Casino fundraising tops state record (Maine)

[MaineDem]

AUGUSTA, Maine — With two weeks to go before Maine´s casino referendum, the two sides have spent a collective $6.8 million to help get their message across to voters.

That´s the most expensive referendum campaign ever in Maine.

The pro-casino group Think About It has spent more than $4.7 million, according to financial reports. Almost all of that comes from Marnell Corrao, the Las Vegas developer who hopes to build the Two Tribes Resort Casino in Sanford, and Indian lawyer Tom Tureen.

The opposition group Casinos No! had raised $2.1 million up to Sept. 30, the day financial reports were filed.

http://news.mainetoday.com/apwire/D7UBACH02-294.shtml

Considering the topic, I find this quote rather humorous. " 'I bet before the final gun is fired, it will exceed any two PACs,' he said."

This is very contentious in Maine right now. Much of hte pro-casino money is backed by Las Vegas concerns, or so I hear.

[mainegreen]

1. Its about to get nasty

Read in the paper today that Think About It is going to play a 'tape message' theorectically recorded on their answering machine that says something like 'kill those f-ing Indians'.

Wheres the proof they didn't make that call themselves.

The race card has been pulled!

[La_Serpiente]

2. You think Maine is having problems

So is Hawaii. We don't have gambling here and many of the citizens are against it. I am against it because of the potential social problems. However, gambling forces have been wanting for YEARS to get gambling here. One cannot even gamble on the cruise ships. They want to put it to a referrendum, but the Democratic legislature said "No WAY".

Large hotel companies (kind of like the Las Vegas hotels) just received a 70 million tax credit to build a massive hotel here. Although they didn't mention their intentions, I think they want to build the hotel on the premise that Hawaii will legalize gambling in the future.

I don't want any casinos here.

[mainegreen]

3. Our Problem

is that in Maine, the state govt cant stop a citizen referendum. And were a little referendum happy up here. And we have a lot of uneducated rural, well, hicks.

[MaineDem]

4. Welcome to DU

Glad you've joined us.

I think it's going to get much nastier. I heard about the "race card" this morning.

There are a lot of people here in the Second District who feel, since the casino is being talked up for Sanford, that it won't harm us up here. I'm worried about how this vote will go. Also, the other question about slots at race tracks. That's a toe int he door, as far as I'm concerned.

[mainegreen]

5. Honestly

I think we have a bad enough gambling problem as it is.

I can't help but cringe whenever I see the person in line at the Irving ahead of me buy about $40 of scratch tickets and then get into their rust bucket.

I honestly would like to see places like Scarborough Downs go down in flames.

[MaineDem]

8. It was worse in Massachusetts

People would hang out at the local convenience store to play some sort of video game...Keno perhaps. They blocked up the register all the time. I think it's horrid.

Peter Cianchette's family is pretty heavily involved in harness racing. I remember hearing that he was behind the slots at the tracks issue, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

[jonnyblitz]

6. I remember the anti gay referendum(s) in the 90's up there

I spent quite a bit of time up in Maine during the 90's and I remember Carolyn Cosby of Concerned Maine Families and that other guy whose name I forget from the Maine Christian Civic League,( Mike Heath I believe) and their anti-gay crusades. You arent kidding about the undeducated rural hicks.

[mainegreen]

7. Argg

They are scary.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

12. Is Maine where they went when they failed to "take back Vermont"?

It seems like the anti-gay tide there has settled down a lot since 2000, when the civil unions bill was passed. Did they go to torment you up in Maine?

Mousepads, Shoe Leather, and Hope

[Maine-i-acs]

9. It's a little creepy, really.

10,000 new jobs is what they tout.

But the high-paying administrative jobs will go to casino insiders. 1000 of the jobs will be hookers, bookies and drug pushers. Leaving a few thousand 'server' jobs for us Mainers.

I do not want to tell my daughter that she can finance her college education by putting on a skimpy cocktail dress and schlepping drinks to high-rollers for tips.

and the casino will give away food and booze to entice people to drink. Will that help local bars and retaurants?


100 million dollars in tax revenue is what they tout.

Never mind that an independent study predicted 130 million in additional social snd infrastructure costs to Maine, leaving a net loss of 30 million dollars.

The casino bill is written to exempt the casino from oversight. Will they be exempt from Maine's no-smoking laws? And Maine's pollution regulations?

The casino law can't be changed for 20 years without tribal approval. Leaving the tribe and the casino as a free-standing legal entity in their own right.

