Dayton Daily News: "Strickland Couldn't Be More Wrong"

Ellen Belcher at the Dayton Daily News writes:

Gov. Ted Strickland is recklessly, obstinately and selfishly putting Ohio on a horrible course.

He refuses to give up on his plan to help balance the state budget by allowing as many as 17,500 slot machines divided among Ohio’s seven racetracks. He hopes that permitting the so-called video lottery terminals will raise almost $1 billion.

Going with the slots avoids having to cut state programs by that amount or raising taxes.

There is so much wrong with the idea that it’s hard to know where to begin. 

With the governor’s effort to blanket the state with these places, what we have is a desperate leader proving his unwillingness to use his bully pulpit to speak truth to taxpayers.

And who knows whether the state will ever be able to undo all the ways in which we will surely get snookered.

This is not the Ted Strickland Ohio elected.