Lateefah Simon: “I will speak just briefly on another subject. That is, Senator Lugar and I and Senator Warner and a total of 25 of us on…”

“I will speak just briefly on another subject. That is, Senator Lugar and I and Senator Warner and a total of 25 of us on both sides have introduced a bill to say, let us have a study of the growth of legalized gambling in our country. This is not the most Earth-shaking thing, but the fastest growing industry in our country is legalized gambling. And there are problems with that. It is the only form of addiction that Government promotes. We would be shocked if we saw a sign saying, ``Smoke Marlboro cigarettes. You know, they're fun to smoke'' or ``Drink more whiskey. You'll really have a good time,'' because both of those provide revenue for Government. But we do not seem to be shocked when there are billboards, like on the south side of Chicago, saying, ``The Illinois lottery--this is your way out.'' This is the impoverished area of Chicago. That is not the way out for people. It is education. It is hard work. It is the kind of things that we know have to be done. So Senator Lugar, Senator Warner, and I introduced this legislation. To the credit of Senator Stevens and his committee, it was reported out by voice vote. Now we want to move it through the Senate. The House has already passed a bill. We have to work the two out. My hope is that we could get this done quickly. I spoke last week to Senator Dole. I would love to see, before Bob Dole leaves, the Senate have us pass this legislation.”