Coughlin on Casinos & Plea Bargainers

It dawned on us last night which casino proposal is best for Ohio. It's the one that won't hire Ohioans. It will import experienced casino workers from out of state, some 34,000 of them.

Workers moving into Ohio! Wonderful. It would solve several problems. It would reverse our population loss. It would prop up our real estate market because all these new residents will need homes.

Whichever casino plan that is, that's the one we want.

A comment about the auction being held by the FBI here in Cuyahoga County.

All the minor figures involved in the county corruption investigation are negotiating plea deals based on the value of their testimony against the two big shots, Jimmy D. and Frank R. The better their story, the better their deal.

My brother-in-law, who's a lawyer, calls it a competition to tell the best story.

I think of it as an auction. Who will testify to the biggest bribe or the most bribes?

Surely, the FBI has enough on Jimmy and Frank to indict. But the Feds seem to be greedy, holding out for one more witness who can top anything we have heard yet.

Competition or auction. Perhaps it's like a baseball game. No time limit. Everybody gets one more turn at bat to improve his or her story. The winner walks out with probation for 30 days.