Oct 20, 2008 5:27 pm US/Eastern
Major Newspapers Divided On Slots
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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The Baltimore Sun has decided to endorse the Maryland slots referendum.
Two weeks from decision day, the Baltimore Sun endorses Maryland's slots referendum. It's a turnabout from the Sun's previous editorial position on expanded gambling.
Pat Warren reports it's an endorsement at odds with the area's other major newspaper.
As the Sun encourages a "yes" vote on slots, Mayor Sheila Dixon also repeated her endorsement of the slots ballot question on Monday.
"For Baltimore City in particular, there's really two main reasons why the city is pushing this. One is to help to lower property tax rates, and the other is to help in building new schools," said Mayor Dixon.
This weekend, the Baltimore Sun endorsed ballot question two which authorizes the state to issue up to five video lottery licenses for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education of children in public schools.
The Sun also cites the economy as its reason for changing its existing anti-slots position to pro-slots. They're economic conditions the Sun calls extraordinary.
The Washington Post, on the other hand, says "no" to Maryland slots. They say the projected $600 million slots advocates say the state will gain is not to be believed.
It appears slots support or opposition is situational. Governor Martin O'Malley, for example. continues to explain that his opposition to slots when Governor Robert Ehrlich struggled to pass the bill was conditional.
Former Governor Ehrlich is for slots, but against both the constitutional amendment and the way the state would operate them.
"The splits here, the numbers simply don't work. The best way to go about the business here would be to kill this turkey, pass the slots bill in January, you have the votes. Make it workable. Make the splits work, the numbers work so that we have slots here, we keep horse racing, we keep the Preakness and we save breeding operations. But the constitutional amendments are clearly not the way to go," said Ehrlich.
Governor O'Malley made the referendum part of his budget deficit solution during the special session, and he says Maryland needs slots now more than ever.
State officials estimate slots would bring $600 million a year to the state. Maryland's budget deficit is estimated at $800 million for the next five years.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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