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All of a sudden we have a campaign – from Lynn Swann. A man who, up until Wednesday night, seemed like he didn’t really want the job as Governor of Pennsylvania – came out swinging at the debate. He attacked Governor Ed Rendell’s policy on slot machines, among other things, and seemingly came out the winner. 

Those that were confused as to why Swann was in the race were enlightened – for Swann did some serious damage to the Rendell campaign – which he needed to do as he is way behind in the polls.  

One of the big conflicts was over the property taxes that have gotten so out of control for the citizens of the state. Rendell pointed out that he brought slot machines in, and that the slot machine revenue would assist with the property tax problem. He said that “every senior making less than $42,000 annually will have tax relief at the end of the current school year, up to $975" because of the projected slot machine revenue. 

Swann said that the move was not fixing the property tax situation, and that with the slot machine revenues only one in six residents would see any sort of property tax relief. He wanted to know what Rendell was going to do “about the other five.” Swann also said that the idea of bringing in slot machines at stand alone locations was a mistake and that “if we had to have slots in Pennsylvania it should have been at race tracks only as it was originally conceived.” 

Rendell said he opposed gambling expansion of slot machines, as did Swann. But Swann also pointed out that since Rendell had been doing nothing to help the “explosive pension payments” that were going to be coming in 2011 – that any slot machine revenue that has been coming in would have to go toward that crisis instead of the property tax relief.

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