Column: Confusion over tribal casino referendum

Tuesday, August 3, 2004  

"So Rhode Islanders are faced with the prospect that a highly emotional referendum campaign will be waged from now to November, with both sides in the debate spending lavishly, voters having to try to sort through the claims and counter-claims -- and then, despite a majority of voters saying yes, they want the West Warwick facility, the court tells them, this time not in advisory ruling but in a fully thrashed out case, that it is indeed unconstitutional.

Perhaps anyone advertising during the referendum should have to include this disclaimer:

'By the way, the proposed casino may violate the Constitution's requirement that any lottery be state-operated. Therefore, this whole campaign may be irrelevant. We regret any inconvenience. Have a nice day.'"

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Casino issue: Please spare us the confusion (The Providence Journal 8/3)
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