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NEWS BULLETIN!!!!!!!!
It was reported by Boston's channel 5, WCVB, that Speaker of the House, Robert DeLeo, would call for the legislature to come back into session to act on Gov. Patrick Deval's suggested amendment to the Gaming Bill passed by the leigislature last weekend before the Saturday midnight deadline.
No word yet on reaction to Speaker DeLeo's action by Senate President Therese Murray. More to follow!
As they say in Brooklyn, Yez hoid it heeer foist!"
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Butcher's Bill continuedddddddddddddd.....................
And there's even more!
7/30/2010 ASSAD, BRUCE
486 NICHOLS ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207310LAWYER
BRUCE A ASSAD Patrick, Deval L.$250.00
03 August, 2010 00:10
Anonymous said...
The casino/biopark in Freetown transaction is going to be interesting.
Menard and Jim Karam held a "private fundraiser at the Venus the week (ending) 7/31/10 for $250 a ticket to buy support for their pet projects and of course Joans retirement.
hmm look at the coincidence of who just happened to send a check for $250/$500 that week besides Baccari who the city will buy the land from:
Same names always involved in city
"development" transactions:
It's also nice to see that the 8% paycut didn't affect the city of Fall River staff:
7/30/2010 CHRIST, NICHOLAS
201 ATLANTIC AVE WESTPORT, MA 02790 BANKER
CITIZENS UNION BANK Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 CADIME, SHAWN
36 PALMER ST 2 FALL RIVER, MA 027243236 ADMINISTRATOR
CITY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT CAROLE FIOLA
307 ARCHER ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720
Patrick, Deval L. $100.00
( Kenny the LAWYER only paid $400 so this evens out to $500 or = 2 tickets)
7/30/2010 DONOVAN, JEREMIAH
16 BEDFORD ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720 ELEC CONTRACT
G&J PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CORP Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 HOEY, JOHN
221 SHAG BARK RD TAUNTON, MA 027802065 ADMINISTRATOR
UNIV OF MASS Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 KARAM, JAMES
119 MEADOWBROOK LN WESTPORT, MA 027904360 PRINCIPAL
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 KARAM, JEFFREY
37 DUDLEY ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720 DEVELOPER
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 KARAM, JAMES
PO BOX 2516 FALL RIVER, MA 02720 PRESIDENT & CEO
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/30/2010 LONG, PATRICK
PO BOX 347 WESTPORT POINT, MA 02791 INSURANCE BROKER
CITIZENS UNION INSURANCE Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 LONG, PERRY
991 AMERICAN LEGION HWY WESTPORT, MA 027901124 NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR CITY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 LUND, JOHN
161 HARBOR RD SWANSEA, MA 027771446 LAWYER
BORDEN LIGHT MARINA Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 LUND, KATHLEEN
161 HARBOR RD SWANSEA, MA 027771446 HOMEMAKER
HOMEMAKER Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 MACCORMACK, JEAN
6 WILDPEPPER LN DARTMOUTH, MA 027481437 CHANCELLOR
UMASS DARTMOUTH Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/30/2010 MARSHALL, JOANNE
323 KENYON ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207432 RETIRED
RETIRED Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 MARSHALL, LIANNE
244 BEACON ST 4A BOSTON, MA 02116 EXECUTIVE
MARSHALL PROPERTIES Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
8/2/2010 MARSHALL, JOSEPH
323 KENYON ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207432 INSURANCE SALES
J MARSHALL ASSOCIATES Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 MATEUS, RICHARD
109 ANGUS ST SOMERSET, MA 02725 EXECUTIVE
PRIMA CARE Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 ONEIL-SOUZA, ANN
PO BOX 30 FALL RIVER, MA 02722 CHIEF OF STAFF
CITGY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
/29/2010 REZENDES, SR, KENNETH
PO BOX 879 ASSONET, MA 02702 CHAIRMAN
K R REZENDES, INC Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 RHEAUME, RICHARD
557 ELM ST DARTMOUTH, MA 027482142 CIVIL ENGINEER
PRIME ENGINEERING Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 AMARAL, ALAN
4234 NORTH MAIN ST 102 FALL RIVER, MA 02720 ATTORNEY
YOMEGA CORP Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
03 August, 2010 08:08
Anonymous said...
Christmas Party for Deval Patrick??
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD $500.00 VICE PRESIDENT
785 ACADEMY AVE CHECK CHURCHILL & BANKS
ROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD $500.00 C E O
440 OCEAN RD CHECK CHURCHILL & BANKS
NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882
12/15/2009 FRIENDS OF PAT HADDAD $100.00
PO BOX 495 CHECK
SOMERSET, MA 02726
12/15/2009 HADDAD, PATRICIA $150.00
2662 RIVERSIDE AVE CHECK
SOMERSET, MA 02726
12/15/2009 HOEY, JOHN $250.00 ADMINISTRATOR
221 SHAG BARK RD CHECK UNIV OF MASS
TAUNTON, MA 027802065
12/15/2009 KARAM, JAMES $500.00 PRINCIPAL
119 MEADOWBROOK LN CHECK FIRST BRISTOL CORP.
WESTPORT, MA 027904360
12/15/2009 KARAM, JEFFREY $500.00 DEVELOPER
37 DUDLEY ST CHECK FIRST BRISTOL CORP.
FALL RIVER, MA 02720
12/15/2009 KARAM, STEPHEN $500.00 V P
645 MADISON ST CHECK KARAM FINANCIAL
FALL RIVER, MA 027205711
12/15/2009 MACCORMACK, JEAN $500.00 CHANCELLOR
6 WILDPEPPER LN CHECK UMASS DARTMOUTH
DARTMOUTH, MA 027481437
12/15/2009 MARSHALL, LIANNE $500.00 EXECUTIVE
244 BEACON ST 4A CHECK MARSHALL PROPERTIES
BOSTON, MA 02116
12/15/2009 REZENDES, KENNETH $500.00 CHAIRMAN
PO BOX 879 CHECK K R REZENDES, INC
ASSONET, MA 02702
12/15/2009 RHEAUME, RICHARD $250.00 CIVIL ENGINEER
557 ELM ST CHECK PRIME ENGINEERING
DARTMOUTH, MA 027482142
03 August, 2010 09:34
7/30/2010 ASSAD, BRUCE
486 NICHOLS ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207310LAWYER
BRUCE A ASSAD Patrick, Deval L.$250.00
03 August, 2010 00:10
Anonymous said...
The casino/biopark in Freetown transaction is going to be interesting.
