"The leadership in our nation's capitol must act to cut the cancer of gambling dollars out of American politics if we are to avoid further destruction of our citizens' respect for government," Gary Bauer said Thursday. The chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, president of American Values and a former presidential candidate addressed the issue of gambling dollars in politics as Public Citizen released an extensive report on the role gambling dollars played in recent political events.
Bauer continued: "This report is a must-read for every person who has wondered where the gambling industry money is going and what happens to public policy when it gets there. It was a riveting and profoundly sad report because it shows that our political system has been infected by an industry that leaves broken lives in its wake."
"I commend Public Citizen for exposing the incredible financial powerhouse of the gambling industry, which can bring millions of lobbying dollars into politics through a business that makes money by destroying lives. It should offend every pro-family American that casinos take scarce dollars out of a family's budget by ensnaring people in an addictive trap ... And then uses those same dollars to expand the business. I hope that a consensus can be reached on Capital Hill to pass fair campaign finance reform legislation that preserves free speech while stopping the corrupting influence of unlimited soft money." |
