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Taylor Would Have Helped Ehrlich Get
Slot Machines
Fate
is what it is, and in this case, it kept
Governor Ehrlich from legalizing slot
machines and thus keeping his job. Had
Del. LeRoy Myers, Jr. not defeated House
Speaker Casper Taylor, Jr. in the
election in 2002 – Taylor would have
helped Ehrlich legalize the slot
machines. Instead, Myers got the job,
and slot machines were not legalized.
Taylor wanted slot machines legalized
badly, as did the governor, and they
would have worked together to get that
accomplished. Taylor would have been
able to get the slot machine legislation
through the House, but since Taylor was
not in office, it died in the House
instead. He actually probably would have
helped him get slot machines legalize
the very first year that Ehrlich was
Governor, and then he could have spent
his years doing something else instead.
However, Ehrlich spent almost his whole
time in office trying to get slot
machines legalized, and ultimately did
not get it accomplished. Many in
Annapolis feel that when Taylor was
replaced by Myers, the slot machines
were doomed. Then when Michael Busch
became the new speaker, he became slot
machines’ worst enemy. He spent his time
blocking slot machine bills from the
governor, all except one. The one slot
machine bill he allowed would have been
a smaller version of the governor’s plan
– but the governor chose not to
compromise and thus slot machines were
not legalized.
The new governor is still riding the
fence on the slot machines, even though
the Democrats said they would probably
pass a slots bill – and Busch remains
opposed. The way it looks now, slot
machines are not likely to get legalized
this year, but they might have a go at
it before O’Malley’s time is up.
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