Menard and Jim Karam held a "private fundraiser at the Venus the week (ending) 7/31/10 for $250 a ticket to buy support for their pet projects and of course Joans retirement.
hmm look at the coincidence of who just happened to send a check for $250/$500 that week besides Baccari who the city will buy the land from:
Same names always involved in city
"development" transactions:
It's also nice to see that the 8% paycut didn't affect the city of Fall River staff:
7/30/2010 CHRIST, NICHOLAS
201 ATLANTIC AVE WESTPORT, MA 02790 BANKER
CITIZENS UNION BANK Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 CADIME, SHAWN
36 PALMER ST 2 FALL RIVER, MA 027243236 ADMINISTRATOR
CITY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT CAROLE FIOLA
307 ARCHER ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720
Patrick, Deval L. $100.00
( Kenny the LAWYER only paid $400 so this evens out to $500 or = 2 tickets)
7/30/2010 DONOVAN, JEREMIAH
16 BEDFORD ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720 ELEC CONTRACT
G&J PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CORP Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 HOEY, JOHN
221 SHAG BARK RD TAUNTON, MA 027802065 ADMINISTRATOR
UNIV OF MASS Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 KARAM, JAMES
119 MEADOWBROOK LN WESTPORT, MA 027904360 PRINCIPAL
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 KARAM, JEFFREY
37 DUDLEY ST FALL RIVER, MA 02720 DEVELOPER
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 KARAM, JAMES
PO BOX 2516 FALL RIVER, MA 02720 PRESIDENT & CEO
FIRST BRISTOL CORP. Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/30/2010 LONG, PATRICK
PO BOX 347 WESTPORT POINT, MA 02791 INSURANCE BROKER
CITIZENS UNION INSURANCE Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 LONG, PERRY
991 AMERICAN LEGION HWY WESTPORT, MA 027901124 NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR CITY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 LUND, JOHN
161 HARBOR RD SWANSEA, MA 027771446 LAWYER
BORDEN LIGHT MARINA Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 LUND, KATHLEEN
161 HARBOR RD SWANSEA, MA 027771446 HOMEMAKER
HOMEMAKER Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 MACCORMACK, JEAN
6 WILDPEPPER LN DARTMOUTH, MA 027481437 CHANCELLOR
UMASS DARTMOUTH Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/30/2010 MARSHALL, JOANNE
323 KENYON ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207432 RETIRED
RETIRED Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 MARSHALL, LIANNE
244 BEACON ST 4A BOSTON, MA 02116 EXECUTIVE
MARSHALL PROPERTIES Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
8/2/2010 MARSHALL, JOSEPH
323 KENYON ST FALL RIVER, MA 027207432 INSURANCE SALES
J MARSHALL ASSOCIATES Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 MATEUS, RICHARD
109 ANGUS ST SOMERSET, MA 02725 EXECUTIVE
PRIMA CARE Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/29/2010 ONEIL-SOUZA, ANN
PO BOX 30 FALL RIVER, MA 02722 CHIEF OF STAFF
CITGY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
/29/2010 REZENDES, SR, KENNETH
PO BOX 879 ASSONET, MA 02702 CHAIRMAN
K R REZENDES, INC Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
7/29/2010 RHEAUME, RICHARD
557 ELM ST DARTMOUTH, MA 027482142 CIVIL ENGINEER
PRIME ENGINEERING Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
7/30/2010 AMARAL, ALAN
4234 NORTH MAIN ST 102 FALL RIVER, MA 02720 ATTORNEY
YOMEGA CORP Patrick, Deval L. $250.00
03 August, 2010 08:08
Anonymous said...
Christmas Party for Deval Patrick??
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD $500.00 VICE PRESIDENT
785 ACADEMY AVE CHECK CHURCHILL & BANKS
ROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD $500.00 C E O
440 OCEAN RD CHECK CHURCHILL & BANKS
NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882
12/15/2009 FRIENDS OF PAT HADDAD $100.00
PO BOX 495 CHECK
SOMERSET, MA 02726
12/15/2009 HADDAD, PATRICIA $150.00
2662 RIVERSIDE AVE CHECK
SOMERSET, MA 02726
12/15/2009 HOEY, JOHN $250.00 ADMINISTRATOR
221 SHAG BARK RD CHECK UNIV OF MASS
TAUNTON, MA 027802065
12/15/2009 KARAM, JAMES $500.00 PRINCIPAL
119 MEADOWBROOK LN CHECK FIRST BRISTOL CORP.
WESTPORT, MA 027904360
12/15/2009 KARAM, JEFFREY $500.00 DEVELOPER
37 DUDLEY ST CHECK FIRST BRISTOL CORP.
FALL RIVER, MA 02720
12/15/2009 KARAM, STEPHEN $500.00 V P
645 MADISON ST CHECK KARAM FINANCIAL
FALL RIVER, MA 027205711
12/15/2009 MACCORMACK, JEAN $500.00 CHANCELLOR
6 WILDPEPPER LN CHECK UMASS DARTMOUTH
DARTMOUTH, MA 027481437
12/15/2009 MARSHALL, LIANNE $500.00 EXECUTIVE
244 BEACON ST 4A CHECK MARSHALL PROPERTIES
BOSTON, MA 02116
12/15/2009 REZENDES, KENNETH $500.00 CHAIRMAN
PO BOX 879 CHECK K R REZENDES, INC
ASSONET, MA 02702
12/15/2009 RHEAUME, RICHARD $250.00 CIVIL ENGINEER
557 ELM ST CHECK PRIME ENGINEERING
DARTMOUTH, MA 027482142
03 August, 2010 09:34
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Butcher's Bill
" Unlike some adventures in literature, where the good guys’ bullets hit the
detested enemy, but the enemy’s bullets never strike home, there is a cost. The
cost is the Butcher’s Bill, the dead and wounded in battle and accident who fall
by the wayside as the remaining protagonists rally forward, hopefully to victory, hopefully to living happily ever after, but realistically, sometimes to defeat. "
AS a general rule I am far too competitive a person to go overboard in praising other blogger's work or sites. Well that's not entirely true, but we all have our own way of doing things and our own views. I do respect the bloggers of Fall River a great deal, however.
When I see an entry on one of these other blogs that speaks loudly to me on a personal level, or provides important information to the public which I feel needs more widespread distribution, I have no issue with reprinting this information to you, the readers of chowmeinsammich. After all, we exist to inform the citizens of Fall River and any other interested parties. This is such a moment.
