Treasurer Cahill's Suicide Pact?

My friends and fellow bloggers accomplish such a noteworthy task of addressing the gambling issue with solid information and a wide range of presentations, that generally, I watch with little comment.

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Treasurer Cahill's proposal today is simply too outrageous to ignore. His political scheming transparent.

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It's still unsettling that he has repeated the same tired figures that have been proven wrong previously by others and ignored the surrounding issues that have been studied and aired. And this man is supposed to handle the state's money and he can't even get the figures right?

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Clearly, I'm not alone when I begin to see condemnation from others.

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The following is reprinted with permission, but frames the discussion in terms of the Treasurer's political opportunism --

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Okay, I promise I didn't know anything about Tim Cahill's attempt to push for slot machines when I raised this issue earlier. But truly, in my opinion, this ranks as one of the worst economic and political moves I have seen in a long time.
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Let's be clear: The Treasurer of the Commonwealth is explicitly proposing that we introduce a huge new form of addiction to the state in order to cover the political and economic mistakes of the past, wreck thousands of lives, in order to advance his political career and reward people in his circle.
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Let's start with the merits of the proposal. I have only begun to review it, so I will save a more detailed commentary for later. But here are a few observations:
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First, slot machines are the star form of predatory gambling. This is not social gambling (office pool, poker with the guys). This is scientifically researched mega-rip-offs -- targeted at low income people, seniors, women, and especially video-prepped teens. This is not a Republican base.
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In addition:
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1) The numbers are made up, since they measure revenues without expenses (to the state). What business could get away with this?
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2) If any benefits exist, they are front-loaded; costs are painful, permanent, and back-loaded
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3) Slot parlors around the country are collapsing; Rhode Island may have to use PUBLIC money to buy out their own racetrack slot parlor
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4) Casinos around the country are defaulting on bonds right and left, even though they rely on slot machines as the greatest form of their income; why would Massachusetts do any better?
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5) The governor himself has warned of the "social costs" of slot machine gambling
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6) Which are extremely severe. Slot machines were referred to by the National Gaming Commission as "the crack cocaine" of gambling. If you want me to point you to the mammoth amount of science out there, just say the word: it will overload your hard drives. Check this Casino Free Mass video out : http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=jNL3FzU_ glU&feature=channel_ page
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7) It cannibalizes the lottery, on which we already spend $800 per capita ($3,200 for a family of four ON AVERAGE)
On top of this, we have the political questions... .
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1) UNLEASHING PUBLIC CORRUPTION: We have just seen the explosion of the careers of a State Senator, a Boston City Councilor, and the Speaker of the House because of lobbyist relationships; the public is calling for a much higher standard of ethics in government; the governor just appointed a commission to set higher standards; and now the TREASURER, whose friend received $100,000 from a lot company, is proposing that we introduce one of the worst forms of quasi-theft in order to benefit his friends?
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2) OPENING SHOT IN A BLOODY INTERNAL WAR: This is clearly an opening salvo in the Tim Cahill for Governor Campaign, which makes no sense. Some of you may know him better than I do, and can defend this action, but I question the wisdom of a person who has shown little imagination or intelligence in his current position taking on a governor and dragging him down so that we can have another Republican in the corner office. There are of course scenarios when we should have primary challenges, but this isn't one of them. I would have expected an anti-gambling challenge to the governor, rather than a pro-predatory gambling one. The Democratic primary is so late in this state that few gubernatorial candidates can survive a massive fight and then heal the wounds and replenish the coffers fast enough to win in a general election seven weeks later.
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3) WORST POSSIBLE TIMING: Has the Treasurer looked at the how people are doing out there? Do you know anyone who has a lot of f "disposable income" to pour into a slot machine?
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4) WORST POSSIBLE MESSAGE: Hey, kids, remember all that stuff we told about working hard, staying in school, saving your money, and trying to achieve your dreams? The TREASURER, that is, the guy who is supposed to be taking care of our money, says you should just forget all that!
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Okay, I am ready to hear what people have to say. But IF you agree with me, then please 1) call your rep 2) call the Treasurer's office and finally - vote on this Channel 5 Poll.
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Thank you...
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Bob Massie
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The Spectrum Report was commissioned at the behest of Governor Deval Patrick. It's worth a review. Could someone please make sure that Treasurer Cahill gets a copy? It seems he hasn't read it.

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Spectrum Gaming Group is an independent research and professional services firm, which does work on behalf of government agencies around the world. Following an open and competitive bidding process, the company received an $189,000 contract in February 2008. The analysis prepared by Spectrum Gaming contains information relating to economic impacts, employment and wage analysis, social impacts and gaming regulation.