"A gambling scheme for northern Maine narrowly passed the Senate last week, but yesterday Gov. John Baldacci was poised to veto it.

Lobbying on both sides has been intense, but after an almost two-hour meeting at the governor's residence Tuesday, little seemed to have been accomplished.

Earlier in the week, the measure was passed by the House of Representatives by a wide margin, 87-46. The Senate vote was 19-15, seemingly enough to sustain a veto.

The votes in the Legislature notwithstanding, Baldacci occupies the high ground on slot machines. The expansion of gambling is a cancer that destroys otherwise healthy societies.

No one will deny the need to aid the economies of Maine's northern counties. But do it in a way that will strengthen, not weaken the fabric of society in those areas."

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A gambling scheme for northern Maine is bad for everyone (Foster's Daily Democrat 6/8)