"Much of this year's chaos over the casino vote can be traced to the legislature's foolish approach of keeping the bill under wraps until the last possible moment. Harrah's lobbyists also did the casino company and its Rhode Island partner, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, a costly disservice by failing to flag the constitutional problems well in advance.

When it became clear last month that there were constitutional flaws in the legislation, politicians even flirted with rushing through a bill to amend the constitution on a Friday night, with little opportunity for public involvement. That's not the way to treat the constitution -- the document that establishes the perimeters of government, in order to shield the public from abuses of power."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The casino mess (The Providence Journal 8/15)
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