling could increase crime and would not produce the economic benefits that advocates predict. “Texas will be a stronger state in long-run without it,” he said.

Perry again called on lawmakers to use caution as they decide whether to use some of the Rainy Day Fund to deal with a $4 billion deficit for the current 2011 fiscal year. “That needs to be the absolute last place we go,” he said. But, he added, "if there are some dollars in the Rainy Day Fund" needed to balance the budget, "at the end of the day, we're going to have a balanced budget."

The House Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to use $3.2 billion to deal with this year's deficit.

The governor seemed to take a harder line on using the fund to deal with a projected shortfall for the next two years. “Getting into that Rainy Day Fund for the next biennium I will suggest to you is a non-starter,” he said. “That is our insurance policy against a major a major catastrophic event in Texas.”

--Dave Montgomery