VOTE YES ON 3 TO REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL

(released November 2, 2014)

(BOSTON) - Casinos are job-killing and community-destroying machines that will worsen the public health problem of gambling addiction.  That's the conclusion of the Green-Rainbow Party and it's team of statewide candidates who are urging voters to keep Massachusetts casino-free by voting yes on ballot Question 3. 

The Green-Rainbow Party is the only statewide political party that is opposing the introduction of gambling casinos into the Commonwealth.

According to Secretary of State candidate Danny Factor " Casinos prey without remorse upon people who have problems resisting their lure.  They will suck money out of our Commonwealth without producing any product of value.  Studies have shown that the social costs of increased gambling-- such as crime, and the destruction of families due to gambling addiction--- are greater than any tax revenues they produce.  The proposed casinos will take money that should be circulating within our state economy and send it to the coffers of out-of-state corporations - and that means job losses.  Massachusetts should be proud to be casino-free.  We should be helping people break their gambling habits - not encouraging them to waste their money at casinos."

M K Merelice, candidate for State Auditor noted that "casinos are one of the most regressive ways of raising money to fund our government. They would create a major new state bureaucracy with patronage jobs for Beacon Hill insiders, but leave us and our local communities in worse economic shape.  It would be much better to raise any needed money through fair, progressive taxes and to create jobs that clean the environment and help people."

Ian Jackson, candidate for State Treasurer added "the law to create these casinos was pushed through the Legislature without an honest assessment of the job losses that will result from  the increased loss of personal income to gambling.  False promises and slick television ads are being used to push us toward a public policy decision we will regret.  Massachusetts should fund its schools and communities by other ways than taxing people's dreams and encouraging them to play games of chance.  That's why I'm voting YES on Question 3."

Links to GRP candidate websites can be found at http://www.green-rainbow.org/candidates

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