The Tuscaloosa News on mayor's bingo winnings
Is Larry Langford the luckiest man in America or did he get help from rigged bingo operations in Macon and Greene counties?
Best of luck getting this state's residents to believe he's just blessed with good fortune. Of course, it's also possible the embattled Birmingham mayor is simply the victim of frivolous lawsuits.
People say they stood beside Langford as he raked in jackpot after jackpot at those two dog tracks turned bingo parlors, a statistical improbability.
The facts may eventually be revealed in court. The number of people making claims, and Langford's shady reputation, will certainly keep speculation alive until then.
The problem is that this scenario could possibly be true.
There should be no possibility that a powerful man could repeatedly benefit from rigged gaming. And the first step toward ensuring people have a fair shot in games of chance is a state regulatory commission.
A state commission over all forms of gambling - bingo, pari-mutuel and whatever may arise in the future - is needed to ensure the integrity of their operations. At this point, it's hard to tell whether any laws were broken even if the allegations are true.
The Anniston Star on Alabama stimulus:
Political DNA tests on America's K-12 teachers could provide expected results. As a group, teachers may subscribe to Republican beliefs as much as anyone else.
Those teachers who lean toward the GOP may buy in to the Fox News-fueled bashing of President Obama's stimulus plan. Taken a step further, they may wholeheartedly believe that spending $787 billion to kickstart the flagging economy was money wasted.
Of course, many of those teachers are employed today because of the Obama stimulus.
New information released recently confirmed what many states - including Alabama - already were reporting: The stimulus has not only stopped most states from issuing pink slips to teachers, it has also allowed some to put more teachers in classrooms.
The federal government sent Alabama $3 billion in stimulus money, $1 billion of which was earmarked for education during the next two years.
That infusion of cash protected a lion's share of the teaching jobs.
Is Larry Langford the luckiest man in America or did he get help from rigged bingo operations in Macon and Greene counties?
Best of luck getting this state's residents to believe he's just blessed with good fortune. Of course, it's also possible the embattled Birmingham mayor is simply the victim of frivolous lawsuits.
People say they stood beside Langford as he raked in jackpot after jackpot at those two dog tracks turned bingo parlors, a statistical improbability.
The facts may eventually be revealed in court. The number of people making claims, and Langford's shady reputation, will certainly keep speculation alive until then.
The problem is that this scenario could possibly be true.
There should be no possibility that a powerful man could repeatedly benefit from rigged gaming. And the first step toward ensuring people have a fair shot in games of chance is a state regulatory commission.
A state commission over all forms of gambling - bingo, pari-mutuel and whatever may arise in the future - is needed to ensure the integrity of their operations. At this point, it's hard to tell whether any laws were broken even if the allegations are true.
The Anniston Star on Alabama stimulus:
Political DNA tests on America's K-12 teachers could provide expected results. As a group, teachers may subscribe to Republican beliefs as much as anyone else.
Those teachers who lean toward the GOP may buy in to the Fox News-fueled bashing of President Obama's stimulus plan. Taken a step further, they may wholeheartedly believe that spending $787 billion to kickstart the flagging economy was money wasted.
Of course, many of those teachers are employed today because of the Obama stimulus.
New information released recently confirmed what many states - including Alabama - already were reporting: The stimulus has not only stopped most states from issuing pink slips to teachers, it has also allowed some to put more teachers in classrooms.
The federal government sent Alabama $3 billion in stimulus money, $1 billion of which was earmarked for education during the next two years.
That infusion of cash protected a lion's share of the teaching jobs.
No comments:
Post a Comment