In these times of economic distress, massive job losse s, shrunken businesses, bloated governments and runaway public spending, we’ve been waiting for some politician (other than Ron Paul) to stand and tell the truth.

Smith is of course right about Ron Paul (who won his GOP primary with 80% of the vote on Tuesday).  But Smith was not talking about the Texas Congressman, he was talking about the bold step that Governor Chris Christie took in deciding to balance the state’s budget without raising taxes.  Christie was clear:

But behold! The newly elected governor of New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie, stood in front of 200 of his state’s mayors last week and told them basically that there is no more road down which to kick that proverbial can. In his speech at the New Jersey League of Municipalities, Mr. Christie began by calling the legislature’s $29 billion budget something out of “Alice in Wonderland.” He told the collected hizzoners that the old game of tax and spend was over. He described unhappy meetings in his treasurer’s office, where he was presented with 378 possible freezes and lapses to be used to balance the budget. He accepted 375 of them.

Like Bob McDonnell here in Virginia, Christie’s tough cuts and talk will not make friends with some groups:

No doubt there will be a political firestorm in New Jersey as the pinch is felt by politically powerful entities such as the teachers, police and firefighters unions. Whether he can survive tackling the growing fiscal crisis with actual solutions is the question.

This is virtually the same fight that will happen in Virginia.  I heard on the radio the question about how the high school football coaches will work for free as Gov. McDonnell has proposed and I have heard that people are complaining that McDonnell will keep rest areas open but cut education.  Conservatives and Republicans must stand behind Governor McDonnell even if we are niot sure we fully agree.  It is tough times.  He’s got to make the decision.  Let’s give him a chance. 

And Smith warns us the consequences:

Chris Christie will need a lot of public support in his efforts to put the Garden State’s house in order; with the public in New Jersey and all across the land depending on government largesse more than ever before, can that actually be expected to happen? A lot rides on the answer to that question. If he can’t succeed in this vitally needed reordering of government taxing and spending habits, who elsewhere will be able to, and what instead will happen?

Let’s support Bob McDonnell.

I agree!  I do not intend to condone the use or abuse of liquor; I do not drink alcohol in any form.  But it is not a governmental function.  The ABC stores should be sold and extra revenue raised from the private dealers (with appropriate safety and zoning regulation) applied to essential government needs like education. 

But I urge the Governor not to stop there:  Sell the lottery, too.

The state lottery, that “benefits” education, is a form of gambling run by a state agency under the authority of the statutes and state constitution.  Gambling is not inherently sinful but is discouraged by most evangelical denominations.  But there are social costs associated with gambling.  This book published by the Cambridge University Press by an expert (formerly on the faculty of the University of Illinois now Distinguished Professor of Economics at Baylor University) asserts that the social costs of gambling is half that of drug abuse.  Professor Earl L. Grinols suggests that:

The social costs of gambling, such as increased crime, lost work time, bankruptcies and financial hardships faced by the families of gambling addicts, have reached epidemic proportions, costing the economy as much as $54 billion annually, Earl L. Grinols, an Illinois economist, has written in “Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits,” published this month by Cambridge University Press.

This compares with the estimated annual $110 billion cost of drug abuse, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office.

 While the emphasis was on casino gambling, the state lottery certainly places the state in the position of both encouraging gambling and also making it socially acceptable, even desirable (I’m helping education!).  There was a commercial in the Commonwealth of Virginia that had teachers and classrooms show to encourage playing the lottery. 

Try this source:  Dr. Patrick Briney, Ph.D., President of the Arkansas Republican Assembly.  Dr. Briney wrote that the social costs of the lottery outweigh the benefits:

• State sponsored lotteries promote problem gambling (Richard Huddleston, 2002. An Arkansas Lottery, A Bad Bet for Education & Families?).
• Research shows, “… that the lottery is a powerful recruiting device, which is responsible for inducing about one-quarter of the adult population who would not otherwise have done so to participate in commercial gambling.” Lotteries create gamblers who otherwise may never have gambled. (Clotfelter and Cook, Selling Hope: State Lotteries in America (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press) 1991 pg. 105).
• Dr. Lance Dodes, who runs Massachusetts’ largest outpatient treatment center for problem gamblers says that lottery players comprise 44% of his patients. (Golden, Daniel and Halbfinger, David, “Lottery Addiction Rises and Lives Fall” Boston Globe, February 11, 1997).
• 43% of all callers to the national 1-800-GAMBLER hotline indicated problems with lottery gambling. (Council on Compulsive Gambling, “1995 Statistics for 1-800-GAMBLER Hotline” March 20, 1996)
• 39% of persons who entered publicly funded alcohol and drug treatment centers in Texas stated that the lottery was their most problematic gambling activity. (Wallisch, Lynn, “Gambling in Texas: 1995 Survey of Adult and Adolescent Behavior” Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse).

I wrote on this before.  Senator Sue Madison of Arkansas was brave to take that issue on.  The Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported that the bill died in committee.

While as a libertarian I believe gambling should be legal, subject to appropriate regulation, the state must get out of the gambling business.  Sell the lottery, Governor McDonnell.

