You always win the first hand, right?
That's the way they draw you in.
"Officials try a less fiery approach to casino debate" by Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | July 20, 2010
Beacon Hill lawmakers tried to tone down the rhetoric over expanded gambling yesterday, as divided legislative leaders met with Governor Deval Patrick.
“At least we’re talking,’’ House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo told reporters as he walked out of the private meeting. “When people stop talking and the dialogue stops, then that’s probably the death knell of legislation.’’
DeLeo said it “remains to be seen’’ whether the sides will reach a compromise on the issue before the legislative session ends July 31. “We’re working,’’ Senate President Therese Murray said as she stood beside DeLeo.
Just a few weeks ago, many on Beacon Hill expressed confidence that a casino bill would be passed this year, given that both the House and Senate voted in favor of expanded gambling, with the support of Patrick....
But casinos are hovering over everything on Beacon Hill right now as lawmakers and a phalanx of lobbyists wait to see whether a conference committee of House and Senate members works out a compromise.
--more--"Of course, if you catch someone cheating.
"Tensions rise in gambling bill talks; Tracks’ role at issue as session nears end" by Brian McGrory and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | July 22, 2010
Negotiations in the Legislature over expanded gambling reached a new boiling point last night as the Massachusetts House reported an impasse, according to two officials, and the state Senate said time is running short to reach a deal on the high-profile issue before the lawmaking session ends next week.
Wow, a complete 180 from two days ago -- and am I ever sick of the political fooleys concealing larceny.
Two senior House officials said the Senate flatly rejected its latest compromise proposal without making a counteroffer.
But Senator Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and one of the lead negotiators for the Senate, said that is not true; his side is still considering the deal. He said that the sides have gone back and forth with four different offers and that a deal remains possible.
“This is a French movie,’’ Rosenberg said. “You’re coming into the fourth act.’’
Except this isn't a movie, Stan, it's real.
One thing is clear: The level of tension is rising, and both sides seem to be laying the groundwork to blame the other if they fail to strike a deal.
House leaders are privately puzzled and stewing at the Senate’s posture....--more--"
I need the rush of a win, readers:
"Impasse heartens gambling opponents; Stalled talks may signal bill’s demise" by Noah Bierman and Travis Andersen, Globe Staff | July 23, 2010
With a little more than a week remaining in the legislative session, House and Senate lawmakers are at odds, Governor Deval Patrick is in the Middle East, and opponents of expanded gambling are cheering a Beacon Hill impasse that they hope will lead to the demise of legislation authorizing resort casinos in Massachusetts.
More like opponent of any here, but I'm not going to quibble.
“You don’t want to count your chickens before they hatch,’’ said Evelyn Reilly, director of public policy for the Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposes expanded gambling.
“But let us just say that we are watching and cautiously hoping,’’ she said. “I think the Commonwealth could be better off for their — what do we call it? — internal cogitation.’’
Gambling critics say public attention focused on Beacon Hill — and the fact that debate over casinos seems to be preventing the Legislature from addressing social, health, and criminal justice policy issues — provides an opening for gambling opponents.
I'm tired of having my chain jerked around by the Boston Globe with their political games. I wasn't even writing about this because I knew a deal would get done.
A group of senators who oppose expanded gambling met with Patrick’s top staff Wednesday to make the case that the greed of special interests is shaping the debate, according to Senator James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat who was part of the meeting.
At least he knows for whom the lootislature is working.
“The focus on Beacon Hill seems to be on clocks and calendar and striking a quote-unquote deal,’’ said Kathleen Conley Norbut, president of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts. “You can’t get it right. There is no right for an industry and product that is predatory and more costly than any alleged revenues.’’
Proponents of expanded gambling, who argue that casinos and slot machines at racetracks would create jobs and improve the economy, are concerned....
Members of the House and Senate continued to accuse each other of scuttling negotiations. On Wednesday, House members accused senators of sitting on compromise proposals.
And then early yesterday, Senator Stanley Rosenberg, a key Democratic negotiator, said his House counterparts had rebuffed invitations for the conference committee, made up of negotiators from House and Senate, to meet.
“I did everything but get down on one knee and beg,’’ he said.
By day’s end, Rosenberg said he had had a two-hour conversation with his House counterpart, and that Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo had exchanged proposals, though they had not come to a deal.
“I am ever the optimist,’’ Rosenberg said. “Every passing day, it will be harder to get it done and get it done properly. But it can and will be done if we can stay at the table and make our compromises.’’
