ROLL THE DICE FOR FLORIDA

APGG has a rule of thumb when it comes to controversial issues. Look at who's on each side. And so it goes with the expansion of gambling in Florida. It's really a misnomer, since save for brothels, Florida has everything you'd find in Nevada. You just need to take a short boat ride out of Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Port of Palm Beach, whatever.

This week, the forces opposing expansion of the Seminole gaming compact descended on Tallahassee. They were led by former House Speaker Marco Rubio. Oh, he's running for the United States Senate. Rubio, you recall, is Florida's version of Nero, who played the fiddle while Rome burned. With a state deficit approaching $5 Billion, he opposed every initiative to increase revenue and preserve human services. Here's what Rubio had to say this week:

There is a real moral issue with asking government to expand its operations to be increasingly dependent on an activity we should be discouraging, not encouraging

A moral issue? Morality is implicated when the state limits funds for foster youth transitioning to independence, when working families can't access affordable health care, when children with disabilities can't access services. You get the picture.

But Rubio doesn't. His name ends in a vowel and figures he'll need all the help he can get attracting Bible-belt voters. That's pandering. And that's wrong for Florida. Lawmakers would be wise to approve the Senate version of the state gaming compact with the Seminole tribe.