US Senate candidate Alan Khazei has come out strongly against casino gambling in Massachusetts. So far, anyway, he's the only one -- the others are staying away from the issue.
In comments following the meeting, US Representative Michael Capuano said he was not actively involved in the casino gambling issue because it is not a matter that will be addressed by the US Senate.
Attorney General Martha Coakley said that in her position as the state's top lawyer she has been advising lawmakers and Governor Deval Patrick on how to properly enforce and regulate any gaming industry the state eventually embraces.
Steven Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics and a successful businessman, said he is skeptical casino gambling will help the state's economy, but could be convinced to support the concept if advocates show there will be permanent job creation.
Technically, of course Capuano is right -- it's a state issue, not a federal one. But it's certainly one we can expect a US Senator to weigh in on. Here's hoping it comes up at tonight's debate.
And speaking of debates -- don't forget to watch! It's tonight at 7 pm, carried I believe by most local TV and radio stations. I'm planning to live-blog, for added entertainment value. Feel free to chime in.
A recent(ish) poll taken last week showed Martha Coakley holding a solid lead: 37%, followed by Steve Pagliuca (whose TV blitz is obviously having some effect) at 14%, Mike Capuano at 13%, and Alan Khazei at 4%; 26% are undecided. But caution is in order: the poll surveyed "registered voters," not likely Democratic primary voters; and of course, the poll is pre-debate.
Over the past three decades, Massachusetts taxpayers have relied on the group Citizens for Limited Taxation to be a vocal counterweight to a political establishment that often indulges in tax-and-spend behavior.
Are you a Massachusetts taxpayer? Do you "rely" on CLT? And at the end of the 7-minute-plus piece:
KELLER: If people want to help CLT financially, or in other ways, how can they do it?
ANDERSON: They can go to our website, cltg.org, www.cltg.org, or just Google Citizens for Limited Taxation. And they can join us, or they can come to our brunch.
Jeff Jacoby also urged readers to chip in. I'm trying to think of another instance in which local mainstream media folks have used their platforms to try to help raise money for an organization like this, but I'm not coming up with anything.
Speaking of which, what kind of organization exactly is Citizens for Limited Taxation? And what's its relation to the Citizens Economic Research Foundation, of which Barbara Anderson is the president? CLT is not registered with the Secretary of State, OCPF, or the IRS, as far as I can tell, but CERF is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. However, CLT's membership form makes clear that the two are distinct entities: "CLT can accept all contributions, including corporate, but they are not tax deductible. Contributions to CERF (Citizens Economic Research Foundation), CLT's non-profit educational organization, are tax deductible." This is not meant to be a "gotcha" - I'm genuinely curious.
