The Real Netroots Revolution

What is the Netroots Revolution? The Netroots is about creating tools that make organizing easier. It's also about a greater democratic spirit and true equality, no matter someone's age, sex, location, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class or credit score. So, it kind of got to me lately that I've fallen behind on my ability to use some of these fine tools that truly open access to everyday citizens that want to get involved in new and exciting ways (be it politically, or not), but may not have the megabucks to be able to afford the expensive technical tools that are often necessary to do anything meaningful with a computer.

I guess it all started for me when I needed Microsoft Excel badly about 2-3 years ago, for around a week, so I could grade some papers as an International Relations TA. The semester was ending and I had truly delayed the inevitable, leaving a lot of the grading to the last minute. Knowing that it was finals week and the computer labs would be swamped, I decided to just download Excel as a trial version. Huge mistake. The trial version was a complete trial of Microsoft Office - it installed a new version of Word, erasing the copy of the program I already had - which was the one Microsoft program I continually relied on other than Windows.

Consequently, I've been completely without Word for more than 2 years, and had to scrape by with Word Perfect on my (now broken) laptop. Word Perfect is such a terrible program that I found it nearly unusable - and started to do most of my written work in those extremely busy computer labs. Only recently, maybe in the summer, did I find out about OpenOffice - which has a word-like utility included in its suite of programs that's finally restored most of the things I missed from Word. Except, not only do I now have that program, but I also have an alternative to Excel, Access (which is crucial in my line of work), Powerpoint and other programs - and OpenOffice includes the feature to save files in any of Microsoft Office's formats and more, making them completely compatible with virtually everything. It's not always quite as pretty (I wish the bullets and numberings had prettier fonts), but it certainly gets the job done in ways that Word Perfect never could.

That made me investigate what other options are out there online, and I've since found quite a few. First off, I already listed some of OpenOffice's other great quality tools, but that's not the only option out there that's taken on Microsoft in a major way. Google Documents offers many of the same programs (and they also save files in most any format, from word to pdf), albeit even more basic in presentation - but it comes with an added bonus: they're not only free, but files are saved online and can be set to be group projects, or viewable by anyone given permission. That's such a powerful tool, I've even used it on political campaigns. Imagine what anyone could do with it - allow friends or peers to help edit work, work on a group project together at school, work on a civic project as a team - and all from any computer with internet access. Or, need to access your paper from the computer lab at school - but you don't have a flash drive with a saved version? No problem. Not to mention, you'll never have to worry about backing up your data again: Google not only saves the content online, but you can restore to any point of change you made on the documents, ever.

It almost goes without saying that I now use GMAIL, because it's by far superior to hotmail, aol and others available - and includes many of the functions one would normally use a Microsoft Outlook for (such as forwarding all email accounts to one page, with the ability to write an email from any account on that same page), plus it comes with some added bonuses: a fantastic way to search for old emails, a great spam-catching folder and the ability to label emails. (For example, I label my emails so that when they come in my inbox, I can see what email account they were emailed to - but you could set a label to catch all emails that include the word "Ryan" if you wanted a quick way to filter for emails sent by me, or "BSG" to filter the emails sent to you that say anything about my favorite TV show.) All of these are important tools that people are starting to use en masse, and all of these tools are making the progressive/netroots movement stronger, even if it's by osmosis.

***

It seems most people who talk about netroots and think about web applications think about blogs, internet forums and email groups. But, really, even if those are what we traditionally think of as being the core "netroot tools," they're only a tiny piece of the puzzle. The ultimate tools that are being advanced today are the tools that bring professional caliber resources into the hands of citizens for free, or next to nothing.

Youtube has certainly been powerful, but how much more powerful would it be if people had more - free - resources to edit their projects? Microsoft and Apple have added some things into their base operating systems, but a lot of them leave out core functionality. Imagine an open-source internet program that could allow users to edit and paint moving video, create professional-quality music, animate objects or create special effects? Well, that's what Jahshaka is starting to do, and will only get better at as the future moves on. Soon, every citizen will be able to create a documentary as entertaining and worth watching by a wide audience as Michael Moore's often humorous, but important, pieces.

Then what about editing digital images? Adobe Photoshop costs hundreds upon hundreds of dollars, even for the scaled down version geared toward a more general public. GIMP has most of the functionality of Photoshop and is perfect for anyone that doesn't need Photoshop for commercial printing. Soon, when it supports a format that would allow it to be useful to most commercial print shops (CMYK color formatting), it may even start to become useful to printing and design professions - especially with the fact that they'd save hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a program that does virtually the same thing. Heck, there are lots of professionals who already use it - I don't know if this is a credit or a detriment, but the same folks who made Hulk the movie used an offshoot of GIMP for its video editing. Did I mention that GIMP edits videos, too? Well, it does. That's one of the beauties of open-source: the programs cater to those who would use it most, creating features that everyone needs in the process.