There was an important comment left on the popular website FallRiver-tastic,
http://speakupfallriver.blogspot.com/2010/07/lie-with-dogs-you-gets-fleas.html?showComment=1280772650660#c110803689699616240
It is very simple. It provides comments included in an article written about the infamous and investigated one, Mr. Richard Baccari. Mr. Baccari is the shady character who owns the land in Freetown with which FROED wishes to lure UMass/Dartmouth and the BIO-Park back to the area. It's the equivalent to a "make-up" call in basketball in case the THREE STOOGES (Flanagan, Fiola and Torres) fail on their gaming gamble with the Wampanoags and a Governor Patrick Veto of the Gaming Bill. Just have to keep the local yokels happy, right boys?
Also included for you edification is a list of contributions made by Mr. Baccari to our local collection of elected officials and the Governor himself. I'm afraid you WILL NOT be surprised by what you'll find on the list. In fact, it will make all those rumors going around that the fix was in from a long ways back to place the Route 24 cutoff precisely near Mr. Baccari's land in Freetown. Things that make you go HMMMMMMMM!
I don't know about you folks, but you have to be especially brain dead to not see the clear cause and effect connection of money flowing into politicians campaign war chests and decisions flowing out to help the contributors. I'M JUST SAYIN'!
Here it is...THE BUTCHER'S BILL:
01 August, 2010 22:04
Anonymous said...
From a past Prov. Phoenix:
Winston Baccari
Your superior correspondents got a kick out of a June 13 front-page story in the Urinal, about the highly-desirable Capital Center site where former Providence Mayor Boy Joe Paolino is itching to put up a high-rise luxury Hyatt Hotel.
Boy Joe looking for a sweet property deal is hardly novel or wildly amusing. But the same article noted that that infamous local developer/world-class spaccone (editor's note:"spaccone" is defined as a boaster, braggart, loudmouth, one who waves money around in public to impress people) Richard Baccari -- he of the unpaid Providence city taxes and strong-arm attempts to build condos at one of the state's most aesthetically pleasing natural sites, Black Point in Narragansett -- also has his eye on the Capital Center property for a new set of condos. (Because Richie is real condo kinda guy, a man who thinks gold chains are the height of good taste and high fashion.)
However, it appears that Baccari has yet to conquer his acute embarrassment over his Italian heritage. That obvious feeling led him to name his former development company -- now defunct -- the Downing Corporation, and to tag his developments with names that rang of posh English country locales.
So guess what his new firm is called? If you said Churchill & Banks, you could be a millionaire! Yes, our former auto body repair shop owner figures that all you have to do is slap a famed English name -- and an allusion to money -- on to your company and the next thing you know you are squiring the Queen Mum to dinner at Buckingham Palace and exchanging chit-chat about polo with Prince Chuck and Camilla Parker-Bowles. And we betcha youse could nevuh tell Richard Baccari wasn't no royalty! (From The House of Pizza?)
02 August, 2010 07:49
Anonymous said...
10/12/2005 Baccari, Richard P.
440 Ocean Road Narragansett, RI 02882CEO
Churchill and Banks Menard, Joan M.$300.00
9/14/2006 Baccari, Richard P.
440 Ocean Road Narragansett, RI 02882CEO
Churchill and Banks Menard, Joan M.$200.00
10/17/2007 Baccari, Richard P.
440 Ocean Road Narragansett, RI 02882CEO
Churchill and Banks Menard, Joan M.$400.00
10/1/2005 Baccari, II, Richard P.
785 Academy Ave. Providence, RI 02908Vice President
Churchill and Banks Menard, Joan M.$200.00
2/7/2003 Baccari, Richard
167 Point St., Suite 300 Providence, RI 02903letter sent
Correia, Robert$250.00
2/13/2004 Baccari, Richard
167 Point St., Suite 300 Providence, RI 02903information requested
Correia, Robert$250.00
11/17/2008 Baccari, Michael
440 Ocean Road Narraganett, RI 02882Information Requested
Information Requested Correia, Robert$500.00
1/2/2008 Baccari, Richard
440 Ocean Road Narraganett, RI 02882CEO
Churchill & Banks Correia, Robert$500.00
4/9/2003 Baccari, Richard
167 Point Street Suite 300 Providence, RI 02903Owner
Church, Hill & Banks Fiola, Carole$200.00
7/17/2007 BACCARI, RICHARD
785 ACADEMY AVE PROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230VICE PRESIDENT
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
7/17/2007 BACCARI, RICHARD
440 OCEAN RD NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882C E O
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
9/30/2008 BACCARI, RICHARD
440 OCEAN RD NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882C E O
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
10/2/2008 BACCARI, RICHARD
785 ACADEMY AVE PROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230VICE PRESIDENT
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD
785 ACADEMY AVE PROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230VICE PRESIDENT
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
12/15/2009 BACCARI, RICHARD
440 OCEAN RD NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882C E O
CHURCHILL & BANKS Patrick, Deval L.$500.00
02 August, 2010 14:10
Anonymous said...
That's old news, wait until you see who coincidentally donated last week to Deval Patrick....the same week of the "private fundraiser" Menard put on at the Venus @ $250 a ticket.
02 August, 2010 14:27
Anonymous said...
Deval Patrick
7/29/10
CHECK BACCARI, RICHARD 440 OCEAN RD NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882 C E O CHURCHILL & BANKS $500.00
CHECK BACCARI, II, RICHARD 785 ACADEMY AVE PROVIDENCE, RI 02908-1230 VICE PRESIDENT CHURCHILL & BANKS $500.00
02 August, 2010 14:37
Anonymous said...
7/29/2010 FIOLA, JR, KENNETH
1 GOVERNMENT CENTER FALL RIVER, MA 02722ATTORNEY (HA!)
KENNETH FIOLA, JR. Patrick, Deval L.$400.00
02 August, 2010 14:38
Anonymous said...
7/29/2010 LONG, PERRY
991 AMERICAN LEGION HWY WESTPORT, MA 027901124 NEIGHBORHOOD COORDINATOR
CITY OF FALL RIVER Patrick, Deval L. $500.00
02 August, 2010 15:15
Make up your own minds folks! Many thanks to Shamrockblogger and his great site FallRiver-tastic
The crux of the biscuit !
10 days. That's the time the Governor has to veto or sign the Gaming Bill before it becomes law. 10 crazy, insane, silly season days is what I'm sure we will most likely experience. All this madness over slot machines at race tracks and the invitation to everlasting grifter logic in three of our state's communities due to legalized "gaming", which is a polite way of referring to destroyed lives and blunted community growth.
