We have our first nominee, and it’ll be hard to beat.
Ginger Gibson, in today’s News-Journal, reported on how Delaware Park maxed out on political contributions to well over half the members of the Delaware General Assembly. Many of those contributions came right around the time that the existing racinos “beat back proposals to increase the number of casinos and allow sports betting at new locations.”
Which brings me to the first legitimate contender for Lie of the Year.
But first, in the interest of fairness, I want each and every one of you to set aside your skepticism and/or cynicism for just a moment. Please consider with an open mind the possibility, no matter how remote, that the following statement about the contributions just might be true.
From William Fasy, COO of Delaware Park, and noted altruist, especially when it comes to legislators:
“We donate to campaigns because we understand the difficult jobs legislators face and believe it is the right thing to do,” Fasy said. “We don’t expect anything in return.”
Bill Fasy recognizes the extraordinary pressures that legislators face in padding their second, third, or fourth pensions. He realizes that it’s tough to maintain that second home in Fenwick, create the facade that one still lives in the District that elected them, and even travel back to the home district on rare occasion, on a mere two pensions and a legislator’s salary.
One wonders whether Fasy and his casino cohorts donate $600 to each degenerate gambling addict who loses all at their racinos. One wonders just how many of those degenerates the racinos turn away (or towards Gamblers’ Anonymous) while they still have one last nickel in their pockets. Actually, one doesn’t wonder at all.
“The difficult jobs that legislators face”?? What Fasy really means is the difficult job of making the ‘right’ decisions for the racino industry. Which may or may not have anything in common with the public’s interest. After all, isn’t it more difficult for challengers to raise money? Where is DelPark’s charitable instinct to help them?
As Gibson’s article pointed out, in addition to contributions from Delaware Park, several legislators also got contributions from the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association, and from the notorious Byrd and Davis lobbying shops, who number the tracks among their clients. And that doesn’t even include personal contributions from high-ranking racino officials. All merely to help those overworked public officials with their difficult jobs.
Almost as big a lie as Fasy’s is the by-now standard response from legislators. Dick Cathcart said it, but it might as well have been spoken by all legislative recipients in unison:
I get a check from them every year,” House Minority Leader Richard Cathcart, R-Middletown, said of the Delaware Park contribution. “I don’t think there is any connection with the vote.” Cathcart brokered the deal that got sports betting enacted and, with support of the casinos, legalized table games. He has opposed proposals to authorize new casinos.
Yep, to paraphrase Don Tollefson, Cathcart just gets the annual check because he’s a gooo-ooo-d guy. And an elected official with lots of clout.
Ladies and gentlemen: Your Delaware General Assembly. And the lying liars who enable them.