Furthermore, just because it's open source, doesn't mean it's necessarily underfunded, or has to be underfunded - because it does take money to make these things and keep them relevant, after all. There are plenty of corporations that stand to benefit by helping fund these projects because ultimately it may be a helluva lot cheaper to help a few people design these programs than pay for the licenses to buy twenty million copies of Microsoft Office, or tens of thousands of copies of Photoshop. In doing so, they can help fuel the development of software that'll help them, and everyone, do exactly what's needed at a far more reasonable price. It has the added bonus of helping people have access to professional quality tools to boot. If open source programs made a stronger appeal to find some corporate sponsors, they could hasten the development of new features and better programming even faster.

But, Ryan, how will Microsoft and Apple keep making the big bucks? In the end, the only people who won't benefit from Open Source programming is going to be people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Few will feel guilty about it because we're only getting to a point now where we should have been from the beginning. That's right, software like Microsoft Office should have been inexpensive all along: if people can buy and sell used copies of books, cars and homes with little government oversight, why should we have to pay for the *license* to operate a computer program, with no ability to ever reuse that license again - be it selling an old copy to a friend, or using the same copy on the next computer you buy? Sure, it may be fair to have some limitations, but there's no reason that people shouldn't be able to sell their copy of Windows XP when they finally buy a new computer and would no longer use the program, at the very least. (Literally, when someone buys a copy of Windows, of any other expensive software, with their new computer, they don't actually buy the program - the buy the rights to use the program).

Open source programs are a way of finally getting around the software laws that were written way before the Internet 2.0, when it would have been possible for a movement to coalesce around preventing the software giants from creating licensing law that benefited solely them. Those same laws are the ones that directly spurned the need many people found themselves having to find alternatives to paying the thousands of dollars it would take to add those tools to their computer. Would these programs have been pirated had the laws been different? Definitely not to the same extent, but it's getting to the point where pirating will (hopefully) tail off since there are free, open source programs out there that at the very least compete with the software giants at almost any level, and will soon be far superior to them because of the very nature of open source programming.

So what does this all mean? The internet is finally making good on truly leveling the playing field. The consequences aren't always good - free does occasionally have a cost (for example: I probably couldn't ever make a living blogging, which is very unfortunate) - but at least we're coming to a day and age when it isn't even necessary to pirate the big and expensive programs online, and it's surely true that the number one reason why people pirate software like Photoshop is because they have a need for it, but can't afford it. So, in a day and age when there are alternatives to those kind of programs that are better, equal or at least perfect for the vast majority of users, we're finally reaching a new order in society, and almost certainly a better one. This, more than anything else (blogging, forums, free MSM news online, social networking sites, etc.) represents the true scope and potential of the netroots movement: we can do anything they can do, and better. It's these kinds of programs that can truly make a difference in lives of most citizens across the country, whether that's trying to influence public opinion or state legislators, or just finishing your twenty page thesis paper without the need of an expensive program. It's all happening, right now, in the midst of the Netroots Revolution.

Can't Believe I Missed This:

The Governor's still going to pay for that "Spectrum Gaming" 'independent' study on casinos in Massachusetts. It was a stupid idea then, it's downright idiotic now.

A little context: about a month ago, the Governor hired "Spectrum Gaming," a company that serves the casino industry, to give its 'independent analysis' on casinos in this state.

Getting back to the present, with the casino bill dead for the year, the Governor's still going to spend the money on this clearly partisan group to - do what exactly? Shilling for casinos hasn't been effective for the Governor yet - his use of Suffolk Downs data as sacred text on the matter absolutely, positively blew up in his face.

While Spectrum should obviously be paid for the time it's already put into the study, the state could save at least half the sum the Governor was planning on giving them by telling the casino group to cease the "study" immediately - that's a $100,000 or more that could save a few teachers, or cops, or help repair one of the hundreds of roads in this state that are in need of some serious attention.

If the Governor really wants to have that study, he should pay for it himself. I suspect he'll be able to find the cash, one way or another.

HT/Quriltai

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Governor

A Brief Excerpt:

Chapter 2: Avoid PR Nightmares whenever possible.

Unfortunately, part of being Governor means that you have to be on the job, 24/7. That means that if something important is going on, the Governor has to be in the state and ready to weigh in or do something about it. For example, if a Governor's largest policy proposal in his or her term is being voted on, that's a bad day to plan a short getaway to New York City.

Behind Cuba on Civil Rights (?!?)

Clearly, the Federal Government needs to get its act together, because Cuba may be passing an equal rights bill for all their glbt people.

A draft gay rights bill first introduced after the 1959 Cuban revolution, will be considered by lawmakers in Havana in June, Mexican media said on Thursday.

If passed, the law will give lesbians, gays, transsexuals, transvestites and transgender persons the same rights as heterosexuals in Cuba paving the way for unions between same-sex couples, as well as access to sex reassignment treatment and hormone therapy for transsexuals, which would allow them to change their gender legally.

Castro's daughter, who has a degree in psychology, seems to be spearheading the efforts to pass the bill herself. Now, obviously, Cuba has many other improvements it needs to make on civil rights, but the fact remains that if America were to fall behind Cuba on something like marriage equality, that would be an utter disgrace.

