Berkshire Eagle Editorial Slams Casino Bill

The editorial's title nicely sums up the thoughts of Massachusetts casino opponents: "Bad bill, badly crafted." Calling the bill "pre-digested" for lawmakers to "swallow" without meaningful public debate, the Berkshire Eagle refutes the notion that an expanded gambling industry will provide the number of jobs promised by casino proponents.

Click here for a link to the full article.

Masslive.com Reports on State House Gambling Protest

Click here for an article posted on masslive.com, reporting on a protest by opponents of the expanded gambling bill in Massachusetts. The article quotes CSM President Scott Harshbarger, who stated that "[t]his bill is troubled, it was negotiated in secret by the big three leaders and is being shoved in front of legislators for a high-pressure leadership vote with little analysis and less time to consider."

The article comes on the heels of a report issued by Citizens for a Stronger Massachusetts detailing the top ten problems associated with the expanded gambling bill.

The Salem News Opinion Letter From Sue Tucker; Former MA Senator

Sue Tucker, former Massachusetts state senator, describes in a Salem News opinion piece many of the ways Massachusetts and its citizens could be "fleeced" by expanded gambling in the commonwealth.

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Profile of Scott Harshbarger

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, Dante Ramos of the Boston Globe profiled CSM President Scott Harshbarger and his efforts to ensure that the public is fully educated as to the consequences of expanded gambling in Massachusetts.

Click here for a link to the full article.

Boston Globe Editorial: Statement of Scott Harshbarger

Former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, president of Citizens for a Stronger Massachusetts, released the following statement on The Boston Globe’s shift from support to opposition of legalizing casinos. The Globe editorial is linked below. The Globe editorial follows one published by The Boston Herald, which, while still supporting casino legislation raised similar and significant questions about this flawed bill. 

Statement from Scott Harshbarger, president of Citizens for a Stronger Massachusetts:

“Today’s courageous Boston Globe editorial rightly highlights some of the most troubling issues in the ‘deeply flawed’ casino legislation and should give legislators, Governor Patrick and constitutional officers ample reason to reject this bill. The more people actually read this 155-page giveaway-laden proposal, the more problems will be exposed. Everyone must now clearly recognize this bill does more for deep-pocketed special interests and friends of the powerful than it does to create jobs and raise revenue.  “It is time for the rank-and-file to show they have learned from Beacon Hill’s torrid scandals and will put the Commonwealth’s best interests first by not blindly following the Speaker, Senate President and Governor. It’s time to kill this deeply flawed and wrong-headed bill.”

Click here for a link to the Globe Editorial.



Boston Globe Editorial Calls Casino Bill "deeply flawed"

In a terrific September 8, 2011 editorial, the Boston Globe railed against the insider politics and sweetheart deals that characterize the proposed expanded gambling bill currently working its way through Beacon Hill. 

Among other things, the Globe accuses House Speaker Robert Deleo of wording the bill to expressly benefit his own district in an "unwarranted" manner.  In addition to revenue kick-backs from slot parlors to subsidize race purses at Suffolk Downs, the bill will prevent citizens of Boston from participating in a ballot vote on whether a slot barn should be permitted in Deleo's own district.  Deleo has accomplished this by including a clause directing that in any city with greater than 125,000 residents, only the host "ward" must approve a casino.  Curiously, this clause would only apply to Boston, Worcester, and Springfield.  As such, the residents of Boston would not be included in a vote to decide upon the fate of a slot barn in Deleo's Suffolk district. 

For these and other reasons, the editorial calls upon "rank-and-file lawmakers to reject the plan."

Click here for the full article.

Globe Op-Ed Blasts Casino Deal

In a September 1, 2011 op-ed, Joan Vennochi highlighted the greed and closed-door politics that are driving expanded gambling into Massachusetts.  Among other issues, Ms. Vennochi noted that Governor Deval Patrick seems to support gambling interests only in non-election years, that the bill as currently written is ripe for yet another patronage scandal in the Commonwealth, and that while the rallying cry of proponents is "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" Nevada - with all its casinos - boasts among the highest in the nation for unemployment.

Click here to read the entire article.