Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow Candidate for Governor Speaking at Citizens for the Common Good from MondoLizzie on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label Dr. Jill Stein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Jill Stein. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
JILL STEIN TO SPEAK ON CASINOS, Monday, August 2
JILL STEIN TO SPEAK ON CASINOS
[ALERT: This talk is Monday, August 2, 7pm in Fall River.]
Press Release from Citizens for the Common Good:
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts—Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, will be speaking about casinos as jobs killers—and how we can create better, more secure jobs across the Commonwealth—on Monday, August 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Calvary Temple, 4321 North Main St, Fall River, MA.
The event is open to the public and press. Ms. Stein will respond to questions from the audience following her talk.
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be available for free and light refreshments will be served.
Stein, the only candidate for governor who is publicly opposed to expanded gaming, released a statement on July 30, 2010, calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to call a halt to the push for casino gambling in Massachusetts in order to give the state time to assess new developments indicating that the casino economy is heading for trouble. Says Stein, “a bad idea just got a lot worse” with Congress moving to legalize online gambling, a move that could undercut revenues for any casinos built in Massachusetts.
“Beacon Hill is showing a decided lack of business sense by putting on the rose-colored glasses and making a bet without considering the risks.” Stein noted that even without the competition of legal online gambling, casino states such as Nevada have been suffering in the current economic downturn. “The casino industry is extremely vulnerable to downturns in the economy, because people gamble less when the economy is soft. Nevada—which is loaded with casinos—has the highest unemployment rate in the nation according to June figures. They are suffering a jobless rate of 14% while Massachusetts is around 9.2%. Nevada also leads the nation in foreclosures and bankruptcies. And Atlantic City, with 11 casinos, has a jobless rate higher than Boston. Do we really want to emulate these economies? Let’s think twice before going down that road.”
Among the other risks of casinos, Stein noted that “Casino revenues can take a nose-dive if neighboring states open up their own casinos. And the destination casinos are vulnerable to spikes in the price of gasoline. We could easily find ourselves being held hostage to a network of casinos that are in danger of going under.”
“We know that casinos are net job killers. It’s been calculated that each slot machine pulls enough money out of the economy to kill one job. So once we build casinos, pink slips will be handed out all over Massachusetts. The casinos will concentrate a few jobs in the casino communities, but not enough to prevent a net job loss statewide. And if the casinos begin to fail, we could have a nightmare of unemployment.”
Stein noted that the state of New Hampshire commissioned an objective study of potential casinos in New Hampshire and found that the net benefits of opening casinos was very questionable. “Beacon Hill hasn’t permitted such a study to be conducted for Massachusetts. They are afraid of what the answer might be. They have just adopted a pro-casino mantra, and counted upon keeping the microphone away from anyone who might ask them tough questions. The House didn’t even hold public hearings on their casino bill. This lack of scrutiny is a prescription for making a big mistake.”
“The politicians are saying that casinos are not a complete solution, as if that is a wise attitude. It’s time for them to admit the truth: Casinos are not part of any solution. To create the sound, sustainable economy of the future, we need to make sure that casinos are never built in Massachusetts. We can create better jobs, and more secure jobs, by investing in the green economy of the future, and taking care of our small businesses. The last thing we need is a chain of job-killing casinos that make Massachusetts look more like Nevada.”
[ALERT: This talk is Monday, August 2, 7pm in Fall River.]
Press Release from Citizens for the Common Good:
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts—Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, will be speaking about casinos as jobs killers—and how we can create better, more secure jobs across the Commonwealth—on Monday, August 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Calvary Temple, 4321 North Main St, Fall River, MA.
The event is open to the public and press. Ms. Stein will respond to questions from the audience following her talk.
Anti-casino bumper stickers will be available for free and light refreshments will be served.
Stein, the only candidate for governor who is publicly opposed to expanded gaming, released a statement on July 30, 2010, calling on the Massachusetts Legislature to call a halt to the push for casino gambling in Massachusetts in order to give the state time to assess new developments indicating that the casino economy is heading for trouble. Says Stein, “a bad idea just got a lot worse” with Congress moving to legalize online gambling, a move that could undercut revenues for any casinos built in Massachusetts.
“Beacon Hill is showing a decided lack of business sense by putting on the rose-colored glasses and making a bet without considering the risks.” Stein noted that even without the competition of legal online gambling, casino states such as Nevada have been suffering in the current economic downturn. “The casino industry is extremely vulnerable to downturns in the economy, because people gamble less when the economy is soft. Nevada—which is loaded with casinos—has the highest unemployment rate in the nation according to June figures. They are suffering a jobless rate of 14% while Massachusetts is around 9.2%. Nevada also leads the nation in foreclosures and bankruptcies. And Atlantic City, with 11 casinos, has a jobless rate higher than Boston. Do we really want to emulate these economies? Let’s think twice before going down that road.”