H/T Towleroad

Casinos Not Dead Yet

Coming from the Governor who promised to veto any kind of Racino bill, it's disappointing to hear from my sources that the Governor was "brainstorming" economic activity in the South Coast that included pushing slots at the race tracks, thereby in effect making real casinos inevitable. That Governor Patrick would go so far to make sure there's casinos, even casinos we couldn't control (because they'd be tribal casinos at that point), is not only despicable, but downright suspicious.

Governor Patrick, the people have spoken. In case you didn't get the memo, we've said a big, fat, resounding NO to casinos. Get over it!

What Not to Do During a Recession

I recently read an interesting article over at MassInc (unfortunately, I don't have a direct link to the article anymore) detailing basically what not to do during a recession. Basically, everything that was in that article was summed up by the actions of the Boston Public School system.

Dealing with her first budget since she arrived in August, Superintendent Carol Johnson said she also has identified $18.7 million in cuts, mostly by reducing central office staff, deferring maintenance on school buildings, installing energy-saving software on computers, and limiting the number of teachers and principals who go through training programs.... She will reduce stipends for teacher development, cut the number of math and reading coaches, and eliminate the jobs of 10 social workers that were previously funded by grants that had expired.

First off, deferring maintenance isn't a cost saver, it'll actually cost the city of Boston a pretty mint in the long run. The problems with infrastructure will get worse, and more expensive, and meanwhile the city's children will actually have to spend 7 and a half hours in those buildings. Worse yet is limiting training, which will directly effect the quality of education students are getting in the city. Now, maybe some of those cuts can be made to central office staff, but after all these years of cuts it can probably be doubted. Furthermore, all those now unemployed people aren't exactly going to be contributing to ending this recession. They'll probably just be happy to find a new job, never mind one that pays as well or offers the same kind of benefits.

Making matters worse, things aren't looking up for next year.

Officials said the bailout defers difficult choices, including school closings, until next year. Johnson said that a handful of schools, which have not been decided on, would probably be closed because of enrollment declines.

Enrollments go up and down; once a municipality closes a building, it closes their ability to actually deal with those fluctuations. Furthermore, it's tough to close entire schools down without increasing class sizes at all the other schools. Large class sizes are especially bad for elementary-aged children, who do better throughout their academic careers if they had the benefit of small class sizes when they were young.

Of course, not all is bad - but the shocking thing is how far out of budget the city is, when it's adding in $10 million as an emergency bailout and is increasing this year's budget by 5.7%. With nearly a 6% increase in spending, the city is still facing $18.7 million in cuts. This state, and this country, has got to do something about the rapidly rising costs of health care and energy if we're going to survive as a proud, successful nation - because we're on a tightrope and we're losing balance. Most importantly, we have to figure out some kind of way to avoid cutting core services, because that's just shooting ourselves in our own feet, doing our best so we'll never be able to recover from the recession, or avoid new ones in the future.

What Were They Thinking?

PR nightmare.

Starbucks may say on its website that it is committed to "putting people before products," but that hasn't stopped a former barista at a Chestnut Hill store from accusing the coffee giant of shortchanging him of tips left by caffeine-craving customers.

In a class-action suit filed yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court, Hernan Matamoros says Starbucks routinely violated Massachusetts law by requiring baristas to share money left in tip jars with shift supervisors, who perform similar duties but typically earn more and have managerial responsibilities.

Placing the little cup by the register certainly opens a giant bag of worms - who should be getting the tips? Anyone who serves costumers or just non-managerial staff? And, with so many managers - many of whom barely scrape a living themselves - how are the distinctions supposed to be drawn? Most importantly, wouldn't most of these problems be solved if we, as a country, demanded a living wage?

I can say that there are far worse offenders than Starbucks - a distant cousin used to work in a coffee shop/bakery in Salem and didn't get any of the tips left at the register. At the end of the month, some of "tips" would be divied up and be given out as a bonus, but the rest went to the owners (I kid not). Needless to say, even though I found out about it when I was around 12, I haven't eaten or gone there since. Are tip jars a systemic problem? Are there laws not being enforced, or a need for new legislation?

Globe: Fiscal future "dims." Gee, Ya Think?

Today's Globe top story is quite an understatement: State's fiscal picture dims. Really? I wouldn't have guessed.

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill said yesterday that, yet again, he must borrow hundreds of millions in short-term notes to pay the state's bills - like a consumer using a credit card to make a mortgage payment.

Yikes. I hate to break the news to everyone, but our 5.3% income-tax experiment has been an utter failure. Our economic problems began when Celluci fought to lower the rate, and they haven't improved since. We need to go back to 5.9%, or else. Let's hope Beacon Hill has the political courage to raise the dreaded T word, in order to save the most basic of our state's deteriorating services.

Regional Cell Phone Plans?

Whatever happened to them? I used to have a regional plan that had - I swear - almost infinite minutes, for less money and I was perfectly content. Now, I keep having to go up and up and up on my minutes with this national plan. When would I, or half my neighbors, ever need to call someone beyond the North East - and why should we have to pay for such a wonderful privilege? I'm sensing there's more here than meets the eye, because all the national chains stopped even offering the regional plans a few years ago (at least as far as I can tell). Anyone more familiar with this kind of stuff who wants to weigh in?

