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The governor's popularity wave may have hit a big speed bump this week when he did something no other governor has done. He agreed to let the Seminole Indians have Vegas-style gambling in their casinos, except for roulette wheels and similar table games.

So, are we in for all the reported problems of higher divorce rates, high bankruptcy, crime, suicide, and gambling addiction? Far-right conservatives will be livid but Gov. Crist says he had no choice because the feds were going to do it anyway -- give 'em permission to spin, deal, and roll like Vegas. And most important of all, by getting in on this now, the state could hit a jackpot of at least $100 million ever year as part of the take.

But this could be the sharpest divide yet between our new governor and the conservative base of the Florida Legislature, including Ronda Storms and Attorney General Bill McCollum, who say he can't do this. They contend that the Legislature will have the final word.

The Indians already have the broad legal authority, but it's a good bet this will go to court and the state legislature could sue the governor. As for all the vices associated with gambling, new academic studies have looked at the socio-economic effects in 8 cities, including Las Vegas -- where it's been for 70 years -- along with Memphis, St. Louis, and Peoria.

They came up with this: more work needs to be done to prove a connection to all those bad things because many other factors in the community come into play.

There seemed to be more personal bankruptcies, but in Biloxi, personal bankruptcies have gone down since the casinos.

Bottom line, it depends on the community, jobs, and tourism which can outweigh the negative impact. But crime does go up, which means we'll need more cops.

FOX 13's news anchors spent part of their time this week in schools helping teachers get their kids focused on possible careers. This is where when we balance the potential evil with potential good that comes with money for schools and teachers. And if the governor can get 95 percent of those millions from gambling for education, then we should do it and make sure this time that lawmakers don't siphon off the money for other things, which they did with the lottery. And then we make sure we have enough cops to help police it.

Here's the money problem. The state of Florida is facing massive billion-dollar deficits for the next two years. We must find other sources of revenue without raising taxes. Better pay for teachers may not make better teachers but it will give our schools more money to keep good teachers who are on the frontlines of tomorrow.

The impact teachers have on the lives of our children is enormous, and if they really are going to be our leaders of tomorrow, teachers need help.

That's My View.

My View, from Fox 13's John Wilson

My View: Gambling

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