Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Johnson said he recognizes the economic value of gambling in Alabama.
“The quickest way for us to not have huge budget cuts and major teacher layoffs would be to tax and regulate gambling,” Johnson said. “In the current economic climate, citizens won’t accept tax increases. This won’t be the salvation of the state.”
In an interview with The Crimson White Thursday, Johnson addressed the situation with the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program, saying he supported keeping the commitment for contract holders.
“The challenge is that the program was flawed from the beginning because it was not tied to the costs of college tuition,” Johnson said. “In the long term, we have got to have a cap on college tuition. We have to have a way to get college tuition costs under control.”
In addition, Johnson said he doesn’t want a “flat out cap,” but he would like to break down the college budgets to find what is irrelevant within the system.
“I would create parent and student committees at each university and let them look through all of the university’s expenditures,” he said. “For every $1, we the state will split that with them 50/50. I guarantee there’s a long list of things that could come up. I think then the items should have to go to the board of trustees so they can justify them.”
Johnson also believes in making health care, like education, more efficient. In this same vein, Johnson said that he supports Attorney General Troy King’s lawsuit in regard to reforming the health care system.
“The problem is a lack of competition and anti-competition clauses that Blue Cross forces its doctors to operate under,” Johnson said. “Without capping its cost, it’s going to be a bottomless pit, similar to the PACT program.”
Although state constitutional reform has failed to pass in Montgomery in recent years, Johnson said that he supports article-by-article reform but not a constitutional convention.
“A convention would never happen,” Johnson said. “I think most people think that constitutional convention is a code word for tax increases.”
Johnson also said he supports repealing of the state grocery tax, another bill that has been unable to make it through both the state House and Senate.
When asked for how he would make up for the lost revenue, Johnson said if he is elected, he wants to reduce the size of state government.
As for Johnson’s current polling percentage, he said that 50 percent of voters are still undecided.
“All of the other candidates have been on television, yet there are still 50 percent who are undecided,” Johnson said. “That means that people know who they’re not voting for and looking for someone to vote for — I’m that candidate.”
Opinions Editor Jonathan Reed contributed to this article.