Check Out Today's LeftAhead

Casinos, Governor Patrick and building a grassroots movement were the discussions of the day. It was just Lynne and I, Mike had jury duty, but it was still a good show.

Who Needs Hospitals for the Poor Anyway?

Apparently, the Globe is advocating closing down hospitals that primarily service the poor and working class. I'm sure that's the real health care answer!

Are You Kidding Me? Equal Rights?

Wow.

According to the Sun Chronicle, the State Department says the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits them from recognizing his married name: "'We are unable to comply with your request for a name change based on the documentation you sent because of the Defense of Marriage Act ...,' the letter states. 'In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administration bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'"

This is an outrage.

Hair-Wynn applied for the passport so he could go to Ghana and work at orphanages educating children about HIV and AIDS. He says he's changing his name back so he can go.

I still can't believe it. I'm sorry to say it, but sadly equal rights does not exist in this country. Shame on us for being so damn intolerant.

Tourism is Alive and Kicking in Mass

One of the points some of the pro-casino people tried to make was that, apparently, our tourism industry sucks, or something. Because we're not the spitting image of Las Vegas, we're "not fun," according to the testimony of the head of the AFL-CIO at this week's casino hearing. Obviously, it was a losing argument, as the House has just crushed the casino bill into smithereens. That said, to kill that argument once and for all, I figured I'd point out just how fantastic the Massachusetts tourism industry is - through the awesome and powerful website run by the State's Office of Travel and Tourism, massvacation.com.

Just going to the front page, you can see how powerful the website is - and how many options you can search by. There's a few neat features on the front page that I'll get to first. You'll notice a quick calender right on the front page, so events can be searched by date and time, or a range of dates (taking a week off?). There's also a few special offers on the sidebar, like Amtrack discounts, as well as free travel information that can be mailed to any home.

The best two features on the front page, though, are the two best ways to search for particular places. Let's say you're the type of person who's most interested by certain activities - not necessarily any particular location. Well, then, on the very top bar of the website, you can search by a number of categories: arts, history, outdoor activities, science and nature, tours and sightseeing, or "family fun." Just click one of those categories, and you're sent to a page dedicated to all those kinds of activities throughout the state - including featured places, and ways to search for particular subgroups of activities (for example, if you clicked on the "history and heritage" option on the front page, you can further break that down into looking for zoos, sport museums, etc).

Or, maybe you want to plan a day trip to somewhere relatively close by and want two or three activities in one small town - just click on the front page's state map, which is broken down by regions. From inside those regions, you can essentially cross-tabulate your searches: you can look for one of the already-described categories of activities inside particular regions. But the regional sections do more than that: they give a general description of the prevalent types of activities in that region, as well as "featured" activities and spotlight communities.

Alright, at some point you picked something you wanted to search - and finally found something that interests you. Is that all the state website does? Helps you find things? Absolutely not. I'll use an example. A new friend has been raving about Tanglewood to me lately - where the Boston Symphony plays during the summer. It's in Western Mass, and is apparently spectacularly beautiful. In fact, the entire area has become a tourist must-see in Massachusetts for several years now.

I wanted to find out more about it, so I clicked on "arts" on the western mass page, then checked off music and clicked search - finding Tanglewood quite easily. Now that I found Tanglewood, there's a brief description of what it actually is, as well as some important contact and general information, as well as the official website. But there's also a few links on the page to find nearby lodgings, and other nearby activities and events. Even better, there's a Google Map of where Tanglewood can be found right on that very page, complete with a quick button you press to get directions to it.

Spend a few minutes on that website, and you'll quickly realize why tourism is Massachusetts's third largest industry. Contrary to what certain people think, there's no shortage of people who come to vacation in this state, and there's no shortage of Massachusetts citizens who take full advantage of everything we have to offer. We're truly a state that's a cultural and historical icon, complete with beautiful New England architecture and landscape, with one of the nation's largest state park systems. There's plenty to do for any kind of person - sports, museums, beaches and hiking - so next time anyone says Massachusetts is boring, or needs some kind of a spark, be sure to give 'em hell an earful.

Ding Dong the WItch is Dead!

106-48. Enough said.

Casino Vote: 10-8 Against Recommendation

Defeated, at least from what I've heard. This should be its death knell. Congratulations all.

Sox Embracing their Inner Liberal

God I love this.

Red Sox players voted unanimously to skip the scheduled trip to Japan or play their final Spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays after learning coaches, training and equipment staff would not receive the same $40,000 bonus.

Still without an answer to their demands, Red Sox players appeared ready to make good on their threats by walking off the field for their final Spring training game after the national anthem had been sung and starting lineups announced.

"For us to go on this has to be resolved," Red Sox captain Jason Varitek told reporters.

"Everybody is in full unity what we decided to do. It's just a matter of everyone getting together and making the right decision.

"There were a lot of things that have gone on and fallen by the wayside a little bit and this is one that really can't.