But Representative Brian Dempsey, Rosenberg’s counterpart in the House, told State House News Service that a deal may not happen....
--more--"It's the coming down from the high that is the toughest:
"Gambling proposals still on the table" by Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | July 24, 2010
After a tense of week of on-again, off-again talks, Massachusetts legislative leaders were moving toward compromise in their discussions on casino gambling, lawmakers said last night.
Wow, the Boston Globe is really jerking you around, 'eh, readers?
Though they ended the day yesterday without resolution, leaders continued talks into the evening in an otherwise quiet Capitol. Senate President Pro Tempore Stanley C. Rosenberg said members were also calling one another on the phone and plan to continue talks over the weekend....
Certain interests want this done, and these clowns will make it so.
An impasse earlier in the week and protracted talks over casinos have postponed debate on other issues that political leaders hoped to resolve by next week....
Other stuff?
--more--"
"Leaders talk deal on Mass. casinos; Outlook unclear after meeting; Other key bills still unresolved" by Noah Bierman and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | July 27, 2010
House and Senate leaders attempted yesterday to jump-start stalled negotiations over legalizing Las Vegas-style resort casinos, even as advocates for a variety of other measures grew increasingly concerned that the two-year legislative session will end Saturday with major issues still unresolved.
After weeks of publicly disparaging each other’s proposals and hosting negotiations that went nowhere, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo met yesterday with key Democratic lawmakers from both chambers to try to hash out a casinos compromise. They did not immediately make a deal and acknowledged that it remains unclear whether they will do so.
“Would I definitively state, yes, we’re going to have a bill by the end of the week? No, I probably couldn’t say that,’’ DeLeo told reporters as he entered the meeting, which was called by Murray and took place in her office. “But I think we’re giving it our best shot.’’
Murray’s spokesman, David Falcone, said the leaders planned to work into the night to try to resolve their differences....
This is REALLY starting to feel like a RUSH THROUGH that we will ALL end up REGRETTING!!
But the two sides could not close a deal last night....
The legislative session is scheduled to end Saturday, with several key issues, from a state sales tax holiday to a gun control measure, stalled by the dispute over expanded gambling.
Advocates for other issues have grown frustrated, and many observers, both on and off Beacon Hill, have criticized what seems like a singular focus for the state’s lawmakers....
That is because SPECIAL INTERESTS and their LOBBYISTS set the pace up on the hill.
Advocates for changing the criminal records law, who have won support from the House and Senate, are suddenly concerned that victory may be slipping from their hands. They plan a rally today on the State House steps in an effort to call attention to their cause....
Related: Massachusetts Justice: Employing Perverts
And they will be on the statehouse steps tomorrow.
Tension over casinos intensified last week when DeLeo offered a compromise proposal, and Murray seemed to sit on it for more then a day and then dismiss it without a counteroffer, angering the speaker....
Are you tired of the personal politics and personality squabbles being presented as news, readers, because I sure am.
And I'm tired of being jerked around by the paper for a political agenda.
"Patrick in doubt of gambling resolution; He again urges action to clear way for other bills" by Andrea Estes and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | July 28, 2010
Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday that the House and Senate remain divided by a chasm over gambling, casting doubt on the prospects for resolution of a debate that has tied the Legislature in knots for most of a month....
A political ploy to give them a push.
While several major bills have been held up during the casino impasse, there was some action yesterday.
The Senate passed a bill, previously passed by the House, which could replace the electoral college with a popular vote for presidential elections.
Related: Winner-take-all bill is OK’d by state Senate
Why are they always doing things we do not want them to do?
And the House passed a bill unanimously yesterday that attempts to prevent some home foreclosures and to protect some renters from eviction.
Oh, finally getting around to it, huh?
Related: Things Are Tough All Over in Massachusetts
They were not working through the night on that one.
"Hopes rise for deal on casinos; Leaders indicate 11th-hour accord is within reach" by Andrea Estes and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | July 29, 2010
State legislative leaders, downbeat for days about the prospects of reaching a compromise on legislation to expand gambling, were more optimistic late yesterday that a deal was within reach.
Are you TIRED of being JERKED AROUND for what everyone knew was going to be a DONE DEAL by the time they were through?
Both the House speaker and the Senate president said they are unwilling to keep lawmakers on Beacon Hill past the scheduled end of the legislative session Saturday....
