Here is Jill Stein’s take on what’s happening today on Beacon Hill:
STEIN CALLS “ORGY OF BACKROOM DEALS” A TROUBLING REMINDER OF BEACON HILL DYSFUNCTION.
Visiting the State House to observe the frantic closing day of the 2010 Legislative session, gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein offered the following comments:
“The orgy of backroom deals culminating here today is another disservice to the people of Massachusetts, and a troubling reminder of how dysfunctional Beacon Hill has become.”
“Example one is the fact that the Legislative leadership and the Governor have made casino gambling the centerpiece of their response to our failing economy. Casinos are not a solution. They are job killers, not job creators. Just look at Nevada if you want to see where the casino economy is going. This poster-child of legalized gambling has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, five times the national rate of foreclosures, and one of the highest state budget deficits. In the end, all our debate over licensing one, two, or three racinos is meaningless. Once the gambling industry moves in, the gambling industry gets what it wants. That’s been the story across the nation. In Nevada there are slot machines in bars, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and drug stores.”
“The closing days of the Legislative session has been marked by secrecy, finger-pointing, favors for lobbyists, and selling off rights to exploit constituents. Concerned citizens are not only unwelcome, they are kept out of the room while the deals are being made. There are no winners in this game except for the politicians who will cement their friendships with their big campaign donors. Any member of the public who takes a hard look at what’s happening here will realize that we need some real changes on Beacon Hill.”
“Bills that appear from behind closed conference room doors are being rushed into law without scrutiny by rank-and-file legislators. And the Legislature is just not facing up to the real problems of our Commonwealth. 300,000 workers are jobless. 33,000 homeowners are at risk for foreclosure (that’s up 50%). And bankruptcies are up 25%, with 12,000 filings in the first half of this year alone. CORI reform and foreclosure protection for tenants are very important steps forward, whose passage is an enormous credit to the years of hard work by grassroots advocacy groups. But aside from those two achievements, the growing problems in our economy are overwhelming the few public interest solutions we push through the Legislature. With the culture of influence generally calling the shots, Beacon Hill is not delivering the sound policies needed to put Massachusetts back on course.”
“In the end, only one group will benefit from casinos: The politicians who will collect big checks for passing regulations favorable to the casino lobbyists and be able to hand out hundreds of patronage jobs in a new gaming bureaucracy.”
“If the casino schemes fall apart, that would be a fortunate outcome for families, businesses and taxpayers of the Commonwealth. Then we might have a chance to get focused on creating real jobs in a sustainable economy – jobs that can be created in every town, not just in three casino communities. We can’t afford to neglect the jobs that strengthen our families, small businesses and communities – jobs that don’t leave us with a rash of problems as casinos do.”