Why I Heart Sen. Chuck Levesque

I've said it before & I'll say it again: Sen. Levesque makes me want to move into Porsmouth (his District anyway). You may not agree with his political stands, but at least he makes them. Please, try & find someone else who has made one not in the realm of mom & apple pie & partisan politics.

I remember watching him on tv a few years ago at the televised forums the "Daily News" started. I watched because I wanted to be prepared for mine. He actually said that he was a "liberal." Flat out when it was still a dirty word. And he was MORE than polite to his opponent. He said that even if you didn't vote for him, you'd still be getting a good deal with his opposition. Hear that very often? And he's continued with that attitude. How can you not love a guy like that? Even his opponents are forced into that position. You just can't question the guy's integrity & motives, not to mention his manners.

Now Chuck comes right out & says that he's not opposed to RI gambling casinos. That doesn't mean that he's out there promoting them, but he's savvy enough to realize that it's legal, employs people, & is brings in large revenues for the state when there ain't much out there still doing that.

For all that Projo & the Newport Daily News rail against gambling, it's vital to our economy. and I'm speaking not only of Newport but Middletown as well. Take it out and then what? What fills in that huge economic loss? I'd really like to be enlightened here. Not ONE CANDIDATE has answered this question. Our own Sen. Gibbs declared that she'd be happy if Twin Rivers failed. What about Newport Grand? What about those jobs? the investors? the tax revenues? Want higher taxes? This'll do it.

Or is this just another way to completely wipe out social services, state employees, schools, unionized workers?

Let me quote from Sen. Levesque's excellent letter to the Editor from the weeken edition of the "Daily News." He was courageous enough to participate in a recent forum sponsored by Citizens Against Casino Gambling. He didn't have to. I'm betting that there weren't a heckuva lot of Portsmouth voters there. Beat up? Yeah. Down but not out.

The news editor entitled it:"Gambling revenues pay for worthy causes." The Portsmouth/Bristol Senator (nah, no gerrymandering here) begins by explaining his position to go against the wishes re: expanded gambling at Newport Grand & Tiwn Rivers expressed by 3 island communities. First let me explain what this means. Each Council has on its agenda what is called the "Consent Calendar." A community expresses its opinion on a lege bill it hols near & dear. They then forward their approval or disapproval to all communities asking for their support. Never once have I heard a discussion on ANY of these "consent" requests. The entire consent calendar gets approved with a singled vote. So I could get my community council to ban all black cats. It would then be forwarded around the state & all communities would back us up knowing that in the future they may want our assent. As a result, all this community blah-blah is pretty much meaningless except for the community who actually appear to testify in the lege.

Now remember that we're speaking of $290 MILLION dollars in revenues:

"I do not support the expansion of gambling. I do not support denying children health insurance. I do not support cuts in assistance for those with mental health issues [hear, hear!], those with developmental disabilities; cuts in primary education, cuts in secondary education, cuts in higher education; cuts in staffing for the Department of Children, Youth and Families. I do not support denying health care to children because their parents may not be here "legally." Suffice to say that there are many things I do not support, but, as an adult, I am sometimes obliged to make choices, some painful, in order to fulfill my obligations. And frankly, I resent when any person or group attempts to place a single decision in a vacuum and measure me upon that basis."

Well said! The good Senator is, as I've known for a long time, a scholar & a gentleman. And a heckuva good writer.

By george, send that guy a political contribution. Or move out to Portsmouth.

Men of courage- in short supply in any time.

Sorry, no link.

Foxwood Pequots Hate Unions!

One might speculate that with a history of discrimination and unfair treatment, that the Indian nations would be supportive of Unions. Evidently, one would be wrong reading the latest anti-Union Projo story. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation own & operate the wildly sucessful Ct. Foxwood's Casino .

In case you missed the story in the Business Digest:

"The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint alleging that Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut broke federal law by retaliating against a new union and refusing to bargain in good faith. The United Auto Workers won a union election last November to represent nearly 3,000 dealers and the NLRB certified the UAW in June, rejecting an appeal by Foxwoods. The board, in a complaint dated Thursday, said the casino refused to promote dealers, changed its medical leave procedures and eliminated coat hooks and chairs from employee cafeteria restrooms because its employees formed the union. The findings now go before an administrative law judge in Hartford for a hearing Nov. 17. The NLRB is seeking an order for back pay and other relief for the employees. Foxwoods had no immediate comment Friday. The UAW says it’s the third complaint the NLRB has issued against Foxwoods since the dealers organized. The casino has challenged the jurisdiction of the federal agency, saying Foxwoods is run by the sovereign Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

No coat hooks? Petty? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I suppose turnabout really is fairplay, isn't it?