"They are the extended part of our family, they are the people who take care of us.

"We're getting paid regardless, it has nothing to do with the players. It has to do with the rest of people who are sacrificing 20 days on the road and going to a foreign country."

Go Sox!

Casino Vote Close

According to my sources, the vote is exceptionally close - but we're going to eek out the victory. Of course, a few quick calls to your legislator right now could help a lot.

Off to the Casino Hearing... But...

I'm off in a few minutes to the casino hearing, but before I go, I have to comment on an article I read last night. Representative Panagiotakos from Lowell has threatened a referendum should the casino bill be squashed, to LeftinLowell's complete annoyance.

A prominent supporter of the governor’s casino gambling proposal said today he would seek a fall statewide referendum on it if, as now appears increasingly likely, the House moves to kill the measure this week.

Sen. Steven Panagiotakos of Lowell, a Democrat who serves as chairman of his chamber’s Ways and Means Committee, said the issue is too important to be quashed amid a series of increasingly personal recriminations between Gov. Deval Patrick and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi.

What isn't known yet is if Governor Patrick would entertain such a measure, because if he would, he'd have officially jumped the shark. I couldn't support that kind of Governor, because it represents the Politics of a Bully. Governor Patrick out to condemn such an effort post-haste because, in the end, it's exactly the kind of politics he worked so hard to defeat in June of last year. Imagine the Governor, who worked so hard to protect marriage equality, stooping as low as the homophobic organizations that tried to put equality on the ballot? I can't. He simply must condemn this effort, and now. Let's not forget that the very person who is supporting this measure, Panagiotakos, is also someone who supporting banning marriage equality, by writing inequality into the state's constitution.

When the casino bill is defeated in the legislature, and it will be, it's time to work on our state's common problems. For once, it seems, the Speaker of the House has become a willing participant in solving our state's problems: he's shown a new willingness to compromise on many bills. He's finally agreed to the Life Science initiative. He's, this very day, proposing to create 13,000 new jobs in renewable, green energy in this state. But this casino thing has got to go: it's a distraction. It's ripping the Governor's base apart. We want to work with the Governor; we have common cause. It's time we work on what we have in common - health care, education, renewable energy, etc. - because ultimately they're the important questions of the day.

Finally, I won't be able to blog while I'm at the hearing, but I will be phoning into LeftAhead, the state's Lefty Political Podcast, to make a live report at around 2:30.

Today's Must Read Stories:

-Casinos aren't anywhere near inevitable, no matter what the Governor's been parroting on the matter. What the Wampanoags are asking for is by no means gauranteed, because it's literally never happened before, even for a Class 2 casino (which would be a tiny fraction of what Deval's asking for, because it will lack both real slots and any real investments).

The tribe is also attempting a political and bureaucratic feat that the Bureau of Indian Affairs says has never been tried: parlaying tribal recognition, which it received in February 2007, into two tracts of reservation land 25 miles apart, with one targeted for a casino, the other for its tribal headquarters on Cape Cod.

A spokesman for the Department of the Interior said he did not know of any other case in which the government approved such a request.

Does that sound inevitable to you?

-As public support for casinos is plummiting, new and better job alternatives emerge. I'd imagine it would be lower if people knew about this extremely weird provision in Governor Patrick's law that has yet to be explained.

-The Boston Globe misses the picture, but what else is new? Now is not the time for a whole new idea to create new revenue in this state, because our state is currently distracted by and boggled down with the present conversation: casinos. After that measure is soundly defeated, there's plenty of time for Speaker DiMasi, Senate President Murray and the entire legislature to pass a balanced budget, and perhaps even some kind of new, big idea on creating new revenue.

The Speaker's shown a new-found willingness to work with the Governor, from reforming education to passing the life science initiative. DiMasi's even ahead of the curve on green energy investment. At this point, he's actually earned a little trust in being able to come up with a way to increase our spending in this state for the time being. And, in the end, it shouldn't be the onus of a Speaker to create an alternative to a bad idea, especially when that idea's one big vacuum of a distraction: it's first and foremost his or her job to make sure that bad idea doesn't pass. Good on him for doing so.

Plurality Against Casinos in Mass

There's a new poll (pdf) out today, showing support for casinos continues to shrink to the point where there's now a plurality of the state against casinos in Massachusetts, and a very large majority against a casino nearby their home. It's still a close contest, but as more and more people learn about casinos, it's clear the state is shifting against them. Momemtum's turned the tide just in time for tomorrow's ever-important casino hearing, which I'll not only be attending, but will make a live report from the Gardner Auditorium.

Furthermore, while the numbers are still close on whether or not someone would support a casino away from their home in Massachusetts (though, again, still a plurality against it), it's clear that the opposition to casinos is far more fired up.

"Opponents were much more emphatic in their stance on casinos with 26% of respondents indicating they were ‘strongly' opposed, compared to 17 percent who where ‘strongly' in favor."