The law is the most dangerous scam I have ever seen attempted on 'my people'.

And it looks scary - like it might pass. The pro-casino lobby is spending millions to push this agenda. Phony 'job fairs', tons of advertising, even hiring locals with convincing accents to swindle the sheeple.

And in 5 years when NH and Mass. have their own casino, the Maine casino will be a hulking eyesore in need of a bailout.

"Maine - the way life should be" is on the signs on the road. I for one will have to go out and cut them down if a casino comes.

[Malva Zebrina]

10. I think that attaching morals to this is the wrong way to go

I think that making judgements upon those who do enjoy gaming and gamblind, and those tourists who will be attracted to the casinos is the wrong way to go. If one insists upon making this judgement on others who do not see gambling or casinos as "sinful" immoral or any other moral and ethical behavior then simply , as in the case of abortion and choice, they do not frequent the casinos. If it is that bad, and the many people in Maine refuse to frequent casinos, they will soon go out of business--but I suspect that will not be the case-==there are many people in Maine, and there are many who visit Maine, who enjoy casinos. They should not be villified by tacitly suggesting they are in some way contributing to corruption and decay--IMO the area is already a tinsel town--people already are doing anything they can to make a buck off the tourists--it is virtually, from what I have seen, a great big casino like, Disney like world in that area of the Maine--the Indians should be allowed to operate a casino--think it is immoral? then I would have to suggest that we do not have to contribute to it--but face it--the tourists are already there-and that is where the business will come from--so far, all those businesses down in that area, have not objected to tourist money==why should they now object on "moral" principle"

[SoCalDem]

11. California "missed the boat" for years and Vegas reaped the benefit

Every day..24/7 there are califrnia license plates headed up the 15, loaded with cash, just aching to be deposited in NEVADA..

The do-gooder morality police did not want gambling in CA..

We do have lots of Indian gaming here now, but southern calfornia "could" have had the money that Las Vegas & all of NV enjoy now.. If gambling had been legalized here, Nevadans would still be dragging stubborn burros around for the tourists..

Vegas has the most up to the minute schools, and the building boom there shows no signs of stopping..

I have several friends who work at Indian casinos.. They START at $10 something an hour... after 90 days, they get full medical.. dental, eye care, braces for the kiddies, prescriptions..
they have flexible working hours.. People DO want to work there..

people who have gambling problems will always find a way to gamble.Casinos or no casinos

[dionysus]

13. I've got mixed feelings about this

I'm from Sanford, where it's going, and it might help build up the town quite a bit. Our textile mills haven't run in over 50 years, Sprague Electric (major employer) closed (moved to Israel), the other plants have been suffering, and unemployment is hovering around 10% last I heard.

What I'm worried about is that the drawbacks mentioned by many here; crime, traffic, prositution, ect, outweigh any economic benefits.

What part of Maine are you from, ayuh? I live in NY now, so I can't "get theyah from heyah" :)

[Malva Zebrina]

15. towns are full of abandoned textile mills, as well as abandoned shoe

factories--as well as any manufacturing industry that once flourished--what is left? Tourism, fishing which is virtually a closed shop and that seems to be heading toward diminished supply, and Bath Iron Works. Many other people are involved in private businesses that provide a service to others who live here or who come here for vacations--tourist trade is a big business, especially on the coast. There are a lot of transients also who spend six months here and six months in places like Florida. The farming communities inland really struggle also. I cannot see what the objection to this casino is--it is not being laid out clearly and succinctly--vague notions of mafiosa, crooks, prostitution, moral corruption that suddenly becomes the responsibility of others who want to tell people how to spend their own money, and other things simply do not make a cogent argument--moral judegements are inconsistent--because for at least eight weeks in the summer, horse racing is well attended by Mainers at the fairgrounds-and the lottery sales are also nothing to sneer at-as well as beano all over the place--what is the real objection then? Big flashy, commercial attractions? No, because they are already quite flagrently there in that area. If these others such as the Maine harness racing assoc. and even the state, can go into the gambling business, then why can't the Indians? None of the reasons I have seen presented to oppose this are coherent and/or consistent----the only thing that may be a factor is a prejudice against the Indians-- ie, the immorality and the moral decay that some perceive will be the result of a casino, is being fostered by-- Indians,-- who everyone knows have no morals , are drunkards, spendthrifts and gamblers and have always been that way. :shrug:

[Chico Man]

14. Probably Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun as well (nt)