House Budget Proposal Would Double Lottery Advertising!
Yesterday, June 10, the North Carolina House rolled out its version of the state budget for 2014-2015, and it includes a shocking provision that would double the amount of money the state lottery could spend on advertising. Based on predictions by the state lottery commission, the advertising boost (from 1 percent to 2 percent of […]
S.C. Supreme Court Rejects Catawba Tribe’s Video Poker Claim
In an opinion filed this morning, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the Catawba Indian Nation does not have the legal authority to operate video gambling in the Palmetto State. Not only does this ruling shut the door on the Tribe’s efforts to conduct video poker in South Carolina, but it further curtails the […]
Local Opposition to Indian Casino Grows
This past Friday night, I had the opportunity to speak in Kings Mountain, N.C. to a group of pastors and other citizens who are deeply troubled by the prospect of an Indian gambling casino being built in their town. If the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation and the gambling interests behind this “project” have their […]
COMMENTARY: Catawba Casino – An Unwarranted Claim
On September 13, I reported in this commentary column that the North Carolina Family Policy Council had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to obtain documents related to the Catawba Indians’ effort to build a Las Vegas-style gambling casino in Cleveland County, west of Charlotte. On […]
Online Lottery Ticket Sales Begin
Beginning today, December 5, 2013, North Carolinians will be able to purchase lottery tickets for certain games on the Internet through an online subscription service. The North Carolina Education Lottery’s (NCEL) new online service, which begins December 5, is modeled after similar programs in 11 other states, and allows “players to use the lottery’s website […]
Take a Deep Breath
To say that the second special session of the General Assembly was anything less than exciting would be misleading. After eight years of waiting, Senator Jim Forrester (R–Gaston) finally saw his proposal to protect marriage come up for a vote— and pass in both chambers. The amendment will now be on the ballot in the […]
Do No Harm: The Shifting Standard in Medicine
Imagine receiving a call that your teenage son has been in a horrible car accident and has suffered a brain injury. You race to the hospital and discover he is burning up with a 105 degree fever. The doctor refuses to give him medicine to reduce his fever claiming that your son’s life isn’t worth […]