Once the Legislature finally approved Las Vegas-style gambling last November, after years of debate and near misses, many believed the hard part was over - and that the promise of thousands of jobs and millions in new state revenue would soon be realized.
But the first six months of the casino era in Massachusetts have been hampered by controversies and false starts, proving that little is easy when it comes to launching a new industry with billions of dollars at stake.
Comments
Maybe the "rollout" has been difficult because this is just a bad idea. The governor and legislature saw casinos as an easy way out, and perhaps we should not blame them, as it seemed an easy way to get services paid for without taxes. But as people look at the details, perhaps they will be ready for more grown-up discussion of how to pay for education, transportation, public safety, and the rest of the government services that contribute to our high standard of living.
And we should be surprised? Regardless of what one's position on gambling is, it is now law and has a slug of state money behind it. So where our chief executive? Oh, yeah...he is spending a ton of time out of staet campaigning for the president. Not to worry, Tim's in charge.