But McDonnell will be a national figure in the GOP.  He won convincingly.  Winning is everything in politics.  I did note that he’ll campaign for out of state GOP candidates but not go to Iowa!  I agree.  2012 is too soon for McDonnell in national politics.  But he may be asked to be the VP for another candidate, maybe another governor who has come to Virginia to campaign for him twice – Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.  You saw it here at THIS blog first…

Governor Jindal came on after the Great American Panel about 9:45PM EDT.  A few notes:

Bobby Jindal is in NYC after campaigning for Chris Christie in NJ!  (He has already TWICE campaigned for Bob McDonnell!)  Jindal suggests that there is a mirror to 1993 – VA and NJ went for the GOP and this led to taking over the House in ‘94.

“We can’t just print the money” Jindal says.  Cong. Ron Paul could not have said it better!  Jindal says the GOP has great candidates and in 1994 some of those candidates came about after the 1993 elections.  Hannity asked about if the Republicans have repented of their big spending ways.  Jindal suggests they have.  I am not sure I am persuaded.  Jindal asserts that the highest tax rates in some states will be higher than France if Obamacare passes! 

The governor thanked President Obama for keeping his word and coming to New Orleans.  Hannity immediately  asked Governor Jindal about Louisiana.  The governor quickly cited several statistics in a row about the Pelican State that I could not keep up with.  (A recent blog entry spoke to that!)  Ethics reform, best government in the South, etc.  The Wonk is in the house!

This is an excellent presentation!  Much better than a certain speech made earlier this year.  My only criticism is Governor Jindal talks fast and is hard to live blog!  But the meat of his message is clear even if he speaks fast. 

We ‘ll try to get a video of this interview.

Here is the video of when Jindal came to Virginia last December – when I met the Governor (and Virginia’s next Governor again!).

McDonnell also got help from Newt Gingrich, another GOP White House potential.  Both fundraisers raised about $350,000.00

Signing off until after the convention wrap up.

(Let me say that I encourage every Virginian reading this blog to support and vote for Bob McDonnell for Governor. He’s a dedicated public servant of integrity, a strong follower of Christ and a staunch conservative. I can give testimony personally about him and his character – unlike my politicians, I actually have been acquainted with him before politics and he’s the real deal!)

Now that the sixty-second commercial for Bob is over, back to the news: It’s confirmed: Jindal is coming to Richmond. He and Bob McDonnell were coming to the Jefferson Hotel, a super swanky luxury hotel in downtown – just several blocks away from my work. I can walk over there. Since I have a flexible schedule, I got the okay to take off for a lengthy lunch and went over to the Jefferson.

What to do for that? How to express my admiration for Governor Jindal? I could not hope to actually meet him. I did know McDonnell in an acquaintance manner years ago but not well enough to presume he would greet me or to presume on his time. There was later a high dollar fundraiser that Jindal was the guest. I didn’t have that kind of money.

I am something of a flag buff, so I have small 3 by 5 inch flags of most of the states. One happened to be the Pelican State. So off I went, with flag in hand, to the Jefferson Hotel.

I forgot one thing: A sign. I took the makings for a small sign. I debated what to place on it: Political or not? I considered doing JINDAL/McDONNELL 2012 – I think that is not as far fetched as one might think. Virginia is a key state to re-place in the red column. But Bob has to be elected Virginia Governor! I decided this was too cheeky.

I actually found my way into the press conference room. The media thought my sign was interesting. I was however, politely escorted out by what turned out to be a member of the Louisiana State Police who was an advance security for the governor. We talked for a few minutes (I mentioned Huey Long and the Saints and he apparently decided I was safe – can’t make up enthusiasm for the Saints! I have rooted for the Saints since I was a kid and decided they had cool uniforms.) Thanks to the diligent but friendly officer (If he reads this, I forgot his name but I thank him) I was at a crossroad convergence of one of the exits but did not hear the news conference. The officer said that I might get to shake the governor’s hand.

Suddenly, Governor Jindal and Attorney General McDonnell came in the opposite way and I got the glimpse of my hero. I waved the flag and the sign. McDonnell did not recognize me or greet me. Nor did Jindal. I thought, there goes my chance. The officer said, “Should have shouted out, ‘Hey Governor Jindal!’” I was too dignified to do that. I wondered and waited all through the press conference, chatting with the officer and thinking how close I came to meeting Bear Bryant. I was at law school at Alabama. I decided one day I had to shake hands with Coach Bryant. I worked up courage to go all the way into the specious outer office of the athletic director and football coach of the Crimson Tide. Alas, I could not persuade the nice but determined lady in the coach’s outer office to let me in. Bryant died my third year of law school. Suddenly the doors opened and before I knew it, I heard the voice of Bob McDonnell introducing me to Governor Jindal. I was nervous and a bit star struck. I remember telling him what an honor it was to meet him. He liked my Louisiana flag but not my Jindal 2012 poster. I think I said he’d make a great President someday. And whish he was gone. I am sorry I did not thank the security officer in person. I thank the Lord and Bob McDonnell for the privilege of meeting Bobby Jindal.

I was actually interviewed by a Charlottesville TV station on my positions but they used very little of it for their news broadcast. I was not from that area. But I was glad to promote the governor!

So, Christmas came 15 days early at the Sanders home and I was impossible at home for several days! There was the issue of that unwashed hand… But how many people get to meet their hero? Or a potential future President? Furthermore, I did not pay a dime to meet him! A member of the Hanover County GOP Committee thought that was astute of me!