Yeah, the CLOSER they are to VACATION the HARDER they WORK!
But as legislative leaders talked into the night about their differences over casino and slot parlor proposals, the issue that has halted progress on other major issues on Beacon Hill, the outlines of a possible compromise emerged: authorize three resort-style casinos and allow slot machines at two additional locations....
Do you know how sick I am of seeing BUT in my NEWSPAPER!?
Lawmakers are committed to forging a deal, said Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, a Lowell Democrat and a key Senate negotiator....
So they can GO HOME!
The negotiations took place behind closed doors yesterday, as lobbyists and reporters huddled in State House hallways awaiting some trickle of news and the resumption of work on other major issues.
In the liberal fascist state we call a commonwealth.
Related:
"Public [is] not welcome.... activity is taking place almost entirely out of public view... and behind closed doors.... the Legislature is exempt from the state's open meeting and public records laws.... able to deliberate in private and guard key documents from public scrutiny.... allowing the public to take part in the proceedings would only bog things down....
Rank-and-file lawmakers currently have little clue about what is going on or what they inevitably will be asked to vote on with little notice.... Legislation was actually drafted by lobbyists and sent to the State House by courier for passage"
Also see: The Perils of One-Party Politics: The Ruling Party
We need a change.
With just a few days remaining in the two-year legislative session, lawmakers were eager to wrap up work and return to their districts, where many will spend the next few months campaigning for reelection....
I don't know how much fun that is going to be with a surly public looking to punish incumbents.
--more--"
As if we needed another reason:
"Patrick, in shift, offers a slots deal; Would accept parlor if Hill gridlock ends" by Noah Bierman and Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | July 30, 2010
Gambling opponents were worried that by ceding ground on slot parlors, Patrick would pave the way for Massachusetts to be hit with “the most addictive form of gambling known to mankind,’’ said Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute.
“The governor has acknowledged that’’ about slot machines, Mineau said. “I don’t see how, in good faith, the governor can condone additional slots at parlors.’’
Patrick’s Republican opponent, Charles D. Baker, held a press conference earlier yesterday during which he accused Patrick of a lack of leadership and said gambling was neither a long-term nor a short-term fix for the state’s economy.
“Beacon Hill should be ashamed for wasting the last few weeks in a gridlock,’’ Baker’s campaign said in a statement released after the press conference. Baker supports casinos, but says the state should start with one, to test its effect on the economy.
A report released by Moody’s Investors Services Wednesday offered mixed news on the health of the gambling industry, with revenues in several states declining significantly and rebounding in a few others.
So much for the casino that laid the golden goose!!!
“Gaming, once considered ‘recession-resistant,’ proved to be one of the first sectors to be negatively affected by this recession and may be one of the last to recover,’’ Moody’s said.
In other words, YOU WERE LIED TO AGAIN, America!
Industry profits are expected to stabilize by the end of the year, the Wall Street rating agency added. “But we believe further gaming proliferation will likely result in more companies competing for the same customers within a particular market/region rather than expansion of the overall industry.’’
All of the legislation Patrick wants passed in exchange for the slots parlor was close to resolution, including an economic development bill that includes a sales tax holiday and another that would help small businesses afford health care.
The Legislature did reach agreement on two of the bills on Patrick’s list: one that would streamline the process for siting wind farms, giving more authority to local communities; the other would limit access to criminal records in order to help offenders get jobs, as well as allow for earlier parole for drug offenders....
Why do they care more about the criminals than you, taxpayer?
He must have got the message:
"A casino deal, but Patrick balks; Legislators back 3 casinos, 2 slot parlors; governor calls measure unacceptable" by Noah Bierman and Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | July 31, 2010
After decades of debate and a month of contentious backroom haggling, key lawmakers agreed on a gambling bill yesterday that would authorize three Las Vegas-style casinos and a pair of slot parlors at the state’s racetracks.
In other words, they GAVE EVERYONE what they wanted!
But even as the House and Senate prepared to vote on the measure today, Governor Deval Patrick has vowed to reject it.
Quit getting my hopes up; you know when rubber hits the road pen will hit paper.
The latest standoff adds a new chapter to the frenzied debate, which had seemed finally headed for resolution as the two-year legislative session officially ends at midnight tonight.
I'm sick of the story, at least the way the Boston Globe is telling it.
Now, there’s a distinct possibility that the saga will end with all three parties wanting casinos, but nothing to show for it.
