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All opinions are those of The Republican Gazette and its editor, Gary Abernathy, except letters or commentary signed by others, and do not reflect the views of anyone else, including clients of Abernathy Strategies.
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Having Fun
With Mojo
Here's a tip on staying healthy and achieving your fondest dreams!
Hey kids! Mojo here! As you know, I'm a big advocate for health and fitness! Why? Who knows? But what I do know is that I have always been a stickler for healthy lifestyles!
For example, I love to walk, and I hope you do, too! Walking is great exercise! And while you exercise, you can practice something called "visualization!" Visualization is the practice of focusing on something that you want, but you don't have yet!
For instance, try walking from your second grade classroom to the third grade classroom! Time yourself! On top of the great exercise, it will also help you achieve your goal of getting to the third grade!
I always do that when I exercise! For example, I happen to know that it takes me exactly six minutes to walk from the Secretary of State's office to the Governor's Mansion! How do I know that? Because when I was Secretary of State, I used to walk it every day!
I used to walk out of the Secretary of State's office and march right up to the front door of the Governor's Mansion! The first few times I did it, Governor Wise actually answered the door and invited me in! But after a few days, he just started closing all the curtains!
Even when there's a distance too far to walk, I still like to time myself! For example, do you know it takes just five and a half hours to drive from the Governor's Mansion to Senator Byrd's office in Washington? That's right! And it only takes two hours or so if I fly there, counting drive time from Reagan or Dulles airports!
So remember, stay healthy, and focus on your dreams at the same time!
Republican Gazette celebrates one year
The Republican Gazette is celebrating its first anniversary this week, having been unveiled on July 31, 2006.
While this website has been operating since June of 2005, offering commentary and news, it converted to its current format just a year ago.
Since then, of course, the Republican Gazette has become one of West Virginia's most trusted
sources for news and commentary, while staying true to its mission of presenting all the news that fits the Republican agenda. It may not be posted every day on our masthead, but we still strive to make sure that when news breaks, we fix it.
Thank you for reading the Republican Gazette, another of West Virginia's most biased publications.
Lottery 'rules' on under-21 crowd contradict the law passed by the legislature
State code
"A racetrack table games licensee is guilty of unlawful operation when... the licensee knowingly permits an individual under the age of twenty-one years of age to enter or remain in a designated gaming area..."
§29-22C-29-A(6)
Table games legislation
Legislative 'rules'
"Until January 1, 2009, the restriction on access by individuals under the age of twenty-one years entering designated gaming areas found in W.Va. Code §29-22C-29(a)(6) shall not apply to employees of the casino licensee who were on the licensee's payroll on July 24, 2007... The Director shall designate a badge or uniform variation that will identify to Lottery representatives the employees who are covered by this transitional provision." §179-8-136.2-4
Rules submitted Friday
Those writing the legislative rules designed to implement the table games legislation passed in March are blatantly contradicting the law by writing rules permitting individuals under the age of 21 from being in the vicinity of a "gaming area."
Legislation on table games passed by the House and Senate during the regular session clearly prohibits anyone under 21 from entering or remaining in a designated gaming area.
But those writing the "rules" have submitted language, shown at right, that attempts to provide for a "grandfather" clause
making current employees exempt from the law passed by the legislature -- a clear departure from anything approved by the legislature last March, which includes no language about exceptions or "transitional provisions."
The rules were submitted Friday to the Secretary of State's office, as required by law.
The attempt by those writing the "rules" to circumvent the law is another example of how flawed the table games legislation is as a result of the pro-gambling forces' anxiousness to get it passed.
First, Kanawha County and everyone else connected with the Lottery and the gambling interests failed to recognize that they had to give notice of the election 30 days in advance, under the new law, causing the vote in Kanawha to be delayed from June 9 to August 11, which has given anti-gambling forces time to mount an effective campaign in the meantime.
Also, few seem to notice that the new law actually raises the legal age to play video lottery games at tracks from 18 to 21. Currently, you only have to be 18 to play VLT games at the tracks.
Now, gambling supporters are using the rules writing process in an attempt to circumvent what was apparently an inadvertent prohibition in the new law that requires everyone in the racetracks' gaming area to be at least 21.
ELVIS TRIVIA -- As evidenced by the ticket pictured above, Elvis Presley was scheduled to perform at the Huntington Civic Center -- now known as the Big Sandy Arena -- on September 20, 1977. Unfortunately, he died on August 16 of that year, causing the show to be cancelled -- which wouldn't necessarily be the case today, what with the "Elvis in Concert' production that tours the world featuring Elvis' surviving band members playing live while a "video Elvis" performs onscreen. In fact, Elvis' sold-out show was the first big event scheduled at the then-new arena. OK, here's the trivia question: Name the month and year of Elvis' last West Virginia concert appearance. First two right answers win. Second prize is an autographed copy of "Elephant Wars." First prize is a copy of "Elephant Wars" without the autograph. Email gary@abernathystrategies.com
