Keeping the criminals from corrupting the gamblers – and – keeping the gamblers from corrupting the politicians

 

Sheldon Adelson

Net Worth $21.5 B As of September 2011 – Forbes

 All casino jurisdictions have regulations that are meant to keep the casino games honest, protect the players and to insure the state collects all of the money it is due.  All key executives and casino companies undergo background investigations to make certain organized crime – the Mafia – and individual criminals are kept out.  Many casino jurisdictions have also limited casino executives from participating in politics.  Some jurisdictions don’t allow casino executives to run for public office and others prohibit casino executives or companies making political campaign contributions.  The lawmakers were trying to keep the criminals from corrupting the gamblers and gamblers from corrupting the politicians.  The idea of limited political participation has always been offensive to me.  After all, are not the owners and executives of casinos private citizens, as well as corporate citizens and should they not have same political freedoms as any other citizen?

It all seemed pretty straight forward to me until Sheldon Adelson decided he wanted to help Newt Gingrich become the next president of the United States.  In just over a month, Adelson, and now his wife, has given $10 million dollars to Newt’s super-PAC.  Some commentators are already giving Adelson credit for Gingrich’s South Carolina victory.  Just how important does that make Adelson to Gingrich?

How much more money might Adelson be willing to give to guarantee himself a seat next to the president whenever he wants to chat about issues dear to him, for example, casino gambling and the state of Israel?   Forbes ranks Adelson number 8 on its list of richest people in the world, with an estimated $21 billion of net worth.  Adelson only makes $3 million a year in salary, but he appears to have more than that to give away to get his way.

And if Adelson can buy a president, just who else with the financial resources might decide to own a president as well?  Suddenly the restrictions on political contributions from casino operators does not seem quite so undemocratic to me; in fact, given Adelson’s current impact on the GOP presidential process I would be willing to add to the list lots of other very rich people. But then, under the current laws aren’t corporations considered individuals?  In that case, should we not consider……….? But wait, didn’t we already pass laws limiting political contributions?  Adelson has just illustrated for those of us that missed it, the those laws are not working.

 Dr. Miriam Adelson, the wife of Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, will match her husband’s $5 million contribution to a political action committee supporting Republican Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid…Sheldon Adelson’s $5 million contribution to the Winning Our Future super PAC is credited with helping propel Gingrich to victory in South Carolina on Saturday…The contribution from Miriam Adelson comes as the super PAC is preparing to air campaign ads in Florida, a state where Mitt Romney, Gingrich’s chief rival, has already been spending heavily. Anjeanette Damon, Hispanic Business, 1-24-12