The survey also queried people's thoughts about a casino situated locally. First, the poll asked people if they'd support a casino in their own community. Unsuprisingly, 67% of the state opposes a casino in their municipality, with another 11% neutral. The next question asked was in regard to counties - which doesn't really make sense in Massachusetts, given that not many people think in relation to their county, since Massachusetts doesn't have a strong county-based government (compared to most states). It would have made more sense to ask people if they'd support a casino within a certain commute or within a certain range of miles to their home, but still the numbers are pretty damning.

"Are you in favor of a casino in your county?", with 38 percent strongly opposed, 11 percent somewhat opposed, 15 percent neutral, 21 percent somewhat in favor, and 16 percent strongly in favor.

No matter how anyone looks at it, there just isn't strong support to put a casino anywhere in Massachusetts. People don't want a casino nearby them, and here's a conservative estimate of what it would look like if Class 3 gambling is ever legalized in Massachusetts:


Obviously, if people don't want casinos within close range of their homes, then they don't want Governor Patrick's plan to pass, nor any plan that would legalize slot machines and open up the potential for Native American casinos and racinos on top of them. It's no wonder the forces who tried to push for casinos in Massachusetts seem to be on their last breath. No community is enthusiastically jumping to be the first to build a casino, even if a few politicians would just love to get their greasy fingers on those campaign contributions shiny headlines of overinflated jobs that ignore the true economic impact casinos have on communities.

The fact of the matter is if residents of one town aren't willing to build a casino in their own town, they shouldn't thrust a casino on another. A casino isn't a hospital, or a school or a power plant: we don't actually need a casino to run a state (in fact, casinos make running states quite a bit more challenging, from setting up a huge beaurocracy to dealing with extra crime and traffic). Thankfully, this is starting to look like a game that the state of Massachusetts won't lose, but we'll find more about that tomorrow.

Tuesday's Forum on Casinos

Be there or be square. And keep a look out for me! More from Casino Free Mass:

Next Tuesday (March 18th), the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies will hold a hearing on the governor's proposal for three Las Vegas style casinos in Massachusetts. The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in the Gardner Auditorium, State House.

Now is the time to help us defeat this plan that will harm our local businesses, increase crime and addiction, and change our way of life in the Bay State.

Here's what you can do:

Come to the hearing next Tuesday at 10 a.m. to speak out against the governor's plan.

Call, e-mail or write your legislator and tell them to vote NO on the governor's casino proposal. To find your legislator, click HERE.

Post Worst Than Globe:

Casinos are Wonderful, or Something

Remember when the Washington Post was a great newspaper with top-notch journalistic standards? Not so much anymore. It would be a challenge to find a worse article on casino gambling in Massachusetts than the Washington Post's flowery piece. Casinos are great. Casinos will save the day. Casinos are so great that people are "for [traffic]." Huh?

"People over the age of 58 -- people entering their senior years -- they don't want to see traffic. But start getting into the crowd 18 to 45, you'll find they are for it."

The Post didn't question a single number from the administration, including the numbers that have been very loudly debunked. It's all about how casinos are going to save Palmer, Massachusetts... and apparently stop all those wonderful, local flower shops from closing down. (As if a casino has ever saved local businesses.)

PALMER, Mass -- In this once-prosperous, now-depressed former mill town in western Massachusetts, residents casually rattle off the names of all the factories that shut down long ago and of the businesses getting ready to leave. "Everything is closing down," said Robyn Moriarty, 51, who has worked here in her father Bud's corner grocery store since she was in high school. "The video place wants to close. Comcast closed. There was a fruit company across the street -- they left. The taxi company wants to close. . . . There was a flower shop across the street -- she's gone." With the local economy in such doldrums, any effort to bring jobs here might be expected to get an enthusiastic welcome.

But there is ambivalence, and worry, about one effort being discussed: a massive casino resort to be built nearby, one of three casinos to be opened in the state, if Gov. Deval L. Patrick (D) can get his proposal through a reluctant state legislature. For Patrick, bringing casinos to Massachusetts makes economic sense. He says his casino plan would create 30,000 construction jobs [note to WashPo: the Gov was off by 25,000 on that one - oops] and 20,000 permanent jobs, as well as generate an anticipated $400 million a year in new revenue in a state grappling with a budget shortfall.

It doesn't get much better than that. There's two brief quotes against casinos, but neither of them sadly challenged the casino numbers. That was a blatant choice on the Post's part, because one of the quotes came from Casino Free Mass - and they hit the economic impacts early and often in every interview. This one in particular lasted a full hour or two, with Doug Bailey "going over all the points." (I emailed him.) Here's the extent to which the Post questions anything about how casinos and why they may not be such a wonderful deal.

"I do think there's going to be a tailing off of gambling revenue," said Nick Johnson, a state budget expert at the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "Eventually, there has to be a finite interest in playing these games." "We're going to kill the golden goose because there's too many of them," said Doug Bailey, president of DBMediaStrategies of Boston, who is coordinating for a group called Casino Free Mass to fight Patrick's plan. "If Massachusetts gets three casinos, Rhode Island will want one, Maine will want one."

