Blue Mass Group

Part two of our MA treasurer podcasts was with Steve Murphy. Last week, we spoke with Steve Grossman, also a Dem. We’ll speak with the GOP’s Karyn Polito on May 19th on Left Ahead.

Murphy shared some concepts with his Dem rival, but differed considerably. He was quick to point out that it was eight years ago when he ran for treasurer he first proposed that the commonwealth use a big chunk of its money to back business and jobs growth.

Click the player on the jump to listen to the podcast.

Steve Grossman is not like other MA treasurer candidates. I predict exciting and meaningful discussions and debates.

The Democratic candidate to replace Tim Cahill came out of the chute with innovative ideas and a fully fleshed out program. He joined Left Ahead! today to describe what he has in mind. He makes no apologies for his vision of how the treasurer should act, particularly in light of the great recession, job losses and financial institution's recalcitrance.

Click the player on the jump to hear the 61-minute show.

Here’s a map of where the opponents of the bill represent: Republicans in Red. Democrats in Blue. Areas of the state heavily dependent on tourism, such as the Berkshires and Cape Cod, strongly opposed the bill.  These reps are probably worried that Bostonians will spend their money in casinos and have nothing left for summer vacations. Another region with a lot of opposition is the liberal middle class inner suburbs: Cambridge, Somerville, Belmont, Jamaica Plain, etc. are all largely represented by reps who voted no.  It is again a testimony to the awesome power of the editors that every rep who represented even a sliver of Arlington voted against the bill. Clearly David is more feared than Deleo there. Minority neighborhoods of Boston also had considerable opposition.  There was scattered opposition in some of the secondary cities of Massachusetts, such as Lawrence, Fall River and Springfield. Lastly, Conservative opposition to the bill seemed to center around rural Central Mass.  Republicans and Democrats opposed the bill in rough equal proportion to their numbers in the House, though presumably the GOP had less pressure from the leadership.

Amazing.

The House today approved by a veto-proof margin legislation to establish two casinos in Massachusetts and up to 750 slot machines at each of the state’s four racetracks, embracing the largest expansion of gambling since the creation of the Lottery in 1971.

The lopsided vote, 120 to 37, was due in large part to a relentless campaign for slots and casinos by House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, the son of a track worker whose district includes two racetracks. DeLeo succeeded in persuading many members who voted against casinos in 2008 to switch their votes.

Indeed, two years ago, House lawmakers overwhelmingly followed the lead of the previous speaker, Salvatore F. DiMasi, a staunch gambling opponent, when they voted, 108 to 46, to kill Governor Deval Patrick’s bill to license three casinos.

Lawmakers who changed their votes said the slumping economy had persuaded them that casinos and slots represent a historic opportunity to create thousands of jobs and capture much of the estimated $1.1 billion that Massachusetts gamblers spend annual at casinos in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

And don’t forget the punch line:

Several also acknowledged that the speaker’s power to strip legislators of their chairmanships and influence pushed them to back one of his top priorities.

“This is the bill he has cared about more than any other bill,” said Representative Ellen Story, an Amherst Democrat and member of the speaker’s leadership team who voted for the bill after voting against casinos in 2008. “My sense is that there may well be consequences for people voting against this bill — particularly people in his inner circle.”

Well, supposedly the Senate doesn’t like racinos.  So at least there’s that.

UPDATE: The roll call is on the flip.  The “no” votes:

Democrats: Ashe, Balser, Bosley, Brownsberger, Callahan, Conroy, Curran, D’Amico, Dykema, Finegold, Fox, Garballey, Guyer, Hecht, Kaufman, Madden, Malia, Patrick, Peake, Pignatelli, Provost, Rodrigues, Rogers, Rushing, Sanchez, Scaccia, Sciortino, Smizik, St. Fleur, Torrisi, Turner, Walz, Wolf; Republicans: deMacedo, Evangelidis, Polito, Smola.

Write your rep and let him or her know how you feel.  I just did.  (Thanks Sean!)

I used to teach Junior High School mathematics.  At some point—it must have been the late ’70′s or early ’80′s—yet another one of these chain letter schemes hit this state and for a short time was wildly popular.  And to counter the inevitable criticism that this was a pyramid scheme, the chain letter was marketed as “not a pyramid but a circle”—the “Circle of Gold”, because it would supposedly never end, but keep going around and around.  I never heard anyone say what this really could possibly mean, but I heard any number of people repeat this.

