Cross posted from Bellicose Bumpkin
Pass my legislation .. or else
I’ve been waiting for this.
Last spring and summer when the casino investors were trying to “convince” Middleboro to sign an agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoag, there were many subtle and not-so-subtle threats that the town would get nothing if they failed to sign an agreement. Ultimately this strategy worked as intended and resulted in an agreement that pays Middleboro about half of what a similar commercial facility would generate in revenue. We call it the “sign now or else” strategy.
Apparently, Governor Patrick is taking a cue from this play book and is giving the legislature the old “sign now or else” routine:
Gov. Deval L. Patrick warned yesterday that inaction on his pending legislation to create three resort casinos could result in the establishment of an Indian gaming casino in Middleboro with no revenue stream to the state.
“If we don’t do anything, Middleboro can happen without the state having any revenue stream and having no ability to influence the infrastructure,” the governor said.
Under a federal gaming license, he said, the Mashpees could also have bingo games and other games already allowed by state law, and he expects they would also press for Class 3 gambling rights. That would allow table games and other casino games permitted at church Las Vegas nights in the state.
There is so much wrong with this I don’t even know where to begin.
Governor Patrick repeat after me: No slots …. No casino. No slots …. No casino.
There will be no class 2 casino in Middleboro. The ROI is not there. The tribe cannot build a class three casino without a compact that is signed by the governor and passed by the legislature. Governor – you are driving the tribal casino bus.
You are promising casino revenue to anyone and everyone and promising more jobs than can reasonably expected. And now you are misrepresenting the prospects of a Mashpee Wampanoag casino. Is that the platform you ran on? Is that the administration you envisioned when you were running?
Lacking any real accomplishments you are settling for the big splash of casinos to make your mark and counting on short-sighted union support to ram it through. Worthy accomplishments aren’t easy. The same is true of worthy policy.
So many of his budget promises are based upon the assumptive Tinkerbell numbers of imaginary casinos that he has dug himself quite a hole.
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p>Clapping harder does not bring fairies back to life.
The adaciousness of the Governor: We need a casino, here, here and here, and not those trashy Indian casinos, nope. We must have a state sanctioned, state licensed, state regulated, state fee paying behemoth located in each of the three spots that I, an English major with no marketing or financial education or experience whatsoever, glean to be the precise location where each will create tens of thousands of construction jobs, and millions of permanent jobs. No, billions. (Memo to self: if lying, waste no time on small ones.)
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p>So true, it like the old national lampoon, buy this magazine, or I shoot the dog. Build my Deval MegaSlot or I let the Indians build a cheap little dirty casino where it’ll suck the life out of the region.
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p>Again, we need casinos, why? Why “to plug the current 2009 fiscal shortfall and to provide property tax relief to 500,000 people.” Anyone want to fact check the 500,000 figure, ’cause based on recent statements that involve numbers, he’s probably lying about that too. Besides, did anyone ever wonder why people whine so much about property tax? It’s because 2 or 4 times a year, we write a big-ass check to the government. Income tax is far more incidious, leaking out of paycheck the way it does. Boiling a frog slowly comes to mind.
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p>And the $124 million dollar shortfall. Yeah, yeah, the children, the streets, the bridges, all those poor people without insurance….Massachusetts, the new Beirut. Anyone notice population is down, but the budget is up and government headcount too. Something’s wrong there.
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p>Governor says, “Sometime around here, we are going to have to focus on the cost of inaction…” Ever wonder about the cost of action? Wrong action. Like the campaign says, it’s all about hope. I hope he just takes a break soon.
I elected a Governor who promised to revive the economy and create jobs by focusing on existing sectors like Biotech, lowering corporate taxes, focusing on new and exciting sectors like alternative energy, fighting to get Cape Wind passed, and a Governor who promised to fight for universal health coverage and fix the MBTA with innovative solutions including privatization.
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p>So far he has not delivered on any of those promises, he broke his promise not to use casinos, and thus far thats about all he is delivering on.
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p>Thus far I see no reason to re-elect him.
JConway:
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p>I feel the same way about our governor. That is exactly why I will not be voting for Barack Obama. They have both used the exact same script and I don’t believe he will be able to deliver on any of his promises no matter how well intentioned. I also don’t want to wait a year for him to learn on the job while we head into a recession and flounder in Iraq. Love them or hate them I will take the Clintons, at least for one term.