Proposition 1 is a scam and should be soundly defeated.

Letter: Reject Cuomo’s casino expansion proposal

12:03 a.m. EDT November 2, 2013

 

Jim Breese, former Henrietta town supervisor.(Photo: CARLOS ORTIZ staff photographer)

 

A few years ago as town supervisor, I was able to discourage an Indian tribe from putting up a casino in Henrietta. I told them such a use was not a priority for our town for many reasons, including the well-known negative social effects of gambling.

 

New Yorkers will have a chance to be heard on this issue on Nov. 5 when Governor Andrew Cuomo’s cleverly worded Proposition 1 to approve seven more casinos will be voted on.

 

Currently, people who want to gamble have plenty of choices within easy driving distance if they can’t get to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

 

Chatter about “more jobs, better schools and lower taxes” with casinos is just a smokescreen by gambling interests to mask their real intent to make it easier to extract money from people who can least afford it.

 

Proposition 1 is a scam and should be soundly defeated.

JAMES R. BREESE

HENRIETTA

Former Henrietta town supervisor

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/opinion/letters/2013/11/02/letter-reject-cuomos-casino-expansion-proposal/3359213/

 

New York Casino Referendum Set for Tuesday

Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports the measure, while editorial boards and elected officials from both sides of the aisle have come out against a plan to allow for more casinos in the state.

Posted by David Reich-Hale (Editor) , November 01, 2013

 

 

 

 

New York voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether the state should bet on casinos to help lift a sagging upstate economy.

If approved, the state would allow up to seven non-Indian casinos to be built, including in the Catskills, which long ago lost its favored status as a retreat for New York City residents.

The referendum has high-profile supporters, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who touts casinos as a way to kickstart business north of New York City.

But others from both sides of the political aisle have hammered the proposal. State Sen. Liz Krueger, a liberal from Manhattan, said at a press event this week that casinos hurt people who can least afford it and promotes crime as well. She was joined by Mike Long, chairman of the Conservative Party, who also opposes the measure.

Supporters are aggressively advertising and getting their pro-casino message out, arguing that New York is losing more than $1 billion to casinos in nearby states. Unions and the United Federation of Teachers have thrown their support behind Cuomo's casino plan.

The contested referendum's language has also been controversial. The measure specifically asks if the Legislature should be allowed to approve casinos "for the legislated purposes of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower property taxes through revenues generated."

Opponents unsuccessfully sued to change the referendum's language.

Editorial boards, including the New York Post's, argued the measure doesn't promote job growth and won't lead to increased aid to schools.

The New York Times editorial board has also turned against the referendum, stating "you should not accept the way this amendment is advertised on the ballot as a jobs and growth initiative for upstate New York. It is liable to fail to deliver on that promise."

http://commack.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/new-york-casino-referendum-set-for-tuesday-commack