The yo-yo ride is making me ill.
“The governor has stated throughout this process that he was going to be open-minded with me,’’ said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, the son of a racetrack worker, who has two tracks in his legislative district. “This is a major piece of legislation. There’s a whole lot more to it than just slots at the racetrack. I’m hopeful he’ll take the time to look at the bill as a whole.’’
But Patrick, who declared Thursday that he would accept no more than one slot parlor with a fully open bidding process, immediately renewed his pledge to reject anything more than that, issuing a statement just after DeLeo and other legislative leaders held their celebratory press conference....
Here's mud in your eye!
“At the end of the day, this is not the total answer to our problems,’’ said Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, a Lowell Democrat and key gambling negotiator. “But it’s going to put 15,000 people back to work. You can’t tell me another industry that is going to do that right away.’’
Right away? Really?
You know, the HYPERBOLE is not HELPING!
The state’s share of the gambling money would be used to shore up the budget, and to aid cities and towns. A smaller portion would be used to combat crime, treat addiction, and help cultural facilities hurt by competition from casinos.
The addition of casinos would mark a dramatic cultural shift for Massachusetts, a state settled by Puritans that has long relied on its colonial history and natural beauty to draw tourists.
And you can NEVER GO BACK!
But casino proponents say times have changed, and too many residents and tourists are spending their money to gamble in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York.
Another but.
Opponents say the economic development benefits are exaggerated and the social costs are too high.
But let's move on from their concerns.
The question of how many casino developers will compete to build here remains uncertain.
Yeah, that's much more important.
On Wednesday, Moody’s Investors Services offered mixed news on the health of the industry. Yesterday,
Nah!! Deal me another hand!
Morgan Stanley estimated that a single destination casino in Boston would generate $600 million to $700 million in annual revenue, or about half the total potential gambling revenue for the state. But allowing two additional slot parlors would reduce that estimate by 35 percent, which would limit the interest of investors, the report said.
And THAT is WHO and WHAT this WHOLE THING is about!!!
Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and the Senate’s point person on gambling, agreed there is only a limited pie to divvy up among the gambling halls and that more venues is “just dividing the pie into smaller pieces.’’
Then get a NEW PLAN, Stan!
Our "relationship" ended a long time ago.
--more--"
Despite their protracted negotiations on expanded gambling, lawmakers announced yesterday that they had hammered out deals on a number of other issues, including a sales tax holiday, a measure that would help the state locate new wind farms, and a bill that would limit many employers’ access to criminal records.
Legislative leaders are hoping to enact the measures before midnight tonight, when the legislative session is scheduled to end. The legislation would then have to be signed by Governor Deval Patrick to become law.
“Yesterday I called on the Legislature to finish their work on several key pieces of legislation that are critical to continuing our economic recovery and growing jobs,’’ Patrick said in a statement yesterday. “I am pleased that the House and Senate have begun to move on these measures today and will look forward to reviewing the content of the final bills to assure that they go far enough.’’
Democratic leaders, who have been criticized for their focus on casino gambling, congratulated one another on their work....
They pat themselves on the back for things for which we want to kick them in the ass.
--more--"
Related: Legislature passes bill targeting childhood obesity
Governor signs bill to improve nutrition for schoolchildren
Also see:
- Boston Globe Says Everyone is a Winner at Casinos
- State House Pulling Out All Stops For Slots
- Gamblers Dealing Mass. Democrats Dollar$
- DeLeo and His Dad
- Casino Comparisons: Connecticut's Foxwoods Failure
- Casino Comparisons: Rhode Island's Red Ink
- Casino Comparisons: The Maine Message
- Casino Comparisons: Out of Luck in Ohio
- Casino Comparisons: California Crash
- Casino Comparisons: All In in Iowa
- Casino Comparisons: Hawaiian Hiatus
- Wampanoags Welch Out on Casino Deal
- Milford Makes Its Move
- The Palmer Protests
- Last Race at Raynham
- Wonderland Loses Its Luster
- Against All Odds: Developers Double Down
- Against All Odds: Senate Sleight of Hand
- Against All Odds: The Story of How the House Passed Casinos
- Against All Odds: Winners and Losers
Globe Editorial Compromise on gambling shouldn’t include ‘racinos’
Globe Editorial Governor should veto flawed gambling deal
I'm sorry, readers; I don't play those games when I go to casino.
