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.
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