All Pennsylvanians own the lottery, not just Corbett
by state Rep. Michelle Brownlee
195th Legislative District
To a governor who wields privatization like a boy with a hammer, I bet Pennsylvania's lottery program looks like a diamond-point beauty of a nail.
And it should – our Lottery Fund's profit margins would drop the jaw of just about any private investor. Sales this year increased 8.5 percent to $3.48 billion over last year, and profit increased 10.4 percent to $1.06 billion. Administrative costs dropped by more than $600,000 since last year.
Problem is, our Lottery was not built by Gov. Tom Corbett alone and should not be sold alone – and probably not at all.
Taxpayers and public employees built the lottery, and we deserve to see more than a hastily reviewed and heavily redacted draft agreement with a "sell-by" date before General Assembly can reconvene and hold hearings.
We also deserve more time to thoroughly vet Camelot U.K., the lone bid for a multi-billion-dollar, 20-year contract.
I find it funny that on Wednesday while announcing his decision to forego a health-insurance exchange in Pennsylvania, Corbett had this to say: "Pennsylvania taxpayers and businesses deserve more. They deserve informed decision making and a strong plan that responsibly uses taxpayer dollars."
Really? How could he possibly mean that?
Regardless of such doublespeak, I truly hope Corbett finds the courage to table this deal with Camelot.
After all, it's the taxpayers' fingers holding the nail when he misses.
+ Top Story
You want honest and well-run elections. This starts by choosing the people who work at your polling place. Elections for Judge of Election and Election Inspector are on the May 21 ballot. You can read about what they do here.
This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Celebration of Black Writing Festival, one of the oldest Black literary festivals in the country. For nearly three decades, the Celebration has grown from a one-day gathering of authors and literary intellectuals to a weeklong event...
The Honorable Vincent J. Hughes Senator, 7th Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania will be the Keynote Speaker at the Fourth Saints of Valor Martial Ministry Appreciation Awards Ceremony Dinner hosted by Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.
A Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General investigation of 19 Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation contracts has found that 11 prime contractors used JHS and Sons Supply Company to circumvent the City’s antidiscrimination requirements by...
The Franklin & Marshall College Poll is produced in conjunction with the Philadelphia Daily News, WGAL-TV (South Central PA), Pittsburgh Tribune Review, WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh), WPVI-TV6/ABC (Philadelphia), Times-Shamrock Newspapers, Harrisburg Patriot-News, and Lancaster Newspapers.
Orphaned at 18 and left to support and care for his 13-year-old brother, the odds were stacked against Ronald E. Wilson going to college, let alone graduating. So, it is not surprising that Wilson was overwhelmed by emotions upon learning he will be one of 1,934 candidates for graduation at CCP.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Tuesday unanimously approved H.R. 301, authored by Reps. Seth Grove, R-York, and James Roebuck, D-Phila., to designate May 7 as “Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition Day.”
To better inform voters about the candidates in this statewide election, the Pennsylvania Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Commission today issued its ratings and descriptive paragraphs for all appellate judge candidates appearing on the May 21 primary ballots.