As the dispute between tribal and state officials suggests, we're a long way from resolving the question of the state's authority to launch keno through the Connecticut Lottery.

But it's not just legal questions that are causing agita these days. There's also the question of the appropriateness of a measure that would broaden the availability of legal gambling in order to help the state balance its teetering budget.

When Rell first proposed keno last year, Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, blasted it as a "misery tax." Turns out that was almost tame compared to the feelings of Williams' predecessor, former Senate president and Lt. Gov. Kevin B. Sullivan.

Sullivan's no longer in the legislature, but he's been following the debate over keno, and when he saw Rep. Ernest Hewett's comments in support of the proposal in a newspaper story, he let the New London Democrat have it.

Hewett's supportive comments were "just plain wrong," Sullivan told him in an e-mail yesterday morning. "You might as well have said, 'People are going to use drugs anyway...I say put a drug dealer on every corner.'"

(The point counterpoint is reprinted below in its entirety).

Hewett, who was at the Public Safety Committee this afternoon to support a bid for off-track betting in New London, said he wasn't backing off his position of support for keno.

In an e-mail exchange with The Day, Sullivan praised Hewett, but didn't back down, either.

"Rep. Hewett is a great guy and I really do hope he will reconsider," Sullivan wrote. "It's hard enough for folks without state government making it worse. The special revenue vultures always gather when the state needs a quick budget fix. Keno (and their other bad idea for lottery vending machines) is bad policy and bad economics."

Here's Sullivan's e-mail to Hewett yesterday:

From: Kevin Sullivan
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 8:58 AM
To: Rep. Hewett, Ernest
Subject: Keno

Ernie: When we served together during my years in the State Senate and as Lt. Governor, I always liked and had great respect for you. So, out of friendship and with all due respect, I have to say that your comments about Keno ("Keno Hearing: A Debate Worth Millions", Hartford Courant, March 3, 2010 at B10) were just plain wrong. You might as well have said, "People are going to use drugs anyway...I say put a drug dealer on every corner." That's what the "McKeno" proposal is at a time when our state already has a very high level of gambling addiction and mostly the poorest among us waste millions of dollars every year chasing the get-rich-quick lies of all our state sanctioned lotteries. I don't say this out of any prudishness but out of years of advocacy for people dealing with mental illnesses and addictions.

Yes, I know you have legislation that proposes increased impact aid from the casinos in your area of the state. I certainly understand leveraging that against something the casinos oppose. But it doesn't require you to become an apologist for something that is particularly harmful to some of the constituencies I know you care about most. Please reconsider. You are a much better Legislator than that.

Thanks for hearing me out.

Kevin Sullivan

And Hewett's reply:

From: Rep. Hewett, Ernest
Sent: Wed 3/3/2010 11:10 AM
To: Kevin Sullivan
Subject: RE: Keno


YOU ARE RIGHT I AM A MUCH BETTER LEGISLATOR . I RESPECTIFULLY DISAGREE WITH YOUR OPINION OF GAMBLING . I MY SELF WAS ALSO A FORMER GAMBLER AND I QUIT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT GOOD FOR ME. MY OPINION IS THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA GAMBLE WHEATHER THER IS ONE ON EVERY CORNER OR AT FOXWOODS OR THE MOHECAN SUN. AS FAR AS RESPECT IS CONCERN I HAVE ALWAYS HAD RESPECT FOR YOU, AND STILL DO . SO I WOULD THINK THAT THE RESPECT THAT YOU HAD FOR ME STILL EXIST , WHEATHER YOU AGREE WITH ME OR NOT.AND YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT DRUGS THEY ARE GONNA DO THEM UNTILL THEY ARE READY TO QUIT, I DON,T CARE HOW MANY PROGRAMS YOU PUT THEM IN .ITS NOT ONLY MY AREA OF THE STATE THAT BENIFEFITS FROM THE CASINO , THE WHOLE STATE DOES. . CONCERNING ME BEING AN APOLOGIST FOR THE CASINOS, I AM AN INDEPENDENT THINKING PERSON AND I HAVE PRIDED MYSELF ON BEING IN POLITICS FOR THE PAST TWELVE YEARS AND IN THAT TIME I HAVE MANAGED TO STAY OUT OF EVERYONES POCKET IN CLUDING THE CASINOS.IN CLOSING I DON,T THINK THAT MY OPINION ON THIS PROPOSAL IS THE BOROMETER FOR WHAT MAKES ME A GOOD OR BAD LEGISLATOR. I HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AND IT WAS NICE HEARING FROM YOU. REP HEWETT