Last week was a bad week or Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a first term Democrat. His budget is under attack, principally from declining state revenues. His plan to place video slot machines at Ohio horse racing tracks is a long way from the finish line, as was demonstrated last week when only two race track owners of the seven who want VLTs to offset sagging customer traffic actually sent their licensing and application funds to The Ohio Lottery, which falls under the administrative umbrella of the governor and is saying VLTs are another kind of lottery game.
Strickland can only hope that this week passes quickly, too, as the news he received Monday will only monkey wrench his budget even further and may give his political opponents more headlines to use against him in next year's race for governor.
The news Monday, that the Supreme Court of Ohio dealt him another blow with a 6-1 ruling allowing his plan to bring VLTs to Ohio via its race tracks can be put to a statewide vote, will only make his life, and the budget being held together by presumptuous forecasts of gambling revenue that may or may not materialize, tougher and rougher.
One projection Strickland has been right in calling is that things will likely get worse before they get better. It didn't take a Nostradamus to make that prediction. Anyone remotely following today's economic news, especially the plight of Ohio, could have arrived at the same conclusion.