Gambling Veto Doublespeak

**Update** The veto was overridden- no suprise there. The Guv said he vetoed because Newport & Lincoln had a right to determine their own operational hours. He didn't think much of towns/cities thought when he expanded gambling a few years ago or when he cut their aid this year. You can't have it both ways- at least logically or ethically. In the state's current fiscal crisis, it was rather easy for the guv to veto knowing it wouldn't really hold & the monies would be added anyway. Doublespeak.

The Guv vetoed the bill to expand gambling hours in Newport & Lincoln. The real surprise is how our Sen. Gibbs brought herself firmly for & against this expansion. It's really quite amazing. Instead of just not being able to make up her mind or her vote "not counting" June came down firmly on both sides of this issue in the Lege.

She voted FOR the amendment awarding more $ to both Newport & Lincoln regarding increased revenue from extra hours going to both cities. She then voted NO on the bill itself to increase the hours. Amazing how you can be both for & against something at the same time. Hat's off. Much like the Guv who presided over the largest expansion gambling in the State all the while stating that he was against gambling. Talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth....

Casino Compromise Offers Greater Local Revenues

I'm appraised on a possible compromise regarding the expansion of 24 hr. gambling at Twin River's. Can Newport's Grand casino be far behind? With the State budget in the hole, it doesn't take much of a forecoaster to predict that anticipated increased revenues from the hours expansion and virutal blackjack will be on the table this year by both the Guv & the Lege. Newport Grand is now open everyday from 10 AM till 1 AM.

This be it:

1. Twin River would be allowed to open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, and any Sunday before a Monday holiday.
2. Twin River would be allowed to stay open until 3AM during on weekdays.
3. The Town of Lincoln would receive 4 percent of the revenue from all gambling machines during the expanded hours (2AM-9AM on weekends, 2AM-3AM on weekdays).
4. These changes should be enacted legislatively and not by executive order, given the people the right to have their interests protected by law.

Twin River projects that a 7 hr. expansion could mean another $15.6 million in revenue.

How are casino revenues divied out now? The state gets about 61.5 cents out of every video-slot dollar after players are paid; Twin River & Newport Grand owners, about 27.5 cents. GTECH gets 7 percent as a game supplier and 2.5 percent as the “central system” operator for Newport and Lincoln. That leaves appx. 1.5 % for both Newport & Lincoln. Newport receives appx. a million dollars.

The Guv:

...Carcieri “has not made a final decision regarding 24-hour gambling at Twin River,” his spokesman Jeff Neal [guv's spokesman] said: “We believe that the Division of Lotteries can authorize extended hours at Rhode Island’s two gambling facilities.” Going a step farther, Lottery Division lawyer [Middletowner]Robert Silva suggested Aubin [Lottery head] could make the decision on his own.

Meanwhile Newport Council has supported Rep. Jackson's bill defining 24-hour gambling as an “expansion of gambling,” subject to statewide and local referenda. Councillor McLaughlin said that immediately following any expansion in gambling hours would be requests for 24-hour liquor licenses. The Council could turn that down.

But with an offer of greatly increased city coffers with this compromise (see #3), the pressure would be on. Indeed, interesting times.

Sources from Projo were Richard Salit & Katherine Gregg & Phoenix's N4N's Ian Dennis.

Virtual Blackjack Gets the Okay in Lincoln

Attorney General Lynch "has ruled out the need for legislative or voter approval for the latest addition to the gambling menu at the Lincoln greyhound racetrack: 'virtual blackjack.'”

"The first of the electronic games in which five players sit at a table signaling their moves to a simulated — and in promotional photographs, blond and buxom — 'dealer' on a video screen went in early this week at Twin River, generating nearly double the average daily income from one of the video slots: nearly $600 per seat per day. By the end of the day yesterday, another five were expected to go online. Another dozen are on their way."

Can Newport be far behind? BTW this "games" features a buxom, Bavarian, blonde as dealer. No blonde, rugged, Bavarian men in those cute little leather shorts. What's up with that? Nice that this also cuts the need for an actual dealer. You'd have to pay them - buxom or not.

I'd blog more on this topic but it's for another day. Busy. Comment away!

BTW, 24 hr. gambling no longer high on the agenda- at least for Lincoln. And it was Carcieri's "okay" to casino operators that got this whole "virtual" crap, oops, I mean gaming going. Good thing that he's opposed to gambling expansion, isn't it? But it does rake in the bucks.

Thanks to Projo Katherine Gregg for the info.