"If Tom Emmer loses the race for Minnesota governor, a Herald editorial suggested a few days ago, it will be because the Republican candidate steadfastly refuses to outline his budget proposal in detail.

Here’s a similar observation about the DFL Party candidate: If Mark Dayton loses, it’ll be because he avoids angering his core supporters, especially Minnesota’s public employee unions. Centrists and independents pick up on that reluctance, and they gravitate to the other candidates, whom they suspect would be more willing to make tough decisions as governor.

But the centerpiece of Dayton’s revised budget is the opposite of his “tax the rich” plan. It’s a “tax the poor” plan that the idea’s flashing lights and jackpot chimes can’t hide.

Dayton wants the state to open its own casino, thus turning progressive Minnesota to a regressive form of raising revenue. Legalized gambling “makes poor people poorer,” experts have long recognized.

How can Dayton profess concern for the poor in one breath while proposing a state-run casino near the Mall of America in the next?"

Get the Story:
OUR OPINION: Dayton makes bad bet by proposing state-run casino (The Grand Forks Herald 9/26)
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