Del. Eric Bromwell is gambling that this is the year the General Assembly passes his bill expanding slot machines to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
This is the fifth year the Perry Hall Democrat has proposed placing machines at the airport. Bromwell said his plan is an alternative to Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed increase in the .
If approved, the machines would be housed in a room inside the airport.
"It was never the intent to have machines lining the walls at the airport," he said.
Bromwell said the idea is to "capture dollars from travelers who pass through the airport before they take off."
"Every month BWI records record travelers," said Bromwell. "They have money to spend."
Bromwell is the lead sponsor on two bills that would expand gambling to the airport. The first is an amendment to the state constitution allowing the expansion. The second, which has 40 co-sponsors, authorizes the machines at the airport.
Under federal law, money from gambling at airports must be used for transportation projects. Bromwell said his plan is more palatable than the alternatives.
"I have more sponsors than ever," Bromwell said. "People realize we need an alternative to the gas tax or an increase in vehicle registration fees."
Still, this state is BEHIND on the issue of slots. They finally got around to opening one, what, a year ago? The concept of using them in places like airports and horse racing facilities is one of those common sense no-brainers that this state legislature has historically refused to see. Those who fear gambling to you, I say "Look how well prohibition worked". Alcoholism is just as dangerous a side effect as gambling addiction. Both can and will ruin your life if allowed to. You don't just ban everything that 'could be' dangerous. Walking down the street "could be dangerous" if you're not paying attention.
A fine idea though...
There's also progressive Republicans. Usually. Not in this current House of Rep though. Which is probably why they get nothing done, and have an approval rating three times as bad as our President.
Finally, calling me a liberal based on one point only further demonstrates ignorance. The liberals on this board sure wouldn't call me one of their own, for example, when I tell them that illegal immigrants should be shown the door - not have their college tuition paid for. They also wouldn't call me "one of their own" when I tell people 'Obamacare" was a terrible mistake. Not only can this Government not run healthcare properly (They can't even handle Medicare), but they implemented this at the worst economic time period possible. Pure idiocy. My views don't completely fall into either party because, quite honestly, both parties are tragically flawed.
Delegate Bromwell has a brilliant counter to Gov. Owe'Malley's insane sales tax expansion and I was just concerned that you were trying to misdirect the topic by injecting something to utterly irrelevant into the conversation.