every crisis an opportunity to consolidate power for the powerful?

I don't want to make this a discussion of Bush, but...

One of the major things that bugs me about GWB is that every "crisis" he IDs seems to have the solution of ideologically-allied interests getting lots of what they want and Democratic interests making all the sacrifices.

Yesterday I asked:

But if it's a "crisis" shouldn't the state bite the bullet and raise taxes?

And "anonymous" responded:

Or commission a few more riverboats and land boats.

I'm not gonna argue the pension situation is better than it is, but is this "crisis" going to be the battering ram used to expand gambling in Illinois? As the Trib pointed out G-Rod is carrying three of the five seats on the gaming board as vacancies so he could appoint three pliant people and make gambling expansion happen quickly. And of course the people that obtain gambling licenses know how to show their appreciation to politicians.

But I suppose the anti-tax crowd would argue that the crisis is being used to force through a tax increase if that's the direction G-Rod and the Speaker went.