It was indeed very popular.  For a few weeks the teachers’ room conversation was dominated by people who had bought into this, sold copies to their acquaintances, and were awaiting the big payoff.  And then a few weeks later, all of a sudden, no one spoke about it any more.  It was like it had never happened.

Want a chance to speak up against the push to ram casinos and slot machines through the legislature?  Then check out this petition that is gathering lots of steam:

http://gopetition.com/online/3…

Mushroom Farming is what it is: Grown in the dark and fed a diet of manure. And it’s flourishing on Beacon Hill. In November, little noticed, I posted Beacon Hill: Democracy dies at gambling interests’ request Kathi-Anne Reinstein, a Revere Democrat who organized the SECRET CLOSED DOOR briefing, told the News Service the session was closed TO THE PUBLIC so state reps would “feel comfortable to ask any questions without having any type of criticism” and surely at the request of gambling interests who can make undisputed wild promises that are unsubstantiated and never be held accountable. OTB was crammed through after secret meetings and a voice vote. Arrogance Prevails on Beacon Hill So why did DeLeo close the caucus to the public and the press? What is he trying to hide? The most likely answer is that keeping serious discussions secret is the default setting on Beacon Hill. When in doubt, lock everyone out. The practice of having its most important debates behind closed doors, and the arrogance that practice reflects, has everything to do with the Legislature’s lack of credibility with the public. It may be unfair, even inaccurate, to assume corruption thrives behind locked doors in the [...]

I hope by now, everyone has read the article in the Boston Globe: For casino opponents, an unlikely ace in the hole I’m proud to be associated in a small way with a coalition dedicated to educating the public about the facts of the costs and impacts of slots which have been called the “Crack Cocaine of Gambling.” We simply can’t afford the costs. Last week, a poll was released that seems to indicate Massachusetts residents support gambling. In response, I posted this: Clyde Delivers …. The same day, ignored by the media, this poll was released: 70% Oppose CT Gambling Expansion Should we wonder if sanity begins over the state line? Others have questioned the credibility of the pollster. Recently, I was stuck by Roll of the dice: When the Seneca Niagara Casino opened on New Year’s Eve 2002, it was surrounded by neighborhoods of rotting and dilapidated housing and vacant storefronts lined nearby Niagara Street. Eight years later, the view hasn’t really changed. “(Niagara Falls) could have looked at Atlantic City, they could have looked at Detroit,” Simon said. “(Casinos) basically destroyed local business in Atlantic City.” Bryant Simon wrote a book titled “Boardwalk of Dreams” that destroys [...]

Many times over the past twenty months since The Hanover Theatre’s opening, the theatre has been credited with catalyzing the rebirth of downtown Worcester.  The more than 300,000 patrons who have visited the theatre since March 2008 have breathed new life into the city, its streets, restaurants, hotels and other businesses; and by all indications, a true revitalization of our city is beginning to take hold.

Now, a short two years later, The Hanover Theatre and others like it face a critical threat from resort casinos and the performance venues that will be an integral part of them.  A resort casino anywhere in Massachusetts, save possibly the far western edge of the state, will almost certainly deal a fatal blow to The Hanover Theatre.

I am posting the invitation below with the hope that some of you will join me in covering this event as citizen journalists.  The pro gambling industry is also having an event the same day; I would like to get the word out about this press briefing as well as report on the content online in as many blogs and sites as possible. Invitation follows: Good evening all, I hope you and your colleagues can join us in Boston for a media briefing and release of the Casino Math Workbook for Beacon Hill, Executive Summary on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 (details below). Pro-predatory gambling representatives are holding a meeting on “responsible gambling” the same day, with the gambling industry and the requisite enablers as spokespersons.  Finding methods to make legislators feel better about making bad decisions to legalize expanded predatory gambling, slots/casinos must be their misguided goal.   The NASW-MA and addiction specialists oppose expansion of predatory gambling in the Commonwealth.  The solution for pathological gambling is abstinence and behavior change, not legalizing the electronic device (slots) that doubles rates of addiction. Casino Facts (dot) Org and the Western MA Substance Abuse Providers Association (WMSAPA) recently signed onto USS Mass [...]