Apparently, the only reason why casinos may not be good for Massachusetts, is because they're so wonderful that they'll saturate the market. Never mind the loss of local business on a wide scale, economic hardships on families effected by problem gamblers, increased crime and, of course, the opportunity cost from losing out on all this time that we, as a state, could be focusing on much more productive avenues. Never mind the very real impact of 40,000 extra cars on the road every day, and tens of thousands more on days with big events. Not many roads in Massachusetts could handle that - and many of them can't exactly be expanded to do so (think Suffolk Downs/Wonderland Park on Route 1-A).

Casinos put money in share holder pockets, or the pockets of those whom own and operate casinos - not into the local economy (it's not as if casinos are owned and operated by the local population). Large-scale casinos are also designed to keep people in the casinos for as long as possible: free liquor and booze, all the restaurants, entertainment and shops anyone could imagine and, of course, the fact that slot machines are designed to be psychologically addicting. How is any of that supposed to improve the economy of local communities? Who knows, the Washington Post never bothered asking those questions. When none of the money people spend at casinos actually produces anything, and all of it will go out of states to fill the coffers of a lucky few instead of improving the local economy - it's imperative that the media actually write stories with a little intellectual curiosity, instead of this WashPo muck.

Some welcome news this morning...

It's nice to have the Speaker in your camp, that's for sure.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi made a concerted push yesterday to stifle Governor Deval Patrick's casino legislation, calling legislators into his office and persuading some of them to switch their positions, according to House proponents of the legislation who called the speaker's moves a setback....

Wallace, a Boston Democrat, said that at least eight to 10 legislators switched their votes yesterday under pressure from DiMasi and that Patrick's gambling initiative now has only "an outside chance" of passing.

It's also nice to know there's a little justice going on in this world...

Hillary, Barack; Barack, Hillary?

I'm beginning to feel the party will be best served by keeping these two mammoth political figures together to defeat McCain. Let the primary season finish itself out to decide who's at the top, but then unite the party by keeping the two tickets together. It's a way out of the difficult convention, without tearing the party apart, and it's a way to universal ballot success across the country.

This primary battle is certainly unique in the lives of most Americans and it represents two steam-rolling forces that will go on to not only defeat McCain, but also propel our US House and Senate to victories across the nation. Former Speaker of the House Hastert's seat swinging to a Democrat, in large part because of Obama's efforts there, truly speaks to the potential of our top two candidates sweeping across the nation, going where each of them is popular, so we can truly collect a mandate capable of granting universal health care, an end to the Iraq war and addressing dozens of our other chief concerns. Coattails are powerful weapons, especially when local campaigns are actively working to turn out both the local and presidential vote in districts that are competitive. This primary season has seen record turnout in many places across the country; we must harness this political force to benefit all of the races, and the best way of doing that is to unite the ticket at the convention.

Lousy headline at the Globe's "blog."

Is Scott Helman serious?

Wouldn't most readers think this headline

Obama on Spitzer, King, and veep speculation

would be related to Barack actually discussing the Governor Spitzer situation - or at least issuing a statement?

This is as much as Scott Helman could actually manage to include in his piece about Barack weighing in on Spitzer:

On Spitzer's alleged links to a prostitution ring, Obama didn't say much. "I really haven’t seen the details of it, so I don’t know what’s going on," he said. "I’m a little in the dark."

Talk about a welcome addition to my lengthy chronicle of Fake News at the Boston Globe.

We Take This Break to Bring You

... important news from the Boston of the West Coast, San Francisco. San Francisco's Mayor Christian Bale, I mean Gavin Newsom, is considering running up against Ahnold to become California's next Governor. Now, normally this wouldn't garner mention on Ryan's Take, this being a blog dedicated to Massachusetts politics, but hopefully readers will remember that Mayor Newsom was the one who courageously stood up for marriage equality and issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the courts told him he could no longer do so. California has since voted to legalize marriage equality twice, something Ahnold has twice vetoed. Wouldn't it be ironic if Newsom were to win, so he could finish the job and sign a bill that would legalize marriage-equality in America's most populated and influential state?

Mass Bloggers Meeting, April 19th

It's been a long time since we've all had a joint bloggers event, and it's time to change that. On Saturday, April 19th, Lynne and I are hosting a Blog Left Massachusetts event in Lowell. It's mainly going to be for fun, but we also have some ideas we'd like to discuss with all of you to both expand and empower the Massachusetts Blogosphere. Not only that, but we'd love to hear from all of you on your ideas.

I don't think I'm alone in feeling that the spirit of civic engagement in this state, and the idea that we in the netroots are able to make a big difference, has at least been somewhat diminished. Part of that is because our community is starting to slip. We need to discuss ways of becoming greater than the sum of our parts - and Lynne and I have a few big ideas in that regard; we're hoping we're not alone. So please plan on coming.

A few quick things: we're still in the planning mode when it comes to food and such, but we're thinking of having it catered. Lynne knows some great places in Lowell that would have delicious food for us for around $10 each. If we charged $10, would that prevent anyone from coming?

