Voters should have final say on casinos
April 28, 2014
RAY HAMMOND, the highly respected Jamaica Plain minister, once told me, “Casinos suck money out of the hands of the poorest communities and put it into the hands of the rich casino owners.” He could have added that that they are a negative magnet within a neighborhood, attracting corruption and addiction. The test is simple: Who among us would choose to raise our children in the shadow of a giant gambling establishment?
The Massachusetts Constitution gives voters the power to overturn laws by the Legislature, including the one that legalized casino gambling. The mission of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is to lead a judiciary that “assures every person equal assess to the fair, timely, and impartial resolution of disputes.” Public opinion surveys show that that many people want an opportunity to reject the casino law.
The court will soon decide whether that question will be put on the ballot. There clearly is a dispute between many people in Massachusetts and the proponents of casinos, who pushed the bill through the Legislature. Voters should have the final say on whether they want the scourge of casino gambling to be inflicted on Massachusetts.
Swanee Hunt
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/letters/2014/04/27/voters-should-have-final-say-casinos/TwWQZBPGC4Z1m8u8OY33DK/story.html
RAY HAMMOND, the highly respected Jamaica Plain minister, once told me, “Casinos suck money out of the hands of the poorest communities and put it into the hands of the rich casino owners.” He could have added that that they are a negative magnet within a neighborhood, attracting corruption and addiction. The test is simple: Who among us would choose to raise our children in the shadow of a giant gambling establishment?
The Massachusetts Constitution gives voters the power to overturn laws by the Legislature, including the one that legalized casino gambling. The mission of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is to lead a judiciary that “assures every person equal assess to the fair, timely, and impartial resolution of disputes.” Public opinion surveys show that that many people want an opportunity to reject the casino law.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/letters/2014/04/27/voters-should-have-final-say-casinos/TwWQZBPGC4Z1m8u8OY33DK/story.html
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