Brian Joyce really cares about me...

I've lived in Milton for the past 12 years, which is about the duration of Senator Joyce's tenure in the MA Senate.  Today, for what I believe is the first time, I received a robo-call at home from the Senator informing me that the water ban has been lifted and providing helpful instructions on clearing my pipes.  While I am touched by the concern, I can only wonder at the coincidence of this first call with the arrival of two Republican contenders (Bob Burr and Richard Livingston) vying for the seat Mr. Joyce occupies.  I look forward to more belated contact from the Senator.
Bob Hiss.

Should The State Bet On Casinos, Part 3, by Chris Trakas

In part 1 of my argument, I made the case for allowing gaming in the state at all. Part 2 compared the MA plan to those of neighboring states. In this final part 3, I will describe the changes that I believe the MA plan should incorporate.

There should be at least one, possibly two, Massachusetts tribal casinos to allow another long time Massachusetts group(s) to help their workers and the state. One of the casinos should be in Western Massachusetts. These casinos would be able to offer some gaming over and above what the track based racinos could offer, such as blackjack, dice, and roulette. The above two approaches have worked well in New York and other states and should be the way to go here.

The current casino plan with its hundred million dollar plus licenses as proposed now, will very possibly end up as being an expansion of the two Connecticut casinos and possibly one Las Vegas outfit. Mohegan Sun seems likely to get the Western Massachusetts license. It may also get the Southeastern license, possibly in conjunction with the Wampanoag tribe, but more than likely on its own. The third license may end up being a bidding war between Foxwoods and Sheldon Adelson's group from Las Vegas. Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods already have fabulously successful casinos and I wish them the best, but it is not necessary for them to take over the Massachusetts market as well to the exclusion of the Massachusetts tribal groups and tracks. Sheldon Adelson is one of the wealthiest people in the world and I certainly wish him continued success and happiness but we need to take care of people based in Massachusetts.

The plan proposed now certainly has its merits, but the plan for three full scale casinos probably owned by out of state interests is too far flung. If any tribal group benefits from this, it should be a Massachusetts tribal group. Also, the tracks should be allowed to participate as a way to both help their beleaguered employees who are long time Massachusetts residents, and to help the state at the same time. It should be altered to the racino and tribal casino approach mentioned above which is working in New York and other states. This is the fairest approach.

This is also an issue where Massachusetts Republicans can actually make a difference. We live in an essentially one party state, but this is an issue that has divided the Democrats, and the Republican votes can make the difference. The middle and working class Democrats who used to be called Reagan Democrats and who are based in the smaller cities such as Lynn, Brockton, Holyoke, Revere, and parts of Boston such as South and East Boston are generally in favor of this. Republicans can work with this constituency and possibly create some good will to work together in the future. The more affluent liberal wing of the Democrat party based in wealthier urban areas and Boston suburbs seems generally opposed to the expansion of gambling. They cite social costs, which I feel is not a valid argument as outlined above, and also that the character of the state will change. Possibly they feel this is some sort of pedestrian activity, and that we would be better off pursuing higher callings. This is also an opportunity to work with the Governor, pass something together, and try to set the stage for further cooperation down the line.

The state needs expanded gaming, the racetrack workers and Massachusetts based tribal groups need this, and Republicans need an opportunity to make a difference. Let's start with the plan proposed, change it to all of our benefit, and then enjoy the fruits of this hard work.

Should the State Bet on Casinos, Part 2, by Chris Trakas

In my previous, post, I established the case for permitting casinos in the Commonwealth. At this point, the question should be how to expand gaming here in a way that will benefit the state and its workers and taxpayers and while recognizing the unique issues and potential problems. The proposal put forth by the Governor's Gambling Study Group is a step in the right direction in the sense that it starts us down the path toward expanded gambling. It recognizes the reality of the potential for significant revenue and what is going on in neighboring states. It also recognizes the potential problems and attempts to deal with them. I applaud the Study Group for that, but I also recommend altering the approach.

The plan should be altered to benefit Massachusetts workers and organizations. A plan similar to New York's using the racino (racing+casino) approach and at least one Massachusetts based tribal casino would be a better plan and would be more fair to long time Massachusetts workers and residents. The Massachusetts tracks have provided jobs, revenue, and enjoyment to residents for years. They also have been severely hurt by the Connecticut and Rhode Island casinos. They have been the force pushing expanded gaming for the last fifteen years so that they could offer another product along with their core product, which would also greatly benefit the state at the same time. They have kept this issue in the forefront and have advanced many of the arguments that have convinced a majority of the residents that we should take this next step.

