The interesting thing today was you had the Catholic board, public board, parks and recreation, all the people who have budgets, but they don't work together. There's problems with funding formulas, so I think the first thing we want to address is how they can work together.

So many of our gyms are dark after school. The police say the worst time when kids find trouble is that 4 to 6 p.m. time when the schools close and there's no money to run after-school programs.

Simple things become so complicated in this city.

Therapeutic riding relies heavily on trained volunteers. Our program, Rainbow Riders, focuses on education, recreation and leisure. That's what we're capable of providing in our all-volunteer program now. That's right - all volunteer - and that includes me, the instructor. We cannot afford a staff of licensed therapists so we cannot offer physical therapy.

Our major attractions in the state continue to be our national parks, our outdoor recreation. But once people are here, they are interested in understanding the culture ... and mining is very much a part of the history and current culture.

For the great, great percentage of the American people who gamble, it's a recreation. And it's a recreation that they have under control.