Bangor Daily News, Dec. 5
It is understandable that Shawn Scott wants to burst out of the starting gate with his racino in Bangor. But the governor’s office and the state’s Harness Racing Commission are wise to rein in the project while so many unanswered questions remain.

There are questions about the regulation of racinos – a new breed of betting parlor in Maine – about the social and financial impact of slot machines at horse racing tracks and about Mr. Scott and his past business dealings. Until these issues are resolved, the state is right to proceed with caution. …

There are so many racino-related activities happening on so many fronts, it is hard to keep track. In Bangor, a group – including two city councilors – is circulating a petition seeking to revisit the agreement the city signed with Capital Seven to develop the racino at Bass Park. Another city councilor – who works for Capital Seven – suggested that such efforts, coupled with the city’s ongoing discussions with other potential racino developers, could lead to legal action initiated by Mr. Scott’s company.

In southern Maine, it has been revealed that Mr. Scott is associated with a political action committee that is campaigning against the opening of a racino near Scarborough. One day Mr. Scott denied any involvement. The next he admitted that his company was behind the PAC. …

Given all this activity, it makes sense for everyone to hold their horses. First, anything done involving slot machines before the new racino law goes into effect … such as installing them at Bass Park before year’s end as Mr. Scott said he intended to do, is a criminal offense.

Second, a regulatory agency set up to handle possibly thousands of new slot machines must be established before a racino is opened. …

Mr. Scott is partly right that some of these issues should have been worked out before the November vote. Clearly, the legislation … is flawed. But, with so much attention devoted to defeating a tribal casino in southern Maine, the racino question passed without enough scrutiny. …

Going forward, state and local officials can learn from their mistakes and pay close attention to the details as licenses are considered and agreements made. They can only do so by going slowly.


Congress abuses its power
The Des Moines (Iowa) Register, Dec. 4
So called omnibus bills allow Congress to wrap up all the legislative leftovers of the year into one humongous bill that includes the sneakiest of details and policy changes.

It’s bad enough these catchall bills have become standard practice. This year’s pending $820 billion bill is especially egregious.

Omnibus bills are the work of conference committees that, technically, exist to reconcile differences between the House and the Senate. In practice, they go beyond reconciling differences. They often include legislation that was approved by neither house or, worse, legislation that was actually rejected by one or both houses. Then they are presented for a single, up-or-down vote on the entire package. Members have no opportunity to amend the bill and little choice but to vote yes…

But the administration wouldn’t take no for an answer. Working with congressional leaders behind the scenes, the administration managed to include the changes to overtime pay in this year’s omnibus bill…

(Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin) called it an abuse of power.

It is.

… The process makes this democratic country feel too dictatorial for comfort.


Timing off on mission
The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Dec. 9
Few things done by government are as fascinating, or have as much potential for long-term good, as space travel.

That is why most Americans no doubt will welcome President Bush’s plans to return men to the moon. Bush is to announce his initiative Dec. 17, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ historic flights …

It has been more than three decades since man last set foot on the lunar surface and, despite some deadly setbacks, people probably are eager for another space adventure. …

However, the government projects a record $475 billion budget deficit this fiscal year. That is a terrible burden to place on future generations. Until the budget is brought under control, the timing simply isn’t right for costly new spending initiatives. …


Destroy terrorism’s roots
Addis Tribune, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 5
The fundamental cause of terrorism in the world today is the injustice meted out to the Arabs in general and the Palestinian people in particular. At the same time also the United States of America and Britain have exacerbated the problem of terrorism in the world by invading and occupying Iraq under the pretext that the country was possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a figment of their own fertile imagination. And, when these WMDs could not be found anywhere, they were sanctimoniously claiming that they were invading Iraq to bring about regime change there. …

One cannot certainly fight terrorists who are sacrificing themselves on the altar of what they consider to be a worthy religious cause …

As we see it, one can only defeat terrorism by removing the root cause of the evil by restoring justice to the people of Palestine and by withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq …