Some things to think about......

I was just getting ready to do a new Post about why the County Republicans are dumping on East Greenbush again, when the material below came in from an anonymous friend.  It raises some interesting points and helps to see things in perspective.  I don't think there is any question that our local Pols got snookered.  They're just not that bright, and they started chasing rainbows and had visions of being municipal saviors.  And the County people pushing this East Greenbush option are just not that bright either. 

Here's the anonymous contribution to the discussion: 

"Perhaps it is time to step back for a second and evaluate this scenario objectively.  I don't mean stop opposing, just review some valid points.

1.) The number one siting criteria, weighted to 70% of the decision is economic need and benefit.  Is there anyone in the Capital Region, including Cuomo himself, that is prepared to make the argument that East Greenbush has a greater economic need than Rensselaer or Schenectady?  Also, don't forget that economically challenged Amsterdam is still in the hunt and possibly Howes Cave.  By virtue of the siting criteria that his own board established, East Greenbush should be out of the running.

2.) East Greenbush has yet to vote; however, the hurdles that this site has to overcome are significant.  They can talk all they want about new roads and exits off of I90, but the odds of that happening in the time frame required to open a casino are slim.  In a perfect world, completing SEQRA alone would take a long time.

3.) It really doesn't matter if this was a republican or a democratic proposal, the republicans are fools if they approve a casino in a residential neighborhood in long standing republican district.  They have severely underestimated the opposition and their own people if they think this is going to be embraced in any significant way in a residential neighborhood.  Locate it in a more remote area with less of an impact and fine, but there?

4.) Anyone who believe that this group, chose this site because of that view is fooling themselves.  They were desperate to have a site they could apply with and were grasping at straws when they rolled the dice on that site.  This deal was engineered by the few who benefit and have benefitted for years and it's likely that the old guard democrats suckered the republicans into thinking they'd be the savors of East Greenbush with this place.  GOP gets the black eye and the dems sit back... pretty slick.

5.) The big loser in all of this will ultimately be the NYS Lottery system, not horse racing.  OTB and the harness track and horse bettors are a different breed than casino gamblers. Casino gamblers are slot machine people.  They can't get that thrill on line.  They will take their ten to twenty dollars per day that they spend on lottery tickets and use that to play the slots and likely win just about as often.  Casino gamblers go to brick and mortar casinos because there is a thrill associated with it an they justify it as entertainment.  Where else can you go, play with the same twenty dollars for a couple of hours, maybe win, maybe lose, but get a free drink and be around the excitement.  That is the mindset of a gambler.  This is a little more than a shift of gambling dollars.  No whales will be high rolling in East greenbush so the notion that the revenue is going to be through the roof or that our taxes will go down any percent, let alone thirty percent, is just marketing fluff.

6.) The developers in East Greenbush have not been truthful and should be suspect at this point.  When they tell an assembled crowd that no one is interested in Rensselaer and that it is too small, what do they say when there is actually a proposal, from a bigger player, on that site.  They also fail to mention that they were interested in the site as well.

7.)  Everyone says this is a political deal and the Governor will put it where he wants to.  Really?  Didn't he get in trouble not too long ago by trying to steer the work to a friend of his for work on the Tappanzee?  Too many eyes on this to allow the Governor to interfere.  He ain't the best guy, but he also can't afford a black eye before or after the election if he has national aspirations and who wants a guy who ignores the girl scouts of America running their country?!

One last note.  To anyone who has watched the casino industry or witnessed where they typically site casinos, name a location where they have sited one in an affluent community, in a residential neighborhood, where it is somewhat congested.  Name one.  Even Rensselaer doesn't fit that criteria all that well other than economic need.

Casinos are typically located in depressed areas where property values are already way down or in areas where there is nothing around.  The four other sites noted in this process so far, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Amsterdam/Florida and Howe Caves all are better candidates than East Greenbush.  The East Greenbush proposal was a desperate attempt by a guy who thought he had a lock in Saratoga.  Even Saratoga, by the way the siting criteria is written, wouldn't get the ultimate nod.  Let's try not to ignore the obvious.  Cuomo and people at the state level know everything we know about the detriment of casinos.  In fact, Uncle Mario is likely warning his son about the backlash this can have on his political career if he puts it in the wrong place.

No folks, the play here is to locate a casino in the spot that can have the least impact on your reputation and/or the spot that begs for it the hardest so that in the end they can't cry foul that the State crammed it down their throats.  This is not a done deal in East Greenbush and the louder the opposition gets, the more likely the siting board will avoid it."