Oxford County receives some of that cash. Does that make the casino president a county commissioner? And the host community gets paid, too. Selectman Harrold?
Casino campaign spokeswoman Pat LaMarche dismisses these concerns. (Which is exactly what a casino campaign spokeswoman gets paid to do.) LaMarche told a radio interviewer the referendum legislation is a “mess.” She’s quoted by the Associated Press as saying she’d need “a gallon of Wite-Out” to correct the document’s errors and excesses (among them: lowering the legal age for gambling from 21 to 19, allowing casinos to loan money to gamblers who lose all their own, a 10-year moratorium on anyone else opening a casino in Maine, and funding for a “fractionation development center” — like we needed more fractionation).
LaMarche has said the Legislature could remove those odious provisions from the law, even doing away with the one that allows the casino’s president to serve on every powerful board in the state. But that would only happen after the referendum question wins approval. And once that deal goes down, the public will no longer have any leverage with Olympia.
The voters won’t be the decision-makers, anymore.
They’ll be the rubes.
And slick guys from Vegas don’t make concessions to rubes.
Deal me in on what you’re thinking by e-mailing aldiamon@herniahill.net.
Related:
Losers hope to win on health care referendum drive, Playing to win, I’m not dead, More 
- Losers hope to win on health care referendum drive
Maine citizens could put into place the country’s first single-payer, universal health care plan.
- Playing to win
John Baldacci appears to be on track for re-election November 7, in spite of himself.
- I’m not dead
Washington County Democrats weren’t so much voting for Christopher Miller as they were supporting somebody whose name didn’t appear on the ballot: N. E. “Buddy” Butdisguy.
- Green machine
Green gubernatorial candidate Pat LaMarche has run unsuccessfully for the seat before, but this year, against a weakened Democrat and a crop of relatively unknown Republicans, could LaMarche, ahem, actually win?
- War pigs
Fortunately, there’s no need for you to sort the boars from the bores in the upcoming gubernatorial race, because most of these oinkers don’t have the chops for this race and will be bacon long before the ballots are printed.
- Off the hook
There’s always someone on your list that’s the hardest to buy for, not because they have everything and need zippo — or because they have nothing and need anything — but because you really can’t accept spending your hard-earned dough to get them something.
- All the ugly people
Why did Maine voters give overwhelming approval to a tax-repeal referendum on Nov. 4, while simultaneously returning to office even more of the Democratic legislators who passed the unpopular tax in the first place?
- Voter’s Guide
The Portland Phoenix staff packaged up our hopes for a vibrant Maine and stuffed them in this Voter’s Guide.
- Feed the animals
Nothing is more pathetic than the sight of destitute gubernatorial candidates scrounging through trash receptacles for returnable bottles and cans, sleeping in shelters, and eating in charity food kitchens.
- Maine Greens readying for 2010
The Maine Green Independent Party, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, announced its seven-member steering committee after its annual convention in Augusta early this month.
- Roll your own
The state’s Clean Election system is even grubbier than you thought.
- Less
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Talking Politics
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