Springfield's gamble
With casino proposals starting to take shape at multiple spots around the Capital Region, it's interesting to look out a bit farther to Springfield, Massachusetts, which has a deal in place (if not officially done) for an $800 million casino complex in its downtown. The city is banking on the project for revitalizing the area, but experts tell the Boston Globe there's not much evidence that such a project will have that sort of spill over effect. [Boston Globe] [via @chris_churchill]
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I lived in Springfield for 7 years, It is basically a big Albany WITHOUT the benefit of state government and with more violent gangs. They looked to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a driver to their economy and all they did was build another bland, non descript strip mall development far away from the city center and just boring enough to make you not even want to visit there! Now they are also stupidly taken in by the developers to remake the city based on casino gambling. The only vision I have in my head is Pottersville in the movie It's A Wonderful Life! PEOPLE WAKE UP...we must as a nation save our small and midsized cities or our very way of life will eventually end. WE DO NOT create wealth and enhance our standard of living by building casinos and jails!!!! Are we really that clueless? I am even more afraid of the future at this point than I have ever been in my life! We need SCIENCE, INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING, and PRODUCTS that the rest of the world wants to buy!!! Sadly it's easier to put a coin in a slot machine and tax alcohol and cigarettes but ultimately those schemes DO NOT create wealth. Is it that difficult to understand this concept????
... said BS on May 20, 2014 at 9:50 PM | link
*whispers* Monorail... monorail... monorail
... said LB on May 27, 2014 at 6:50 PM | link
While I agree with the substance of BS's comment about how to grow the economy here, I must say that Springfield and Albany are night and day. We do NOT want to emulate them in any way. It's not a big Albany, it's a big Schenectady without State Street, and as BS says, much worse violence.
... said JayK on May 28, 2014 at 9:15 AM | link