As an example of the potential benefits to the state, they have offered to give it a very large percentage of the gaming revenues, much more than the current proposal calls for. The tracks are proposing to give 60% of the gaming profits, before expenses, to the state. They essentially will be paying a 60% tax rate on net income before expenses, by far the highest tax rate in the state. Then they will pay to run the operations out of the remaining 40% with at least a quarter of that going to help support the racing and breeding industries that have been so severely hurt by the Connecticut and Rhode Island casinos. The tracks want an opportunity to help their workers and the state at the same time. Their hope is to get more people visiting their facilities with an expanded product offering and hopefully to see their racing handles increase. The vast majority of the gaming profits will go to the state. The racino approach will quickly infuse revenue to the state because the facilities are already here. Further, it helps preserve industries that employ many thousands of people and while providing entertainment to thousands more. A study of the racinos in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, West Virginia, and Delaware would show that it is a successful and beneficial way to go.

Should the State Bet on Casinos? Part 1 - By Chris Trakas

This opinion piece is part 1 in a series.

I am a member of the Milton Republican Town Committee. The issues of expanded gaming and casinos have become major news items in the past couple of months. I am a proponent of some type of expansion of gambling for various reasons. First and foremost, it is already here but the state gets no benefit from it. It is not like "the old days" when it was confined to Las Vegas and then to Atlantic City. Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, and Twin Rivers are major casinos whose number one customer base is people from Massachusetts. Twin Rivers is located less than ten miles from the Massachusetts border and the Connecticut casinos are less than a 90 minute drive from a majority of the population of the state. Massachusetts residents are providing hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island through those casinos, money that should be staying here. We essentially have casinos in Massachusetts already, they just happen to be a short distance over the border and we get no monetary benefit from them.

There is much talk about the "social costs" of casinos. If there are social costs, they are already being felt. The above mentioned casinos are easy to reach by car. There are hundreds of extremely low priced bus trips carrying customers to them. It is important to help people who have problems with gambling, but that does not mean that everyone else should be excluded from participating and enjoying themselves. Any discussion of social costs should also include the social costs of not having expanded gambling in Massachusetts and the lost jobs in this state. Consider the money that has left the state and is not spent here on local projects and on improving the economy. Isn't it a social cost to constantly have Proposition 2.5 overrides that might be unnecessary if we were able to recoup some of the gambling revenue? Consider what has happened to the incomes of the hard working people at the state's racetracks. Those facilities have been greatly hurt by the Connecticut casinos. These people are long time, hard working Massachusetts residents. Is that not a social cost? I believe that the greater social cost is in not tapping in to the expanded gambling market.

There is also the idea of people enjoying themselves. People go to the casinos because they like it, it gives them something enjoyable to do, and there are social and nightlife opportunities that are not available here.

This state has been surrounded by states that have taken advantage of the opportunities to expand their gaming operations. These states certainly aren't being run by naive people who are chasing some sort of pie in the sky undertaking. Connecticut and Rhode Island are major gambling states. New York has tribal casinos and has also added gaming to the state's racetracks to create casinos. New Hampshire has already added poker to its racetracks and is seriously considering a major casino at the Rockingham track, which is about a mile over the Massachusetts border. Maine has expanded into casinos. A little further away, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware have taken the casino route as well. All of these states have reaped billions of dollars of revenues over the years and are generally happy with the results. The facilities are heavily regulated, safe for their employees and customers and profitable for the states.

Up Next, Part 2: The Plan for Massachusetts.

French vs. English

A recent column stated that there were 'perceived inequalities' caused by the French Immersion program. Let's look at some of the real inequalities:

1. Classroom size and the number of students per class=French less students; English more students

2. Special Education students=none in French

3. Full 5 days of recess=French 5 days; English 4 days

4. Gala event celebrating 20 years of languages= French big party; English no mention

The last time French was useful to me is when I was employed at WT Grants in Mattapan Square many many years ago. The Haitian who would shop there could converse with those of us who had High School French. We made ourselves understood. French at that time was considered the language of Diplomacy; German for Science and Latin for Medicine. China was still a mystery and the Russians were busy waging a Cold War.

I now work in a very large Boston hospital. My department, the Cardiac Cath Lab, sees anywhere from 20 to 40 patients a day. Not everyone speaks English, but that does not hinder us-between the staff and hospital interpreters we are covered for any language and/or dialect. The majority are Spanish and Portuguese speaking. Followed by Arabic, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Italian and some Russian. The need for us to ever need a French interpreter is perhaps, at most, twice a year. If a patient does speak French, it is usually their second or third language.

So why is Milton continuing a program that does not prepare students for a real world? A world that utilizes Spanish and Portuguese speakers especially in the Boston area. A Haitian immigrant who sends her child to Tucker wants her child to learn English. This is the language of their new country-skills in English will benefit them both. Why does he lose a recess for wanting to learn?

