Working in the Bubble

I often hear a lot of talk about the bubble of Montgomery. From time to time I am reminded about this and it could never be more glaring than the current debate regarding gambling. As the news media and political ads have taken to the air debating Governor Riley’s raid on Victory Land and Country Crossing the legislature continues to slog along with our various legislative items. Interestingly if you were not in the State House you would think that everything being debated down here right now is gambling 24/7. The fact of the matter is that while I anticipate some gambling legislation to reach the floor of both chambers at some point, so far it just has not been an issue in the legislature. It could be because neither side really has the votes to prevail or maybe with so many other issues there just has not been an opportunity to address it yet. I suspect everyone knows that it will be a show stopper in the process and therefore people want to clear other issues off the table first. So while the media wars continue between pro-gambling folks and Gov. Riley throughout the state, the legislative process is still dealing with various issues ranging from ethics reform, unemployment compensation, and bonds for road construction. One thing I know for sure, if you have not had your particular agenda or issue addressed by the time the gambling legislation does appear then it will likely not be addressed in this session.