Also, I know not a whole ton of people live in the Lowell area, but we wanted to make sure our first event wasn't in Boston, because Blog Left Massachusetts is an organization that represents the entire state, not just Greater Boston. We plan on doing events across the state. That said, I'll be glad to bring anyone from the North Shore and I know Mike Ball, from Marry in Massachusetts, will be attending as well - and he lives in Boston. So if getting to Lowell is a problem, don't let that stop you from coming - just tell us and we'll make sure you get a ride!

What is a Political Movement?

In college, one of the more interesting classes I took was a political science seminar on civil rights and how movements advanced. As my final paper for the class, I wrote a 20 page thesis on the netroots and how it's the new frontier in expanding civil rights. In my paper, I talked about how the internet and technology helped fend off marriage equality foes in Massachusetts and how progressive politicians, who are now advocating for and advancing civil rights, have been elected across the country in no small part to netroots activism. Yet, recent events have made me think my paper could be unfinished: Some people think the netroots is an ever-expanding movement that will continue to grow and grow until we knock down the proverbial doors. However, recent trends suggest - at least in Ryan's Take - that perhaps the opposite is true: the netroots is at best a sleeping giant and at worst not sleeping at all, insofar as being a movement that will be an effective force for change.

It's an unfortunate side effect of being human that part of what interests us isn't exactly something that fosters progress at the aggregate level. We, as a species, are often more interested in the petty, small-minded stuff than the things that could actually impact all of our lives for the better. After all, we can't always be about progress and change, sometimes we have to be about baseball and hot chicks. Of course, that generally isn't a problem, except of course when the differences between baseball and politics begin to blur.

Is the end of the progressive/netroots movement in sight, at least as a force for change? Have we lost track of what's important? Were we just yesterday's big news and now just a part of the establishment? Are our 15 minutes up? All of these questions are important and valid criticisms, and things we must consider if we're to make the netroots into something that can be a part of the bigger picture.

The netroots, of course, started as a movement with lofty, noble goals - including the attempt to stand on higher ground than typical political discourse across the country. That isn't to say we weren't willing to get dirty - in fact, it's quite the opposite. The important part, though, is that our grass stains, bumps and bruises were supposed to be representative of success, or even a hard-fought failure, not becoming another branch of the status quo. And isn't that what the netroots has really become - the main stream on political steroids? The movement sought to be a new media that gave people alternatives to the failing status quo, but if anyone either turns on CNN or clicks a link to Dailykos, they're just as likely to see a Hillary hatchet job and a poll that doesn't really tell us anything. Where's the progress? Where's the effective and potent political force for change?

The pervasion of the horse race issues that so often kill candidacies and solutions to our common problems before they even have a chance, has festered for so long that it's spewing right onto the very homes of our progressive block - websites and institutions that progressives need to be successful if there's any chance for winning the ultimate battle - the battle of ideas - against our Republican and DINO foes. Who's winning and by what margin is of course interesting, and there's some place for that, but it can only be a small piece of the puzzle: the piece that tells us where our might must go. We need to solve that puzzle and finish this true whopper of a project that will make my 20 page paper seem like a few short phrases.

We, as a movement, need to finish my paper by creating a new movement that can truly foster change. Every day we wait and every day we allow ourselves to be distracted represents one day that we can never get back. Every day we can't get back represents thousands of people - people who are being suppressed, disenfranchised, left for sick and without help, and it represents days in which our society has ignored our melting icecaps and growing deficits. Can we afford to wait any longer?

Patrick's Overestimating Casino Jobs by 25,000?

Charley beat me to it, but the Boston Globe has a must-read on Patrick's casino plan today.

Governor Deval Patrick has repeatedly emphasized the creation of 30,000 construction jobs as he tries to sell Massachusetts on his proposal for three resort casinos. But a close look at the governor's assumptions reveal they are excessively optimistic when compared to other New England casinos and an industry standard.

In Connecticut, the ongoing $1.5 billion expansion of two casinos created 2,600 new construction jobs. At that rate, casino developers in Massachusetts would have to spend $16.7 billion to achieve Patrick's prediction of 30,000 new construction jobs - an amount more than five times as great as what most developers say is likely to be invested in casinos statewide....

Asked to explain Patrick's methodology, a spokeswoman for Daniel O'Connell, the state economic development secretary who has shepherded the casino proposal, said the governor's administration derived its job figures from a study by Suffolk Downs - a leading voice in the state's gambling industry and a would-be bidder for a state casino license.

Come on, Gov. Let's get real. We need to have an honest and frank discussion about casinos, which means we need an independent, nonpartisan commission appointed by the State Legislature to study this issue at length, not a stamp of approval from Suffolk Downs. Once again, another casino myth has bit the dust. It's time to open up the closets and see what's really inside.

Or, as Charley said:

Oy.

Good Morning, Massachusetts

Beautiful morning outside, isn't it? Well, it isn't always easy to keep it that way - it actually takes a little effort on all our parts. You, too, can do your part, by getting involved in some local races, 3 of which are contested and will be decided on Tuesday (and all of which need help on election day, I'm sure). Let's get some progressive people in office - donate time on Tuesday for the campaign nearest you, and see how you can help Sara Orozco in her new campaign to bump off Senator Brown (R) in that second link.