Several candidates for governor of Massachusetts have expressed their view that should the citizens of the commonwealth decide to repeal the decision of the legislature that allows casinos in Massachusetts, the city of Springfield should be exempted from this decision because their citizens want it and that ought to trump the statewide vote. I have a few questions.
1. How about Raynham? Should the town of Raynham be allowed to get its dog track back if the citizens want it?
2. How about Boston? Should the city of Boston be allowed to have Happy Hour at their bars? At 3.8 bars per 10,000 households, bars are a huge business in Boston. If the citizens of Boston vote for Happy Hours in their city, why not let them have it?
3. How about Somerville? Somerville is a densely populated city and no doubt there are many children there. If the citizens of Somerville should decide to exploit this resource of children, should they be given an exemption from this old law (1836!) because times have changed and frankly, they need more “jobs and the economy”?
Left out “put these children to work”. Massachusetts had the nation’s first law limiting child labor back in 1836 at a time when we had bold progressive leaders.
as a FYI. Just go into your account and click on the diary to update.
Yes, please.
How else can they compete with casinos in nearby towns thatt are giving away free booze?
The free booze thing is a travesty.
I’d still be in the bar, not the casino. No interest in casinos at all.
that it will be defeated, I’m wondering why we’re even worrying our heads about this. Maybe time would be better spent deciding who to vote for for the offices other than governor.
. . . which ended rent control in Massachusetts. Q9 passed by the narrowest of margins, and there were irregularities, not only in the final vote but all through the process.
The cities and towns which had rent control, ie Boston, Cambridge and Brookline all voted to defeat Q9 and keep rent control.
The pols all acted like it was a sacred duty to impose the end of rent control on the cities that had voted to keep it.
That I actually opposed, because rent control deeply affected four cities and towns and I didn’t see the big impact on the other cities and towns. Here the effect on all 351 municipalities is clear and a statewide vote repealing it would be justified.
I don’t think Somerville should get an Ikea, no matter what those “voters” say.
That’s the new Partners HQ site now.