Legislature quits on lottery oversight
Chris Fitzsimon of N.C. Policy Watch reports on the legislature's Lottery Oversight Committee.
It seems to be misnamed.
"Almost two years after lawmakers hailed the creation of the oversight committee, it has yet to meet and has made no report to the General Assembly. Both failures appear to be a violation of the law," Fitzsimon writes.
The lottery law placed some tight restrictions on the state's gaming operations -- in how it can advertise, for example. But the legislators who pushed the bill through, by hook or crook, apparently have no interest in seeing what's really happening.
Oversight with eyes closed just doesn't work.
Comments (4)
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doug,
this might not be the only oversight committee that doesn't meet on a regular basis. It would be great to see all oversight committees and how often do they meet.
The lottery came to fruition on a sham of a vote with no second reading.I think the funniest thing lately is tax hike mike appointing a person who doesn't know how to turn a computer to look into the e mail deletion controversy.
Posted on April 3, 2008 5:39 PM
There are two sides to the coin. The legislators get to collect their $100+ per diem expense check (plus mileage) when they hold these committee meetings outside their regular sessions, which encourages some of them to have too many meetings. On the other hand, they ought to do their jobs. I doubt they'd provide any meaningful oversight of the lottery anyway, but they should at least comply with their own law.
I'll give Franklin Freeman a pass on his computer skills. He has a good reputation for integrity. He doesn't have to know how to work a computer to draw the conclusion that public messages ought to be treated as if the public has a right to see them.
Posted on April 3, 2008 5:53 PM
On the other hand, maybe Mr. Freeman's record on this issue isn't very encouraging.
Per Don Carrington in The Locker Room today:
"A previous story in Carolina Journal Online described my efforts to obtain e-mail records from Gov. Easley's top aide Franklin Freeman. At the first meeting of Easley's E-Mail Records Review Panel, Freeman stated that he didn't send e-mail but he did receive it.
"My request for all of Freemans' e-mails for October and November of 2004 was honored earlier this week when I receive a package with a total of 8 e-mail messages. At today's meeting of the panel I asked Freeman why there were only 8 messages for a two month period. He said that was all that were saved."
Posted on April 3, 2008 6:12 PM
the thing that makes it funny is you later response where in a 2 month period only 8 e mails this man doesn't have a clue on this issue and tax hike mike appoints him to this position. You could have appointed my 11 year old son who probably knows more about e mails than Freeman's
Posted on April 4, 2008 9:32 PM