(More shortsighted policy that will further enrich the few, and fatten the campaign warchests of the political establishment. Next stop — Massachusetts Senate! – promoted by eli_beckerman)
Last week Governor Patrick and the Democratic Party leadership came a step closer to realizing their dream of bringing big gambling operations into Massachusetts. After concerted arm-twisting by the Democratic Party leadership, the House of Representatives voted by a 120 to 37 margin to pass a bill authorizing two casinos and 750 slot machines.
Like the infamous vote to repeal Clean Elections, this vote sets things up for the growth of corruption on Beacon Hill. Historically, when gambling interests move in to a state, they capture the political system and eventually get anything they want from the legislature. Two casinos is just the beginning.
But the game isn’t completely over. There will be some further debate as the bill is rewritten in the Senate. Citizens groups and churches still oppose the expansion. Green-Rainbow Party candidates seem to solidly oppose the casinos and GRP gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein is raising the issue during the gubernatorial campaign.
To take your own stand against casinos, you can endorse online pledge to boycott casinos at http://gopetition.com/online/3… .
The roll call vote is printed below. Y=yea, N=nay, and X= not voting.
Vote | Name of Representative
Y Aguiar, Kevin
Y Alicea, Geraldo
Y Allen, Willie Mae
Y Arciero, James
N Ashe, Brian
Y Atkins, Cory
Y Atsalis, Demetrius J.
Y Ayers, Bruce J.
N Balser, Ruth B.
Y Barrows, Fred
Y Basile, Carlo P.
Y Benson, Jennifer
Y Binienda, John J.
N Bosley, Daniel E.
Y Bowles, Bill
Y Bradley, Garrett J.
Y Brady, Michael
N Brownsberger, William
Y Cabral, Antonio F. D.
N Callahan, Jennifer M.
Y Calter, Thomas J.
Y Campbell, Linda Dean
Y Canavan, Christine E.
Y Canessa, Stephen R.
Y Cantwell, James
Y Clark, Katherine
Y Coakley-Rivera, Cheryl A.
N Conroy, Thomas
Y Costello, Michael A.
X Creedon, Geraldine
N Curran, Sean
N D’Amico, Steven
Y DeLeo, Robert A.
N deMacedo, Viriato Manuel
Y Dempsey, Brian S.
Y DiNatale, Stephen
Y Donato, Paul J.
Y Donelan, Christopher J.
Y Driscoll, Joseph R.
Y Dwyer, James
N Dykema, Carolyn
Y Ehrlich, Lori
N Evangelidis, Lewis G.
Y Fagan, James H.
Y Fallon, Christopher G.
Y Falzone, Mark V.
Y Fennell, Robert F.
Y Fernandes, John
Y Ferrante, Ann-Margaret
N Finegold, Barry R.
Y Flynn, David L.
Y Forry, Linda Dorcena
N Fox, Gloria L.
Y Fresolo, John P.
Y Frost, Paul K.
Y Galvin, William C.
N Garballey, Sean
Y Garry, Colleen M.
Y Gifford, Susan W.
Y Gobi, Anne M.
Y Golden, Thomas A., Jr.
Y Grant, Mary E.
Y Greene, William G., Jr.
Y Gregoire, Danielle
N Guyer, Denis E.
Y Haddad, Patricia A.
Y Hargraves, Robert S.
Y Harkins, Lida E.
N Hecht, Jonathan
Y Hill, Bradford
Y Hogan, Kate
Y Honan, Kevin G.
Y Humason, Donald F., Jr.
Y Jones, Bradley H., Jr.
Y Kafka, Louis L.
Y Kane, Michael F.
N Kaufman, Jay R.
Y Keenan, John, D.
Y Khan, Kay
Y Kocot, Peter V.
Y Koczera, Robert M.
Y Koutoujian, Peter J.
Y Kujawski, Paul
Y Kulik, Stephen
Y L’Italien, Barbara A.
Y Lewis, Jason
Y Linsky, David P.
N Madden, Timothy
N Malia, Elizabeth A.
Y Mariano, Ronald
Y McCarthy, Allen
Y McMurtry, Paul
Y Miceli, James R.
Y Michlewitz, Aaron M.
Y Moran, Michael
Y Murphy, Charles A.
Y Murphy, James M.
Y Murphy, Kevin J.
Y Nangle, David M.
Y Naughton, Harold P., Jr.
Y Nyman, Robert J.
Y O’Day, James J.
Y O’Flaherty, Eugene L.
N Patrick, Matthew
N Peake, Sarah K.
Y Pedone, Vincent A.
Y Peisch, Alice H.
Y Perry, Jeffrey D.
Y Peterson, George N., Jr.
Y Petrolati, Thomas M.
N Pignatelli, William Smitty
Y Poirier, Elizabeth A.
N Polito, Karyn E.
N Provost, Denise
Y Puppolo, Angelo
Y Quinn, John F.
Y Reinstein, Kathi-Anne
Y Rice, Robert L, Jr.
Y Richardson, Pam
N Rodrigues, Michael J.
N Rogers, John H.
Y Rosa, Dennis
Y Ross, Richard J.
Y Rush, Michael F.
N Rushing, Byron
N Sánchez, Jeffrey
Y Sandlin, Rosemary
Y Sannicandro, Tom
N Scaccia, Angelo M.
Y Scibak, John W.
N Sciortino, Carl
Y Smith, Stephen
N Smizik, Frank Israel
N Smola, Todd M.
Y Speliotis, Theodore C.
Y Spellane, Robert P.
Y Speranzo, Christopher
X Spiliotis, Joyce A.
N St. Fleur, Marie P.
Y Stanley, Harriett L.
Y Stanley, Thomas M.
Y Story, Ellen
Y Straus, William M.
Y Sullivan, David B.
Y Swan, Benjamin
Y Timilty, Walter F.
Y Tobin, A. Stephen
Y Toomey, Timothy J., Jr.
N Torrisi, David M.
N Turner, Cleon H.
Y Vallee, James E.
Y Wagner, Joseph F.
Y Wallace, Brian P.
Y Walsh, Martin J.
Y Walsh, Steven M.
N Walz, Martha M.
Y Webster, Daniel K.
Y Welch, James T.
N Wolf, Alice K.