Senate President Therese Murray: Wrong, in her own words

In Pennsylvania, less than 1,000 jobs were created in each of the Slot Barns. Many of those are part-time, no separate statistics are available, no wage statistics are available:

To date, with nine of a maximum fourteen casinos in operation, legalized gaming in the Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania] has created over 8,000 new living wage jobs

From: Phony Beacon Hill Numbers

Murray, meanwhile, told the Cape Cod Times over the weekend that she believed slot machines "suck all the economic environment from within 20 miles, and you really don't get any jobs from it."

From: "Cha Ching" Murray: SLOTS suck $$$ from economy

...Senate President Terry Murray admitted in a speech last week reported by the State House News Service, casinos pose a serious threat to existing businesses and cultural institutions.

From:
Casinos Will Also Destroy Jobs And Revenue

Below is a totally incorrect statement by the Senate President regarding Tribal Slot Barns. There is no trust land in any of the original 13 colonies. There can the no Tribal Slot Barn without Trust Land.

The Aquinnah have state owned land as a result of a Settlement Act.

The 1983 settlement agreement that led to federal recognition of the Wampanoags, was signed by the tribe, the Gay Head Taxpayers Association (since renamed the Aquinnah/Gay Head Community Association Inc.), the town, and the state. It specifically provides that the settlement lands shall be subject to all federal, state, and local laws, including town zoning laws, state and federal conservation laws, and the regulations of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.


See: Gay Head, Aquinnah Tribe and Silly Season gets even sillier


Totally wrong and uninformed, in her own words:
Senate President Therese Murray said yesterday that a new directive from the federal government makes Native American gambling parlors all but inevitable in Massachusetts, whether or not state lawmakers authorize full-fledged casinos.

From: Dumb and Dumber


Costs are ignored:
Attorney General Martha Coakley recently -

...warned lawmakers that the cost of making it happen may be larger than anticipated. New regulations must be drawn up and new agencies created to enforce the regulation, she said.

From:
Massachusetts: Rushing Off A Cliff


VIDEO: Murray insists casinos will bring jobs
State House News Service


BOSTON — Before the Senate resumed its debate over expanded gambling for a fifth day Tuesday, Senate President Therese Murray took issue with new claims by opponents that casinos would not produce the jobs promised and would cripple the Lottery.

"You know what? If you don't have a job and there will be jobs created, I would think you would want the job and an opportunity to apply for one of those jobs. Whether its 10,000 or 15,000 jobs, it's a job and it's rather elitist to say these aren't good jobs. They're jobs with benefits and they're jobs that pay you a salary," Murray told reporters as she headed into the Senate chamber for the start of the debate Tuesday afternoon.

Murray also took issue with the suggestion by gambling opponents that the bill being debated has been driven by "special interests."

In a statement, former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger on Tuesday said, "The public is being sold a bill of goods and our new analysis should blow the rose-colored glasses off proponents and force them to rethink this poor excuse for economic development and local aid. Those lining up behind this bill must be doing it to support some other constituency because the numbers being thrown around by proponents simply don't add up."

Murray said the only special interest she is responding to are those residents still unemployed.

"Tell me where the special interest is. The people who don't have jobs? Are they special interests? I think so. And that's why we're doing this," Murray said. Citizens for a Stronger Massachusetts released a new analysis Tuesday morning done by gambling opponents that called House and Senate job estimates from gaming “wildly optimistic.”

The report suggested that expanded gambling would diverting between $700 million and $1.3 billion from household spending to casinos, killing between 5,700 and 10,600 Massachusetts jobs. The report also said that casinos would cannibalize the state Lottery, which provides a significant amount of local aid to cities and towns, leading to 5 percent to 10 percent decline in Lottery revenue.