I don't know about you folks, but I have this feeling that the only people Fall River nervously awaiting the end of the next ten day period are anyone involved in union construction trades, who I do feel badly for, "degenerate" (as Tony Soprano would say) gamblers, and a certain budding three person law firm currently masquerading as public officials (Flanagan, Fiola and Torres, aka DEWEY, CHEATEM and HOWE!- mom was wrong...all those Saturday mornings watching the Three Stooges finally paid off!). In fact, that vast sucking sound you hear is undoubtedly the noise made by three sets of rear ends puckering up at the same time! That's right, you guys wanted to live by gambling, so you better know what the other side of that bargain is all about too! Feast or famine. Opps, there goes that sound again. Not quite a Dyson, but definitely in the Oreck category!
10 days. The Good Lord only took 7 days to create the earth and the heavens, or so the Bible tell us. But look what these next 10 days could bring us:
(click on map for full size)
Lookie here! Just let your mind wrap itself around this map and what it says about the rapaciousness of the gaming industry and it's plans for the Commonwealth. My oh my, there's plenty of slot machines to go around, because as we all know, the crux of the biscuit (thank you, Frank Zappa), even in casino's, is that phalanx of social security check stealing one armed bandits. Get the old timers and modern day Ralph Cramdens, looking for yet another get rich quick scheme, in the gambling halls early and often. And for those of limited mobility, let's make it easy for them to drop the rent, food and medication money into the adjusted algorithm machine boxes marked "La Cosa Nostra". After all, everyone knows people over 65 need fun things to do! So let's make almost everyone travel eligible to visit your friendly neighborhood slot parlor. It's enough to make you vomit!
This map only shows the locations that have been formally proposed. There are just as many gaming sites lobbyist's will not reveal until the bill is signed into law! But hey, it's all about revitalizing the state economy, right? Actually, it sounds a lot more like the Mafia's way to accomplish middle and lower class income redistribution to the wealthy (ahem, to THEM). Then again, you didn't need David Stockman to tell you they were supply siders all along. (If you don't know who David Stockman is, you are either from Fall River, are younger than 25, or both. In any event do a Google search on the name. THIS HAS BEEN THE chowmeinsammich HISTORY LESSON FOR TODAY!)
It's funny - almost. It took God 7 days to create the universe. It will probably take less than 10 days for the Big Guy's #2 man on earth, Mr. Speakah DeLeo (if you ask him at least) to forever alter the face of humanity here in Massachusetts. But since this is DeLeo's universe and we are only allowed here if he wants us to be here, we all have to buckle up for this crazy carnival ride the next 10 days promises to deliver. Hold on Governor Patrick, hold on for all our dear lives.
All you idiots had to do was cut the slot parlors down to a measly "1" so DeLeo's pals had jobs. That's the infuriating thing and the sad thing about this entire contrived controversy.
I'm ashamed to be a resident of this state right now. We all should be
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Just when I thought I was out, THEY PULL ME BACK INNNNNN !!
Therese Murray:
Gov. Patrick should sign bill
and ‘declare victory’
***************
By Jim O’Sullivan / State House News Service
Sunday, August 1, 2010 - Added 44 minutes ago
***************
Senate President Therese Murray advised Gov. Deval Patrick on Sunday to sign the gambling bill lawmakers sent him late Saturday night and declare a “great victory” because, she said, the legislation allows the governor to sanction resort casinos while blocking the racetrack slot machines he opposes.
Murray said Patrick should capitalize on a clause in the bill that she and other senators believe leaves the verdict on racinos to a regulatory commission controlled by the governor, a premise Patrick questioned Sunday while urging lawmakers to ratify a three-casino, no-racino amendment he plans to send them.
Murray, who has said senators would likely not vote to return for a special session when they could address the amendment, said Patrick should instead sign the bill into law.
“I think he can declare victory, with the way it’s set up,” Murray told the News Service during a telephone interview.
“I just think they should’ve jumped on it and said this is great,” Murray said.
Speaker Robert DeLeo’s office declined to say whether the speaker had been aware of the prospect that, despite a fierce and draining push to guarantee multiple racinos through the bill, the decision would instead be left in the coming years to an outside commission over which the Legislature wields no official authority.
Murray said she had not spoken to DeLeo about the controversial clause, which leaves in doubt the slots question by using less forceful language in drawing the parameters of the commission’s authority.
She said the Senate’s lead conferee, Senate President Pro Tempore Stanley Rosenberg, had been in touch with Patrick chief of staff Arthur Bernard and senior gambling policy adviser Stanley McGee about details of the bill, talking to Bernard about the commission empowerment language Saturday morning, the morning after the conference report was filed. Hours later, the House and Senate quickly gave the bill final approval.
The bill gives one commission appointment each to the governor, the attorney general and the treasurer, with the remaining two appointed with approval of an unspecified combination of two of the appointing authorities. The governor would appoint the commission’s chair. Patrick on Sunday said it was “disingenuous” to say that the bill would “allow me to influence the commission,” according to the Boston Globe.
Murray said Patrick would be able to steer the regulatory commission. “He really in effect gets to control it,” she said.
Asked about Murray’s comments, Patrick communications director Kyle Sullivan said in an email, “The bottom line is this bill allows for no-bid slot licenses for track owners and the Governor only has one guaranteed appointment to the commission out of five members.”
Both Patrick and Attorney General Martha Coakley are Democrats. Treasurer Timothy Cahill is an Independent running against Patrick for governor.
DeLeo spokesman Seth Gitell said the conference committee report was “consistent with the language engrossed in the House.”
In a dramatic speech Saturday night, DeLeo said the House was ready to override Patrick’s possible veto and restore two racinos open to bid among the state’s four racetracks. Two of those tracks, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland, have formed a joint venture with the intent of earning a casino license.
The racinos’ chances are dicier in the Senate, where less support for the slots facilities exists than in the House. Murray said Saturday the Senate does not currently have the votes to return for the formal session necessary to address Patrick’s actions on the bill. If lawmakers do not address an amendment, the bill would die.
Kathleen Conley Norbut, head of the anti-gambling group United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said Sunday that Patrick should block passage of the bill, saying his “choices will be to side with the deep-pocketed casino bosses, their high-powered lobbyists and the predatory gambling culture they are peddling or to truly be the ‘different kind of leader’ we elected.”
