OUTRAGE OVERDUE
How is it that the city can find $10.5 million to support a failing business like the W Hotel’s developer and yet cannot find $3.5 million to keep library branches open and staff employed to operate a world-class library (see “Library Woes,” April 30)? Would any city councilors and/or Mayor Menino like to explain this in a way that does not give me vertigo — i.e., something without spin? Tell us again why we can’t afford to keep all the branches open and all the staff employed at the BPL? We are told it is a money issue? The “money issue” around closing libraries is a straw dog, a red herring, and a stinking pile of baloney.
Where is the outrage over this misuse of city funds?
NORAH DOOLE
BROOKLINE
COLORIZING CAPE WIND
As a former municipal and county official on Cape Cod, and a former aide to Congressman Gerry Studds, I have been in the thick of many environmental battles, from the clean-up of pollution at Otis, to the creation of the Cape Cod Commission, to the establishment of local land banks. I was also involved with turning 15,000 acres of the Cape’s military base into conservation land . . . and now I’m involved with Cape Wind.
Unfortunately, the national and Boston news reports have characterized Cape Wind in very simplistic, almost black-and-white terms.
The Phoenix, however, wrote a story (“Cape Wind: It’s Complicated,” May 7) that finally gets at the real complexity of the Cape Wind battle, as well as the politics and economics of it. I can’t think of a more balanced and thoughtful overview of the controversy than yours. Thank you.
MARK FOREST
CHIEF OF STAFF, CONGRESSMAN BILL DELAHUNT (MA-10)
BAD BET
David S. Bernstein’s observation on Peter Smulowitz’s campaign for Senate (“Tea Party Progressives?,” April 30) left out a significant insider/outsider issue: the unpublicized, but significant, opposition to expanded gambling among progressives. (A majority of the delegates to the 2009 Democratic State Convention voted against casinos.)
Several outsiders have gained traction from this issue, including Alan Khazei and Mike Lake.
Progressives and Massachusetts unions for years found a common interest campaigning together for Jobs with Justice.
Because expanded gambling, by definition, is a regressive tax and has been shown to increase poverty, recidivism, suicides, domestic violence, child neglect, and addictions of all kinds, many progressives resent the all-or-nothing support for slots by union leaders and legislative insiders.
Is there a better example of insider politics than the fact that 108 state representatives voted with Speaker DiMasi in opposition to casinos in 2008 and 120 voted with Speaker DeLeo in favor in 2010?
TOM LARKIN
DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEEMAN
3RD MIDDLESEX DISTRICT
