Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Sure, casinos aren't the perfect solution and the bill itself is flawed. But it still should be signed and enacted. We need jobs and we need to stop losing money to other states.
Last week the Massachusetts Senate approved casino gambling. And since the House already approved this, that means its up to Gov. Deval Patrick now to make the proposal real. This issue has been debated for a very long time and it seems likely the governor will sign the bill when it reaches his desk. As is the case with most laws being enacted by congress or in the Statehouse, this bill is imperfect in many ways. But regardless, Patrick should sign it. Understandably, there's a lot of opinion on both sides of this issue. Plenty of pundits and politicians have offered excellent counter views to my own. Mostly, they've provided insight into the destructive impact casinos can and may have on the Commonwealth as whole. Issues such as …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Late Wednesday night, the Massachusetts House endorsed a casino gambling bill. Charlestown's rep Eugene O'Flaherty voted in favor of the proposal.
Late Wednesday night, the Massachusetts House voted 123-32 in favor of a controversial casino gambling bill that supporters say will bring more jobs to the Commonwealth. Charlestown's State Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, D-Chelsea, "reluctantly" voted to support the bill. He wrote to Patch this morning, explaining his vote. Late last evening I reluctantly voted for casino gaming to come to Massachusetts. I say reluctantly because my concern is the impact on our state lottery (the most successful in the nation) and the potential that it would be hurt as a revenue source. I remain concerned also about the impact gaming will have on our Commonwealth's image. The only satisfaction I have from casting the vote in favor is the employment that will be …
Thursday, September 1, 2011
With his approval of plans to bring a slot parlor and casinos to the Commonwealth, Gov. Deval Patrick is selling out the state. We will all suffer.
During the past six years, our state’s elected leaders have been trying to radically expand legalized gambling in the Commonwealth. Just last week, Gov. Deval Patrick, along with State Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, released a proposal that could lead to three casino resorts and one slots parlor opening within the state sometime during the next several years. Their hope is that by heavily taxing the establishments’ income, the state can raise badly needed revenue in order to keep paying its bills. Instead, they're making a deal with the devil, which can only lead to disaster. Gambling is a filthy business that has no business being in Massachusetts. We need to kill this idea, once and for all. What’s…
WD
10:26 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
This should be on the ballot instead more ›