********************
Sure looks like a way out, if you want the Governor to "hold cheap his manhood" as Shakespeare said in Henry V. If this doesn't sound like someone who knows they won't be able to override the veto if that's what Deval Patrick decides to do I don't know what does. If I'm talking to Deval today, I'm telling him, "No way , you are THE MAN....your dogs come to you!"
Governor Patrick will look strong during the election, not weak or anti-jobs. The state's economy is growing at twice the national average. Only garden spots like Fall River are suffering hideously. And neither will he be responsible for an explosion of vice the likes of which Massachusetts has never before seen.
No, Senate President Murray lost three democrats who are staunchly against the Casino Bill, period! This canard of the "loophole" is the equivalent of the serpent offering the apple from the tree in the Garden of Eden. For some really feral reason my insides are yelling "Don't fall for it Deval, don't do it!". The whole thing just doesn't feel right. It doesn't sound like the Governor has a monopoly of power to control the issue. The House and Senate both decide the budgets for the Treasurer and Attorney General, if push comes to shove, as it will most assuredly if we are talking about that paragon of congenial compromise, Speakah DeLeo. That's how the Governor could easily be trumped into having to swallow slots, by being on the losing end of a 3-2 or 4-1 vote. Now THAT would be a real crippling blow to his prestige and power.
If I'm the governor, I stand pat. Don't budge an inch Deval. You made it quite clear what you would approve and why. It's DeLeo and Murray who screwed the pooch on this one. DeLeo's greed and underhanded, back room deal making with race track owners is the entire cause for this mess, not Governor Patrick. And trust me, if organized labor is dumb enough to back Baker the republican for Governor over Patrick in a fit of pique over the situation, they'll soon learn a very nasty lesson about just how much real republicans in MA hate unions!
I was all ready to pay off my bet, too! Not so fast. If my friend is reading this, what I think we just saw was the beginnings of a real compromise between the parties to this issue. Like Micheal Corleone said in Godfather III, "Just when I thought I was out, THEY PULL ME BACK IN!!!!!.
And to my friend....just in case the worst happens....make mine cherry coke... :-)
Gov. Patrick should sign bill
and ‘declare victory’
***************
By Jim O’Sullivan / State House News Service
Sunday, August 1, 2010 - Added 44 minutes ago
***************
Senate President Therese Murray advised Gov. Deval Patrick on Sunday to sign the gambling bill lawmakers sent him late Saturday night and declare a “great victory” because, she said, the legislation allows the governor to sanction resort casinos while blocking the racetrack slot machines he opposes.
Murray said Patrick should capitalize on a clause in the bill that she and other senators believe leaves the verdict on racinos to a regulatory commission controlled by the governor, a premise Patrick questioned Sunday while urging lawmakers to ratify a three-casino, no-racino amendment he plans to send them.
Murray, who has said senators would likely not vote to return for a special session when they could address the amendment, said Patrick should instead sign the bill into law.
“I think he can declare victory, with the way it’s set up,” Murray told the News Service during a telephone interview.
“I just think they should’ve jumped on it and said this is great,” Murray said.
Speaker Robert DeLeo’s office declined to say whether the speaker had been aware of the prospect that, despite a fierce and draining push to guarantee multiple racinos through the bill, the decision would instead be left in the coming years to an outside commission over which the Legislature wields no official authority.
Murray said she had not spoken to DeLeo about the controversial clause, which leaves in doubt the slots question by using less forceful language in drawing the parameters of the commission’s authority.
She said the Senate’s lead conferee, Senate President Pro Tempore Stanley Rosenberg, had been in touch with Patrick chief of staff Arthur Bernard and senior gambling policy adviser Stanley McGee about details of the bill, talking to Bernard about the commission empowerment language Saturday morning, the morning after the conference report was filed. Hours later, the House and Senate quickly gave the bill final approval.
The bill gives one commission appointment each to the governor, the attorney general and the treasurer, with the remaining two appointed with approval of an unspecified combination of two of the appointing authorities. The governor would appoint the commission’s chair. Patrick on Sunday said it was “disingenuous” to say that the bill would “allow me to influence the commission,” according to the Boston Globe.
Murray said Patrick would be able to steer the regulatory commission. “He really in effect gets to control it,” she said.
Asked about Murray’s comments, Patrick communications director Kyle Sullivan said in an email, “The bottom line is this bill allows for no-bid slot licenses for track owners and the Governor only has one guaranteed appointment to the commission out of five members.”
Both Patrick and Attorney General Martha Coakley are Democrats. Treasurer Timothy Cahill is an Independent running against Patrick for governor.
DeLeo spokesman Seth Gitell said the conference committee report was “consistent with the language engrossed in the House.”
In a dramatic speech Saturday night, DeLeo said the House was ready to override Patrick’s possible veto and restore two racinos open to bid among the state’s four racetracks. Two of those tracks, Suffolk Downs and Wonderland, have formed a joint venture with the intent of earning a casino license.
The racinos’ chances are dicier in the Senate, where less support for the slots facilities exists than in the House. Murray said Saturday the Senate does not currently have the votes to return for the formal session necessary to address Patrick’s actions on the bill. If lawmakers do not address an amendment, the bill would die.
Kathleen Conley Norbut, head of the anti-gambling group United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said Sunday that Patrick should block passage of the bill, saying his “choices will be to side with the deep-pocketed casino bosses, their high-powered lobbyists and the predatory gambling culture they are peddling or to truly be the ‘different kind of leader’ we elected.”
********************
Sure looks like a way out, if you want the Governor to "hold cheap his manhood" as Shakespeare said in Henry V. If this doesn't sound like someone who knows they won't be able to override the veto if that's what Deval Patrick decides to do I don't know what does. If I'm talking to Deval today, I'm telling him, "No way , you are THE MAN....your dogs come to you!"
Governor Patrick will look strong during the election, not weak or anti-jobs. The state's economy is growing at twice the national average. Only garden spots like Fall River are suffering hideously. And neither will he be responsible for an explosion of vice the likes of which Massachusetts has never before seen.
No, Senate President Murray lost three democrats who are staunchly against the Casino Bill, period! This canard of the "loophole" is the equivalent of the serpent offering the apple from the tree in the Garden of Eden. For some really feral reason my insides are yelling "Don't fall for it Deval, don't do it!". The whole thing just doesn't feel right. It doesn't sound like the Governor has a monopoly of power to control the issue. The House and Senate both decide the budgets for the Treasurer and Attorney General, if push comes to shove, as it will most assuredly if we are talking about that paragon of congenial compromise, Speakah DeLeo. That's how the Governor could easily be trumped into having to swallow slots, by being on the losing end of a 3-2 or 4-1 vote. Now THAT would be a real crippling blow to his prestige and power.
