Some Questions for Matt Viser on Slots

Hey Matt, how's it hanging? After reading your Sunday slot parlor article, I have some questions for you.

First off, before you go ringing the praises of the Pennsylvania slot system, what sort of investigation have you done on the numbers? While I'll take your word for it that tax revenue from slot machines in Pennsylvania brought $900 million in for the state, did you consider the fact that the state is much, much larger than Massachusetts? When you looked at the rate in which Pennsylvania taxes slots (55%), did you consider whether or not the state could actually get the sort of up-front fees Cahill seemed to wish? If not, at a 27% rate, doesn't that mean a potential Massachusetts slot parlor industry would earn peanuts next to Pennsylvania? Furthermore, since all the experts, including the oft-quoted Clyde Barrow, derided Treasurer Cahill's profit-per-slot numbers and licensing fees as wildly optimistic, why keep repeating them? Isn't that blatantly dishonest? Did you consider if the amount of lobbying dollars Cahill recieves (most in the state) has anything to do with these seemingly low-ball numbers or why he continually pushes the slot machine business?

Secondly, did you at all consider the revenue that other taxable businesses lost in Pennsylvania? How much of that $900 million was the state already bringing in from local restaurants, bars, clubs and other businesses -- all of which have a large multiplier effect, because money spent locally tends to go from one business to the next? If most of that $900 million is old money, isn't that actually a drain on the economy, since its now out of local hands and no longer multiplies, as local businesses are forced to close? Did you consider the loss of revenue the state lottery would take and how cities and towns would be able to cope with it?

Thirdly, how many of these numbers and articles are coming from industry press releases and sources? How many articles have you written boasting the revenue casinos bring in, without spending considerable time answering the previous questions above, versus the number of articles you've written about how the slot machines are predatory in nature. How many articles have you written describing the lives of those who have been addicted to slot machines? Have you written any articles that attempt to explain why counties with any slots in this country have bankruptcy rates that are 18% higher than counties without slots? Or how about articles on businesses that went under around Ledyard in Connecticut, Atlantic City, Detroit or any other area that's introduced casinos or slot parlors?

In all my years reading the Boston Globe, I remember only one really good article on the predatory nature of slot machines -- that explained how and why they were addicting in detail. My final, most important question: Why didn't your article at least reference that excellent piece -- and will your future slot-related articles include that side of the story?

The Globe: Making Stuff Up

Seriously, this is crap.

Those two tracks - Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park and Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere - employ about 1,000 workers and give millions of dollars in gambling revenue to the state.

According to the state's own figures, the entire racing industry in Massachusetts - horse and car included - employ 707 people. There's maybe 350-400 people working at Wonderland and Raynham tops, many of those part-timers.

That's only the most egregious example, not the most offensive. Let's quickly talk sub heading:

Support remains, but Patrick, top lawmakers back off.

Let me get this straight, Patrick's not supporting it, DiMasi's not supporting it and no major Beacon Hill leader right now is openly pushing for it... yet support remains? Where?

Shouldn't the story be "Patrick, top lawmakers back off casino support?" Isn't that the story, along with the fact that the entire casino industry's going belly under? Why the need to insist that "support remains?" It sounds like the Globe is trying too hard. If there was so much support to begin with, wouldn't we have casinos already?

Like I said, utter crap - or an agenda. Pick your poison.

Boston Globe: Fake News Alert

This is clearly the laziest, crappiest article to come out of the Boston Globe in a long, long time. What was Matt Viser thinking? You know, I've met him on one or two occasions and he's a young, seemingly thoughtful guy (young enough that he should know better) ... but, is he serious? I mean, really?

In the unusual posting, Rubin sought to put the focus on upcoming issues, specifically an economic address and education proposals. But he also appeared to be clearly trying to divert attention from the past few weeks, when the governor's casino legislation was resoundingly defeated by the House while he was out of state on undisclosed personal business....

Reviews were mixed, and as they tend to be online, pointed.

"Nice to see the ambulance was able to make it here, Mr. Rubin," wrote a poster using the name EaBoClipper. "But methinks the patient already lost too much blood."

The one quote he's going to include from the actual comments - indicative of the "mixed" review - is EaBoClipper, the hard-core Republican activist? That's supposed to be a fair representation of how the Governor's base feels? Come on! Journalists must love quoting from blogs, because they get to skip all the thoughtful and insightful posts and skip right to the one that's so offensive and so out of left field that they'd never, in a million years, ever be able to write that kind of crap under any other circumstances: they wouldn't write it themselves, and they wouldn't even quote it from an interview.

If this were posted a day earlier, I'd say this was a clever April Fool's Day joke from the old media to the new, but seeing how it wasn't I decided it was time for a Letter to the Editor. Here's what I sent in:

As a frequent contributer on BlueMassGroup.com, I'm truly baffled by Matt Viser's article about the Patrick Administration's post on the popular website ("Patrick is in a bind with his base," April 2nd). Far from showing an accurate representation of the Governor's base, Viser's shown a complete lack of understanding re: the dreaded blogosphere. Let me clue him in: BlueMassGroup is a site comprised of anyone - not just the Governor's base. Viser cherry-picked the comments included in his article, focusing on a quote from a Republican activist (EaBoClipper) who's never supported the Governor. How does that equate to disappointment among Patrick's supporters, the very thing Viser suggests happened in his headline? (Correct answer: it doesn't.)

If Viser bothered to do even a modicum of research, he wouldn't have fallen for that trap. Is it that difficult for professional journalists to really understand the blogosphere? For a true representation of the community, Viser needs to do more research, and an include a wider pool of sources than snarky Republicans. However, most important of all, why should Viser not do what he'd do in any other article - contact the source. To do anything else is lazy, sloppy journalism.

H/T Afertig at BMG.

Pigs Grew Wings, Casino Opposition

I never, in a million years, would expect to read this in the Boston Globe - a front-page article about the growing movement rising up against casinos. Several weeks ago, I wrote an email to Matt Viser, after he wrote another one of the Globe's casinos-are-wonderful front page "news" articles, asking when he was going to write something that didn't cast casinos in anything but a positive light. Well, he did. Today. Go read it.

It's mainly about CasinoFreeMass, an organization I've become very ingrained in. Readers will note I was asked to be a featured speaker at their first community forum in New Bedford and have been helping them plan future events ever since. It's perhaps the most diverse group I've ever seen, representing some of the most progressive, liberal people out there - as well as people I've fiercely battled in other fights in the past. None of us seem to be willing to let our differences get in the way - it's all about blocking casinos.

So, to see some of our hard effort pay off - noticeably, in today's front-page news, is astounding. We've still yet to see serious investigative pieces examining the numbers on both sides, but today is such a step in the right direction that I'm positive we'll get there. It's important that everyone in this state have access to serious news and analysis on how casinos will actually impact Massachusetts, both economically and in our communities. Here's to reading about that in Viser's next casino article.