Among the other risks of casinos, Stein noted that “Casino revenues can take a nose-dive if neighboring states open up their own casinos. And the destination casinos are vulnerable to spikes in the price of gasoline. We could easily find ourselves being held hostage to a network of casinos that are in danger of going under.”
“We know that casinos are net job killers. It’s been calculated that each slot machine pulls enough money out of the economy to kill one job. So once we build casinos, pink slips will be handed out all over Massachusetts. The casinos will concentrate a few jobs in the casino communities, but not enough to prevent a net job loss statewide. And if the casinos begin to fail, we could have a nightmare of unemployment.”
Stein noted that the state of New Hampshire commissioned an objective study of potential casinos in New Hampshire and found that the net benefits of opening casinos was very questionable. “Beacon Hill hasn’t permitted such a study to be conducted for Massachusetts. They are afraid of what the answer might be. They have just adopted a pro-casino mantra, and counted upon keeping the microphone away from anyone who might ask them tough questions. The House didn’t even hold public hearings on their casino bill. This lack of scrutiny is a prescription for making a big mistake.”
“The politicians are saying that casinos are not a complete solution, as if that is a wise attitude. It’s time for them to admit the truth: Casinos are not part of any solution. To create the sound, sustainable economy of the future, we need to make sure that casinos are never built in Massachusetts. We can create better jobs, and more secure jobs, by investing in the green economy of the future, and taking care of our small businesses. The last thing we need is a chain of job-killing casinos that make Massachusetts look more like Nevada.”
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Dr. Jill Stein: Green Jobs, Not Casinos
At Senate Hearing, Candidate Stein Calls For Green Jobs, Not Casinos
BOSTON (June 9, 2010) – Green-Rainbow Party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein told a Senate committee that gambling casinos are a bad deal for Massachusetts, asserting that the money they drain from the economy will cost the state more jobs than they can create. Stein testified at a public hearing that represented the first opportunity for the public to present testimony since legislative leaders began pushing earlier this year to open the doors to casino gambling in the state. Of the four gubernatorial candidates on this year’s ballot, Stein is the only one opposing casino gambling. Stein’s questioning of casino gambling dates from 2003 when she was spokesperson for a non-profit group that opposed earlier casino proposals.
Following are excerpts from Stein’s written testimony:
“I urge you not to establish government-sanctioned casino gambling in Massachusetts. Casino gambling – with or without slot parlors – would put our jobs, families, communities and democracy at risk. It would bring a predatory and corrupting industry into our political process, and give a whole new meaning to the problem of pay-to-play politics on Beacon Hill. It would put many small businesses – the real backbone of our economy – out of business. And it would establish a back door regressive tax on those who can least afford it. To go forward without a full objective accounting of these costs – as well as the benefits – would be especially egregious, and a disservice to the people of Massachusetts.”
“I respectfully but profoundly disagree with the claims that establishing casinos is an answer to our unemployment problems. In fact casinos are job-killing machines – and after they are built they create unemployment. . . . Decades of research have shown minimal net job growth and typically economic decline in communities hosting casinos. There are innumerable reports from town officials and businesses attesting to the adverse economic impacts. Local restaurants within a few miles of a casino often close because they cannot compete with casino restaurants that offer discounted food to lure gamblers into their establishments. . . One researcher estimated that casinos destroy 1.5 jobs for every 1 job they create, making them net job-losers. In addition, the jobs created are overwhelmingly low wage, with an average annual salary of $13,179, according to the US Department of Labor, and an average turnover rate of 25%.”
“The adverse economic impacts of casinos are compounded by social problems they bring, which are devastating to families, and costly for communities and taxpayers. These include gambling addiction, bankruptcy, divorce, alcoholism, crime and family violence. Revenues from addicted and problem gamblers have been estimated to provide over half of all casino revenues. Thus the profitability of casinos is fundamentally dependent upon addicted users, not people simply enjoying ‘entertainment’. Casinos are estimated to impose $3 in social and management costs for every $1 in tax revenues, according to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. So taxes often go up when casinos come in.”
“. . . we’re not just talking about two casinos or three casinos. That’s not the way it works. Once the gaming industry moves in, they will get as many casinos as they want. They will spend what it takes to control the regulatory and legislative apparatus, and get their way. That’s how it has generally worked in other states, and it would be hard to claim that Beacon Hill will be any less vulnerable to the influence-peddling. So our decision is not on the number of casinos, but on whether we become a casino state. If so, the industry is likely to be the one to decide how many casinos we ultimately have. “
“We’ve heard a lot about the fact that casino construction will provide jobs in the construction trades. In the short term, this is true. But casino construction jobs offer only a temporary burst of activity in a failing fossil-fuel economy. . . Now is the time for good-wage green jobs that will be here for the long haul – They can create decades worth of steady work in the building trades by greening our housing stock, energy infrastructure, businesses, schools and government buildings. And they keep money circulating locally. This makes our businesses more competitive, and gives us a cleaner, healthier, and smarter economy that won’t collapse when hit by gasoline price hikes.”
