“Mr. Speaker, I Believe That a Family That Gambles Together, Stays Together.”

Some pundits have described a part of my book, The Golden Years…The Florida Legislature, ’70s and ’80s, as a series of short stories or vignettes about my experiences in the Senate and House.  If that’s the case, one of my favorites is the story on page 65 of one of the most colorful (and powerful) lawmakers I ever met, Representative Gus Craig (D., St. Augustine).  We seldom, if ever, voted alike, but boy, I sure liked the panche of our distinguished Rules Chairman.  I remember him most when he was moving a bill of vital interest to the parimutual industry on children possibly being exposed to gambling at the race tracks.  When encountering strong floor objections from his usual allies on the conservative right, Craig looked up at Speaker Tucker, and bellowed, “Mr. Speaker, I believe that a family that gambles together, stays together…move the bill Mr. Speaker.”  The bill failed of adoption by a large margin and the House was broken up in laughter for over 15 minutes.  What a guy!!!