If I'm the governor, I stand pat. Don't budge an inch Deval. You made it quite clear what you would approve and why. It's DeLeo and Murray who screwed the pooch on this one. DeLeo's greed and underhanded, back room deal making with race track owners is the entire cause for this mess, not Governor Patrick. And trust me, if organized labor is dumb enough to back Baker the republican for Governor over Patrick in a fit of pique over the situation, they'll soon learn a very nasty lesson about just how much real republicans in MA hate unions!
I was all ready to pay off my bet, too! Not so fast. If my friend is reading this, what I think we just saw was the beginnings of a real compromise between the parties to this issue. Like Micheal Corleone said in Godfather III, "Just when I thought I was out, THEY PULL ME BACK IN!!!!!.
And to my friend....just in case the worst happens....make mine cherry coke... :-)
Notice of Public Meeting !!!!!
I have been asked to relay to interested citizens the following Notice of Public Meeting:
HEAR YEE, HEAR YEE, HEAR YEE !!!!!!!
Citizens for the Common Good has changed its public event for Monday night, August 2, 2010, to a talk by gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein, who will speak about casinos as a jobs killer. The event is being held at 4321 North Main Street, Fall River, MA, from 7-8 pm.
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be on hand for free and light refreshments will be served. The public is invited!
We hope that you can attend and ask Jill questions about this timely issue!
*************
For Release:
9:00 p.m. EDT, July 31, 2010
Contact:
Stefani Koorey, Al Lima
cfccfallriver@gmail.com
508-493-9304
508-672-8217
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE JILL STEIN TO SPEAK AGAINST CASINOS
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts—Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, will be speaking about casinos as jobs killers—and how we can create better, more secure jobs across the Commonwealth—on Monday, August 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Calvary Temple, 4321 North Main St, Fall River, MA.
The event is open to the public and press. Ms. Stein will respond to questions from the audience following her talk.
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be available for free and light refreshments will be served.
Stein, the only candidate for governor who is publicly opposed to expanded gaming, released a statement on July 30, 2010, calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to call a halt to the push for casino gambling in Massachusetts in order to give the state time to assess new developments indicating that the casino economy is heading for trouble. Says Stein, “a bad idea just got a lot worse” with Congress moving to legalize online gambling, a move that could undercut revenues for any casinos built in Massachusetts.
“Beacon Hill is showing a decided lack of business sense by putting on the rose-colored glasses and making a bet without considering the risks.” Stein noted that even without the competition of legal online gambling, casino states such as Nevada have been suffering in the current economic downturn. “The casino industry is extremely vulnerable to downturns in the economy, because people gamble less when the economy is soft. Nevada—which is loaded with casinos—has the highest unemployment rate in the nation according to June figures. They are suffering a jobless rate of 14% while Massachusetts is around 9.2%. Nevada also leads the nation in foreclosures and bankruptcies. And Atlantic City, with 11 casinos, has a jobless rate higher than Boston. Do we really want to emulate these economies? Let’s think twice before going down that road.”
Among the other risks of casinos, Stein noted that “Casino revenues can take a nose-dive if neighboring states open up their own casinos. And the destination casinos are vulnerable to spikes in the price of gasoline. We could easily find ourselves being held hostage to a network of casinos that are in danger of going under.”
“We know that casinos are net job killers. It’s been calculated that each slot machine pulls enough money out of the economy to kill one job. So once we build casinos, pink slips will be handed out all over Massachusetts. The casinos will concentrate a few jobs in the casino communities, but not enough to prevent a net job loss statewide. And if the casinos begin to fail, we could have a nightmare of unemployment.”
Stein noted that the state of New Hampshire commissioned an objective study of potential casinos in New Hampshire and found that the net benefits of opening casinos was very questionable. “Beacon Hill hasn’t permitted such a study to be conducted for Massachusetts. They are afraid of what the answer might be. They have just adopted a pro-casino mantra, and counted upon keeping the microphone away from anyone who might ask them tough questions. The House didn’t even hold public hearings on their casino bill. This lack of scrutiny is a prescription for making a big mistake.”
“The politicians are saying that casinos are not a complete solution, as if that is a wise attitude. It’s time for them to admit the truth: Casinos are not part of any solution. To create the sound, sustainable economy of the future, we need to make sure that casinos are never built in Massachusetts. We can create better jobs, and more secure jobs, by investing in the green economy of the future, and taking care of our small businesses. The last thing we need is a chain of job-killing casinos that make Massachusetts look more like Nevada.”
For information, please contact Stefani Koorey or Al Lima at cfccfallriver@gmail.com or at 508-493-9304 for further information.
HEAR YEE, HEAR YEE, HEAR YEE !!!!!!!
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be on hand for free and light refreshments will be served. The public is invited!
We hope that you can attend and ask Jill questions about this timely issue!
*************
CITIZENS FOR THE COMMON GOOD
FALL RIVER, MA
For Release:
9:00 p.m. EDT, July 31, 2010
Contact:
Stefani Koorey, Al Lima
cfccfallriver@gmail.com
508-493-9304
508-672-8217
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE JILL STEIN TO SPEAK AGAINST CASINOS
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts—Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, will be speaking about casinos as jobs killers—and how we can create better, more secure jobs across the Commonwealth—on Monday, August 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Calvary Temple, 4321 North Main St, Fall River, MA.
The event is open to the public and press. Ms. Stein will respond to questions from the audience following her talk.
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be available for free and light refreshments will be served.
Stein, the only candidate for governor who is publicly opposed to expanded gaming, released a statement on July 30, 2010, calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to call a halt to the push for casino gambling in Massachusetts in order to give the state time to assess new developments indicating that the casino economy is heading for trouble. Says Stein, “a bad idea just got a lot worse” with Congress moving to legalize online gambling, a move that could undercut revenues for any casinos built in Massachusetts.
“Beacon Hill is showing a decided lack of business sense by putting on the rose-colored glasses and making a bet without considering the risks.” Stein noted that even without the competition of legal online gambling, casino states such as Nevada have been suffering in the current economic downturn. “The casino industry is extremely vulnerable to downturns in the economy, because people gamble less when the economy is soft. Nevada—which is loaded with casinos—has the highest unemployment rate in the nation according to June figures. They are suffering a jobless rate of 14% while Massachusetts is around 9.2%. Nevada also leads the nation in foreclosures and bankruptcies. And Atlantic City, with 11 casinos, has a jobless rate higher than Boston. Do we really want to emulate these economies? Let’s think twice before going down that road.”