Is it fair that one twin has 5 full days of recess in the French, but the other twin , who is on the English Track, has only 4 days? How are their parents supposed to explain ?English teachers are layed off, MCAS score go down and then rehired with borrowed money. This is not the way to run a school. English language skills should be the priority. Any extra languages should be offered as an addendum not a way of life.

Budget priorities have to be set. Overides are not the answer and I am tired of my taxes being raised and raised again. Throwing more money at the problem-the budget-does not make it go away.

School Committee Member Mary Kelly asked that the disparity of the French and English track programs be added to the budget list but was voted down. Mr Chairman Beirne Lovely said"I think this is the tip of a different iceberg...I certainly don't think it raises to the level of a budget priority item." The Titanic sank because of an iceberg. The Milton School system has become the Titanic . It's time to jettison some of these pet programs and take off the rose colored glasses. French Immersion was a nice little experiment that has overstayed its welcome. Now is the time to utilize the new schools for which they were built-to educate not divide the children of Milton.

Patricia Gannon

70 Meagher Ave

Milton

617-696-0018

Healthcare Costs: Invasion of the Budget Snatchers

Public and private employers that provide traditional insurance plans for their employees have been experiencing 15% annual costs increases for a couple of years now. Last year in 2006, Milton's citizens faced the impact of such an increase as it swept through the budgets of every department. It stands to reason that a large cost item growing at 6 times the revenue limit imposed by Prop 2 1/2 creates a recurring and unsustainable budget buster. Our town administrators, employees represented by their unions and citizens are all smart folks who can see that new approaches must be explored, experimented and implemented or we face an annual cycle of debates on Overrides versus Layoffs, which benefit no one.

Our national approach of employers providing subsidized health insurance to employees is an echo of wage and price controls imposed during World War II. Employers were restricted from raising employee wages and responded by providing non-wage benefits, like health insurance, to entice and retain employees. 65 years later, we have institutionalized an approach that insulates the health care consumer and provider from the market benefits that have reduced the cost of living so drastically over those same 65 years. Perhaps this realization is penetrating our collective thinking at last. Even the leadership of our Democratic dominated Commonwealth have recognized (in the case of auto insurance) that insulating consumers from market forces induces behavior that costs us all collectively more than we should have to bear.

Over the coming weeks and months, the members of the Milton Republican Town Committee will highlight on this page alternatives that are being explored in the private sector that could bring behavioral and cost changes that break this upward spiraling budget problem which will inevitably lead to drastic measures. Stay tuned. Here's to your (and our town budget's) health!

School Choice (part 1)

Metco Programs have, for a long time, given a legal opportunity for students to enter publicly funded school settings outside of their residential district. In each instance, the host community is paid an agreed amount for tuition based upon the rate of cost per student in the host school district. Why then, if a non resident student chooses to attend a Milton school as a non resident and the Milton school committee deems that there is available space and the candidate has an acceptable reason for wanting to do so, can’t this school committee make a similar tuition arrangement. The student would then be legal and the town would save much time, money and effort ferreting out illegal students. Further, it would be a bargain for the city of Boston. The rate per student in Boston is about $12,872 and the cost to attend a school in Milton is about $8,378 per student. Currently, each student attending a Milton school illegally is costing the Milton taxpayer $8,378 to say little of the labor cost in handling these situations...

There is an old adage that says, If you can’t (won’t) beat ‘em, join ‘em.

BLOG - Basic Logic Of Gop

Many internet surfers believe that the term "blog" derives from the truncated version of "weblog." We beg to differ. Or perhaps, we blog to differ. At the Milton Republican Town Committee, we believe blog is an acronym for Basic Logic Of the Gop. And so, let the word go forth, from this time and place, that we will dedicate this space to the proposition that all blogs are not created equal. That this blog will be of the people of Milton, by the people of Milton and for the people of Milton. So help me GOP. In other words, we are going to use this blog to address the national issues of the day and ground them in the events of our town. We have laid out a series of topics of interest to us and hopefully, to you, the citizens of Milton. We will present those topics and our opinions of them to you each week in the hope that we will peak your interest, generate discussion via comments, establish this site as the place you go for local political information and possibly, hopefully, win you over to our views. We will identify our writers in the same way that we would introduce ourselves on the street corner so that you know who is speaking. We will be polite in our presentation and request that your responses are submitted in the same manner. We will post any return comment that is presented with civility, regardless of its conformity with the views of the original author. With that long winded introduction filled with the mixed quotations of famous Presidents, we present our first submission. Enjoy!