An article in The Weekly Standard recounts the efforts of state Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, to prevent Kansas from becoming the first state in the country to own and operate casinos. “We need to stand up and say enough is enough,” Wagle told author Matthew Continetti. So far, it’s working. The plan Senate leaders had hoped would pass this session was defeated earlier this month. But the article suggests the odds are against Wagle long term, in part because gambling is proliferating in so many other states. “The gambling industry has insinuated itself into American culture and politics to such an extent that, if games were suddenly banned, the fiscal footing of many state governments would be undermined.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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17 Comments
I loathe Wagle…I haven’t forgotten all of the crap with Dr. Chris Dailey’s class. She’s still on my S***list for trying to control what adult, taxpaying college students should learn about. Especially that comment along the lines of “college students don’t know what’s good for them”…On another note, I remember that she had a son with cancer, right? Does anyone know how he’s doing?It pains me to attack Wagle so much for her political tendencies when she’s had such personal sorrows. I know, her personal life should be kept separate from her political life. But I still feel such guilt when trying to attack her misguided political moves.What’s a girl to do?
It is one thing to allow gambling in the state and something even worse to have the state run gambling…
Sorry, but I don’t think it should be a state business to run gambling anymore than I think the state should run a lottery.
I don’t call it misguided politics. I call it standing on your values.
Let me state my decided bias first. I don’t like anything about Susan Wagle’s politics or anything about her as a person.
I have emailed her and suggested that she practice the family values she preaches by staying home and taking care of her son who has cancer. You wanna bet how soon that is going to happen?
She running for Lt. Governor this year.
We’re missing out on an icredible opportuntiy to make much needed revenue for the state. People are gambling anyway, just going elsewhere to do it. Why not keep all that money at home and use it for our schools?
Tara–Mega dittos. Professor Dailey gets pulled out of retirement by popular demand and Wagle enrolls her puritanical, finger-wagging intern to trump up charges against the poor old guy.
Think one of the little snits in “The Crucible”–”I saw Goodman Brown with the DEVIL!”
BTW, I wish I had a link to the photo the paper ran of Wagle and the intern–it’s rare that one can see such a clear example of “Sex is bad, very very bad” written in someone’s expression . . . although it’s not hard to imagine that sex would be very, very bad with either of them, but I digress . . .
Is this a “Tell” from wiggle waggle?
Does she really want to ban gambling, and will that be her agenda as the sec. of commerce if she is elected lite gov? I mean, we really dont have any more problems to deal with that are more pressing?
So much for the dept of commmerce and economic development if she is elected. It will be a jihad on gamblig while she fills her pockets with gambling money.
Dont forget susieq, the dept of commerce was supposed to get lottery money. If you end up being the head of that agency, will you take a paycheck partly funded by gambling money? To add to the campaign donations of gambling money? Can you say cha ching cha ching?
Who wants to take that bet with me?
How much money did Wagle take from out-of-area gambling interests?
Ben, I dont know off hand, but if you go to the Kansas Ethics Commission website, they list campaign donations over $50.
http://www.accesskansas.org/ethics/
You are free to stand on your values Nathan. Stand there and stand STILL.Don’t move and maybe you won’t step on my freedom.
Tara, with all due respect, her personal problems have nothing to do with her being a lawmaker.
When women are in the public arena, they should expect no special treatment.
If you cant run with the big dogs, lay your butt up on the porch.
If susan cant juggle job and home, she needs to choose. Just like the rest of us would at our jobs.
She is of the same political ilk as bonbon. Isnt that reason enough to sent her home from topeka?
I don’t think she’ll win the election. She’s irritated to many of us voters with her controlling nature (Dr. Dailey’s class)
Tara, I agree w/ KFG on this one. She’s a working mother, sometimes it’s not possible to work and deal with family crisis and she needs to decide if and when that time comes.If she plays the pity card of poor pitiful me – my son has cancer and I’m working – oh boo hoo. Then that indeed does make her pitiful to rely on the pity vote.
I often work Bingo for my chuch’s fundraising activities. Where we hold Bingo, at the Bingo Casino on West St., is owned by Susan Wagle and her husband. There doesn’t seem to be much attention given to the fact that she and her husband own several Bingo parlors. It makes sense that she would fight to keep a casino out of Wichita, as it’s in her economic interest to keep out the competition.
The following is from “Betting it all on Kansas gambling”, from the Wichita Eagle on March 12, 2006. Other than this article, there really isn’t much in the media about her own gambling interests.
“Wagle and her husband own buildings that lease space to nonprofit groups that operate bingo parlors, but she said her opposition to expanded gambling goes beyond any threat to her business interests”.
Demonizing gambling why making money off of it it typical conseverative hypocrisy,
The one good thing that Wagle will do this year is bring down the chances of the Republicans recapturing the Governor’s post.
DD, putting wiggle wagle on the ticket ensures the victory of governor leadership. Early on, the base started saying that if we dont vote for kathleen, we will get susan.
Damned if it isnt true. The prospect of susan running the kansas dept of commerce might even make ME hold my nose and vote for kathleen. Ugggggggggh.