Among the other risks of casinos, Stein noted that “Casino revenues can take a nose-dive if neighboring states open up their own casinos. And the destination casinos are vulnerable to spikes in the price of gasoline. We could easily find ourselves being held hostage to a network of casinos that are in danger of going under.”
“We know that casinos are net job killers. It’s been calculated that each slot machine pulls enough money out of the economy to kill one job. So once we build casinos, pink slips will be handed out all over Massachusetts. The casinos will concentrate a few jobs in the casino communities, but not enough to prevent a net job loss statewide. And if the casinos begin to fail, we could have a nightmare of unemployment.”
Stein noted that the state of New Hampshire commissioned an objective study of potential casinos in New Hampshire and found that the net benefits of opening casinos was very questionable. “Beacon Hill hasn’t permitted such a study to be conducted for Massachusetts. They are afraid of what the answer might be. They have just adopted a pro-casino mantra, and counted upon keeping the microphone away from anyone who might ask them tough questions. The House didn’t even hold public hearings on their casino bill. This lack of scrutiny is a prescription for making a big mistake.”
“The politicians are saying that casinos are not a complete solution, as if that is a wise attitude. It’s time for them to admit the truth: Casinos are not part of any solution. To create the sound, sustainable economy of the future, we need to make sure that casinos are never built in Massachusetts. We can create better jobs, and more secure jobs, by investing in the green economy of the future, and taking care of our small businesses. The last thing we need is a chain of job-killing casinos that make Massachusetts look more like Nevada.”
For information, please contact Stefani Koorey or Al Lima at cfccfallriver@gmail.com or at 508-493-9304 for further information.
###
YOU CAN"T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!!!!
After yesterday's "day of rage" at the State House, primarily acted out by the sentimental one, House Speaker (Speakah?) Robert DeLeo (D-Selfish Beeotch), I have to laugh out loud at a few things that transpired over the course of the last 24 hours:
* It appears I have lost a bet to a new found and very informed and informative friend. I don't mind though, not one bit. It's worth it to think that the powers that be here in Loser Town are sitting back nervously, realizing the great gamble, well, came up SNAKE EYES (00)! "Yez throws dem dice an' yez comes up snake bit!" said the character actor in the Grade B movie from yesteryear. Only this wasn't about some penny ante bet....it was about the City's honest, real job future. Not a smart thing to gamble with. And now it appears that our "profiles in courage" are trying to hedge their bets by throwing in with some bad actor named Richard Baccari from Little Rhody who has already been the subject of TV10 I-Team and FBI investigations for charges of bribery of government officials way down yonder in Mafiasville. As I'm sure all three of our most lovable loser's, Flanagan, Fiola and Torres, will be bellying up to the bar and will be overheard saying in unison, "Make mine Baccari and coke, please!"
In reality, the passion play over casino gambling and slots in this state is far from over. The next few days will be "VERRRYYYYY INTERESSSSTTTINNGGGG" as Arte Johnson used to say on LAUGH IN. This is one bet I hope I lose! The spectacle of Flanagan, et al, failing THIS egregiously, potentially, as they have ever done since day 1 in office will be worth the price of admission, and ADMONITION. The only thing is the citizens of Fall River will be the one who directly suffer. For that, I will feel truly sorry. But hey, "yez gets what yez votes for!"
* You just have to sit back and smile at the unfettered arrogance of DeLeo! This is a guy who only became motivated to pass this bill once it became obvious the state needed additional revenues. (What, we weren't just as broke LAST year?) Also, with a downturn in disposable income available for gaming across the board for horse racing, his friends at Suffolk Downs, in his district, went hat in hand and begged for him to do something about it. The fact that his father had worked at Suffolk Downs for eons and that he had grown up around the track and it's movers and shakers was well detailed in a Boston Globe article earlier this year right after he introduced this gaming bill. He waxed on with overwhelming sentimentality about his desire to save, not just the jobs there, but a way of life.
I know for fact that there are extensive ties to organized crime at every horse racing venue of all types in the United States. Every law enforcement entity in the United States knows this as well. Just ask any bet ticket window salesperson who has tried to skim a few bucks or scam the system. It's not the local police that comes calling to pay a visit and get "payback".
This bully puts a bill together that called for 2 casinos and 4 slot parlors, one for each race track venue in Massachusetts. Quell surprise! Then details of a plan to turn Suffolk Downs into a one stop gaming paradise were unveiled, a true "racino", with a casino the main attraction, making it possible to create a new vice capital of this state right in his own back yard. Again, quell surprise! Yes, Speakah DeLeo is concerned with 15,000 jobs statewide. HA! He's concerned about his very own district first. Is there anyone out there reading this who doubts otherwise?
When the Senate designed a gaming bill with 3 casino's, to be awarded in 3 geographic gaming "districts" and 1 slot venue it was reflective of the Governor's feeling that ANY slot parlors would greatly harm the casinos ability to employ greater numbers of people and deliver to the state more revenue from license fees and taxes due to lessened competition for the casino sites. The fact that The Governor relented and stated prior to this weekend that he would sign legislation that contained 1 slot parlor was to insure competition, but in reality, was a giveaway to DeLeo to buy his compliance and force passage of the final bill through his tightly controlled House of Representatives. It was a payoff in legal terms to get policy the Senate and the Governor were willing to both back and sign into law with everyone holding their noses fully expecting DeLeo's sainted Suffolk Downs to eventually be awarded the lone slot parlor, all loud official protests to the contrary. It's the sort of dirty dog dealing that sickens good and right thinking residents of Massachusetts.
So when the final bill contained 2 slot parlors, the Governor, true to his word, refused to agree to a fait acompli, and said he would either veto the bill or offer and amendment with differing language and number of slot parlors allowed. He is at least being true his word, and feels he has compromised sufficiently. The word "compromise" is key to what happened next.
With his lap dog loyalists firmly behind him for support, DeLeo gave a remarkable performance in front of the cameras late last night displaying the friendly composure we have come to expect from this most reasonable of compromising political leaders in Massachusetts. Enjoy:
http://www.statehousenews.com/Video/10-07-31deleo/index.htm
You might enjoy the following broadcast reviewing the entire messy affair to this point!