“Casinos will pull almost 2 billion dollars from our economy. Only about one-fourth of that will be realized as tax revenues. Think about it. What if a tax collector put 75% of the collection in his own pocket before handing over 25% to the state? Gaming is an extremely inefficient and unfair way to collect tax revenues.”
“In this time of great threats to our economy, environment and health, it’s time to stop repeating the mistakes of the past. I urge you not to go down the casino road, a road that is littered with economic blight, social distress, and environmental insult. . . We can move from the lose-lose proposition of casino gambling to the win-win of green jobs that provide economic security for workers, while strengthening the local economy, community and environment. This is the way forward and we need the Senate to help lead the way now by putting needs of our communities and families over the wishes of the casino lobbyists.”
BOSTON (June 9, 2010) – Green-Rainbow Party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein told a Senate committee that gambling casinos are a bad deal for Massachusetts, asserting that the money they drain from the economy will cost the state more jobs than they can create. Stein testified at a public hearing that represented the first opportunity for the public to present testimony since legislative leaders began pushing earlier this year to open the doors to casino gambling in the state. Of the four gubernatorial candidates on this year’s ballot, Stein is the only one opposing casino gambling. Stein’s questioning of casino gambling dates from 2003 when she was spokesperson for a non-profit group that opposed earlier casino proposals.
Following are excerpts from Stein’s written testimony:
“I urge you not to establish government-sanctioned casino gambling in Massachusetts. Casino gambling – with or without slot parlors – would put our jobs, families, communities and democracy at risk. It would bring a predatory and corrupting industry into our political process, and give a whole new meaning to the problem of pay-to-play politics on Beacon Hill. It would put many small businesses – the real backbone of our economy – out of business. And it would establish a back door regressive tax on those who can least afford it. To go forward without a full objective accounting of these costs – as well as the benefits – would be especially egregious, and a disservice to the people of Massachusetts.”
“I respectfully but profoundly disagree with the claims that establishing casinos is an answer to our unemployment problems. In fact casinos are job-killing machines – and after they are built they create unemployment. . . . Decades of research have shown minimal net job growth and typically economic decline in communities hosting casinos. There are innumerable reports from town officials and businesses attesting to the adverse economic impacts. Local restaurants within a few miles of a casino often close because they cannot compete with casino restaurants that offer discounted food to lure gamblers into their establishments. . . One researcher estimated that casinos destroy 1.5 jobs for every 1 job they create, making them net job-losers. In addition, the jobs created are overwhelmingly low wage, with an average annual salary of $13,179, according to the US Department of Labor, and an average turnover rate of 25%.”
“The adverse economic impacts of casinos are compounded by social problems they bring, which are devastating to families, and costly for communities and taxpayers. These include gambling addiction, bankruptcy, divorce, alcoholism, crime and family violence. Revenues from addicted and problem gamblers have been estimated to provide over half of all casino revenues. Thus the profitability of casinos is fundamentally dependent upon addicted users, not people simply enjoying ‘entertainment’. Casinos are estimated to impose $3 in social and management costs for every $1 in tax revenues, according to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. So taxes often go up when casinos come in.”
“. . . we’re not just talking about two casinos or three casinos. That’s not the way it works. Once the gaming industry moves in, they will get as many casinos as they want. They will spend what it takes to control the regulatory and legislative apparatus, and get their way. That’s how it has generally worked in other states, and it would be hard to claim that Beacon Hill will be any less vulnerable to the influence-peddling. So our decision is not on the number of casinos, but on whether we become a casino state. If so, the industry is likely to be the one to decide how many casinos we ultimately have. “
“We’ve heard a lot about the fact that casino construction will provide jobs in the construction trades. In the short term, this is true. But casino construction jobs offer only a temporary burst of activity in a failing fossil-fuel economy. . . Now is the time for good-wage green jobs that will be here for the long haul – They can create decades worth of steady work in the building trades by greening our housing stock, energy infrastructure, businesses, schools and government buildings. And they keep money circulating locally. This makes our businesses more competitive, and gives us a cleaner, healthier, and smarter economy that won’t collapse when hit by gasoline price hikes.”
“Casinos will pull almost 2 billion dollars from our economy. Only about one-fourth of that will be realized as tax revenues. Think about it. What if a tax collector put 75% of the collection in his own pocket before handing over 25% to the state? Gaming is an extremely inefficient and unfair way to collect tax revenues.”
“In this time of great threats to our economy, environment and health, it’s time to stop repeating the mistakes of the past. I urge you not to go down the casino road, a road that is littered with economic blight, social distress, and environmental insult. . . We can move from the lose-lose proposition of casino gambling to the win-win of green jobs that provide economic security for workers, while strengthening the local economy, community and environment. This is the way forward and we need the Senate to help lead the way now by putting needs of our communities and families over the wishes of the casino lobbyists.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