* This entire process is NOT over yet. The Governor this morning essentially retaliated for the House Speakah's grandstanding attack last night and has thrown down the gauntlet by saying he is sending back an amendment to the Gaming Bill that calls for NO slot parlors, period. If he decides to veto the current version of the Gaming Bill, Senate President Murray stated she doubts she has the votes to override the Governor's veto. Also, it would require the state legislature to come back into session to override any veto, which is doubtful becase vacation time is here and many reps and senators have paid for their time on Cape Cod or the Vineyard and their spouses will rip them new ones if vacations are disturbed. Also, it's an election year, and the boys and girls of the legislature want to hit the ground running fresh and revitalized for the campaign trail!
And I thought the new season of MAD MEN would be fun...WOW!
Gambling, Indian Tribes, maybe jobs, maybe not jobs, science of the future versus vice, the arrival of a shadowy untrustworthy money man being investigated by the FBI for bribing government officials, but involved heavily with our very own nasty sausage factory, FROED , and the ever present photo-ops by Fall River's own version of the THREE STOOGES, the future law firm of Flanagan, Fiola and Torres (or was that Dewey, Cheatem and Howe?). As I love to say about Fall River and it's politics ,
* It appears I have lost a bet to a new found and very informed and informative friend. I don't mind though, not one bit. It's worth it to think that the powers that be here in Loser Town are sitting back nervously, realizing the great gamble, well, came up SNAKE EYES (00)! "Yez throws dem dice an' yez comes up snake bit!" said the character actor in the Grade B movie from yesteryear. Only this wasn't about some penny ante bet....it was about the City's honest, real job future. Not a smart thing to gamble with. And now it appears that our "profiles in courage" are trying to hedge their bets by throwing in with some bad actor named Richard Baccari from Little Rhody who has already been the subject of TV10 I-Team and FBI investigations for charges of bribery of government officials way down yonder in Mafiasville. As I'm sure all three of our most lovable loser's, Flanagan, Fiola and Torres, will be bellying up to the bar and will be overheard saying in unison, "Make mine Baccari and coke, please!"
In reality, the passion play over casino gambling and slots in this state is far from over. The next few days will be "VERRRYYYYY INTERESSSSTTTINNGGGG" as Arte Johnson used to say on LAUGH IN. This is one bet I hope I lose! The spectacle of Flanagan, et al, failing THIS egregiously, potentially, as they have ever done since day 1 in office will be worth the price of admission, and ADMONITION. The only thing is the citizens of Fall River will be the one who directly suffer. For that, I will feel truly sorry. But hey, "yez gets what yez votes for!"
* You just have to sit back and smile at the unfettered arrogance of DeLeo! This is a guy who only became motivated to pass this bill once it became obvious the state needed additional revenues. (What, we weren't just as broke LAST year?) Also, with a downturn in disposable income available for gaming across the board for horse racing, his friends at Suffolk Downs, in his district, went hat in hand and begged for him to do something about it. The fact that his father had worked at Suffolk Downs for eons and that he had grown up around the track and it's movers and shakers was well detailed in a Boston Globe article earlier this year right after he introduced this gaming bill. He waxed on with overwhelming sentimentality about his desire to save, not just the jobs there, but a way of life.
I know for fact that there are extensive ties to organized crime at every horse racing venue of all types in the United States. Every law enforcement entity in the United States knows this as well. Just ask any bet ticket window salesperson who has tried to skim a few bucks or scam the system. It's not the local police that comes calling to pay a visit and get "payback".
This bully puts a bill together that called for 2 casinos and 4 slot parlors, one for each race track venue in Massachusetts. Quell surprise! Then details of a plan to turn Suffolk Downs into a one stop gaming paradise were unveiled, a true "racino", with a casino the main attraction, making it possible to create a new vice capital of this state right in his own back yard. Again, quell surprise! Yes, Speakah DeLeo is concerned with 15,000 jobs statewide. HA! He's concerned about his very own district first. Is there anyone out there reading this who doubts otherwise?
When the Senate designed a gaming bill with 3 casino's, to be awarded in 3 geographic gaming "districts" and 1 slot venue it was reflective of the Governor's feeling that ANY slot parlors would greatly harm the casinos ability to employ greater numbers of people and deliver to the state more revenue from license fees and taxes due to lessened competition for the casino sites. The fact that The Governor relented and stated prior to this weekend that he would sign legislation that contained 1 slot parlor was to insure competition, but in reality, was a giveaway to DeLeo to buy his compliance and force passage of the final bill through his tightly controlled House of Representatives. It was a payoff in legal terms to get policy the Senate and the Governor were willing to both back and sign into law with everyone holding their noses fully expecting DeLeo's sainted Suffolk Downs to eventually be awarded the lone slot parlor, all loud official protests to the contrary. It's the sort of dirty dog dealing that sickens good and right thinking residents of Massachusetts.
So when the final bill contained 2 slot parlors, the Governor, true to his word, refused to agree to a fait acompli, and said he would either veto the bill or offer and amendment with differing language and number of slot parlors allowed. He is at least being true his word, and feels he has compromised sufficiently. The word "compromise" is key to what happened next.
With his lap dog loyalists firmly behind him for support, DeLeo gave a remarkable performance in front of the cameras late last night displaying the friendly composure we have come to expect from this most reasonable of compromising political leaders in Massachusetts. Enjoy:
http://www.statehousenews.com/Video/10-07-31deleo/index.htm
You might enjoy the following broadcast reviewing the entire messy affair to this point!
* This entire process is NOT over yet. The Governor this morning essentially retaliated for the House Speakah's grandstanding attack last night and has thrown down the gauntlet by saying he is sending back an amendment to the Gaming Bill that calls for NO slot parlors, period. If he decides to veto the current version of the Gaming Bill, Senate President Murray stated she doubts she has the votes to override the Governor's veto. Also, it would require the state legislature to come back into session to override any veto, which is doubtful becase vacation time is here and many reps and senators have paid for their time on Cape Cod or the Vineyard and their spouses will rip them new ones if vacations are disturbed. Also, it's an election year, and the boys and girls of the legislature want to hit the ground running fresh and revitalized for the campaign trail!
And I thought the new season of MAD MEN would be fun...WOW!
Gambling, Indian Tribes, maybe jobs, maybe not jobs, science of the future versus vice, the arrival of a shadowy untrustworthy money man being investigated by the FBI for bribing government officials, but involved heavily with our very own nasty sausage factory, FROED , and the ever present photo-ops by Fall River's own version of the THREE STOOGES, the future law firm of Flanagan, Fiola and Torres (or was that Dewey, Cheatem and Howe?). As I love to say about Fall River and it's politics ,
YOU CAN"T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!!!!
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