New Name Broader Focus

To broaden the focus and expand to other issues, subsequent posts will appear on:

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MIDDLEBORO REVIEW

Junk Mail and the Environmental Costs

Although we've been diligent over the years at working to reduce our mail solicitations, there always seems to be 'stuff' we would never buy that someone is offering to sell to us.

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A number of groups and organizations are working to decrease the junk mail clutter and Salon recently wrote about the environmental impact and a few of the active groups:

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The amount of direct mail that catalog companies, Internet purveyors, and coupon captains send out each year continues to climb, up from 90.5 billion pieces in 2003 to a whopping 103.5 billion pieces in 2007, according to the U.S. Postal Service. "It's a colossal waste," says Kristi Chester Vance, communications director of ForestEthics, a group that has worked to reduce the environmental impact of the catalog industry.

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In fact, the annual greenhouse-gas emissions from the production of junk mail are equal to those of 3.5 million cars. (That figure doesn't include emissions from transporting and disposing of the stuff.) Beyond that, each year junk mail production in the U.S. consumes more than 96.7 billion gallons of water and more than 100 million trees, ForestEthics estimates. Most of those, says Chester Vance, come from carbon-dioxide-sequestering, biologically diverse old-growth forests, rather than from sustainably managed tree farms. And according to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about a third of all junk mail is recycled. "All that for a response rate of less than 3 percent," Chester Vance notes, referring to the fact that fewer than 3 percent of people -- often even fewer -- respond to the solicitations.

And so it grows ....

As more questions are asked and more people review the numbers, casino gambling is exposed for the failed public policy it is.

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The numbers simply don't add.

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Well, they don't add except for the casino investors.
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And Middleboro's annual contribution is limited to $7 Million some years down the road.
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Here's a link to a recent forum in Weston on casino gambling. http://www.wickedlocal.com/weston/homepage/x1925662940 Please note the reference in the casino bill, "Patrick’s proposal plainly admits that 1 in 20, or 250,000 people, in the state could become problem gamblers and mocked his proposed $50 million mitigation fund for problem gamblers." The number of increased problem gamblers outweighs the potential jobs created by 12:1 ratio.

Kathleen Norbut

Monson

Wind Energy and Middleboro

Ryan Adams did a nice job explaining progress on wind energy:

My, How the Winds are Changing...
Good news all around.
After years of study, Hull officials are now seeking approval of state environmental regulators to install four wind turbines, each about 430 feet high, in ocean waters about a mile and a half east of Nantasket Beach.Ian A. Bowles, the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs and a wind-power advocate, could approve the project as soon as Feb. 6 or order further environmental studies. There's almost no resistance to Hull's proposal because, guess what, wind turbines make complete sense. Hull will be the first town in Massachusetts to power their entire town by wind-powered renewable energy. Note Hull has a municipal electric company, something that has given Hull much more flexibility in deciding how it'll create it's electricity. Other towns with a municipal system have been aggressive in trying to create wind turbines, such as Rowley and Princeton, which is replacing their 1980s era wind turbines soon. I'm guessing these coincidences probably aren't really coincidences at all (never mind the fact that municipal electric companies tend to be much cheaper than buying private power). Anyone keeping score? Cape Wind passed its biggest hurdle, while towns like Hull and Princeton are showing true leadership in regards to renewable energy. Meanwhile, the state's second large wind farm, the Dartmouth/Mattapoisett project, will hopefully soon follow Cape Wind's suit. Maybe Massachusetts will meet its renewable energy goals after all. Lets hope all these green projects - and many more - are built as quick as humanly possible.

Consider sending an email in support of CapeWind through environmentmassachusetts.

You can subscribe to the site, as well as find invaluable information.

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Is it time for Middleboro to address the issue?

Casino Gambling Forum

The following is passed along from Carl Offner:

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On January 8, a number of us from the Sudbury Democratic Town Committee attended the forum on casino gambling at the Weston Middle School hosted by the Weston Democratic Town Committee and the 3d Middlesex Area Democrats.

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There was a panel of four people:

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*) two representatives of the Deval Patrick administration (one lawyer and one legislative director) -- they were of course in favor of the casino gambling proposal.

*) A person representing the League of Women Voters. She represented the League's position, which is against casino gambling. (She did not speak particularly forcefully, which was unfortunate, in my opinion.)

*) Tom Larkin, one of the co-chairs of the 3d MAD. Tom is a clinical psychologist specializing in problems of addiction. He spoke against the casino gambling proposal.

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The two representatives of the administration spoke first. They actually said very little, as I remember it. They seemed to be leaning over backward to focus the issue on jobs and on the fact that there would be lots of good non-gambling entertainment involved -- principally, golf and restaurants.

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The LWV person spoke next, and Tom spoke last.

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Tom made a number of points which I found significant. Specifically, he mentioned that gambling money was"sterile" money in economic terms. I had been aware of this, and came back to it in what I said (below). He also pointed out something that I had not really been aware of -- that the only way casinos really make money is by exploiting people who have gambling problems. The person who occasionally goes and drops a few dollars at a casino is not profitable for them. They really depend for their income on mental illness. I hope Tom writes up what he said and publicizes it -- it would be a real public service.

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After the panel had spoken, the floor was opened for general comments and"questions". It was pretty clear that if a vote had been taken at that meeting, casinos would have lost overwhelmingly -- it would not have been close.

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One of the speakers who spoke before me, after giving all the reasons why she was opposed to casino gambling, said that she was "cynical" about casinos. I mention this only because I referred to it in what I said subsequently (I wrote this down from my notes afterward):

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I'm Carl Offner, a member of the Sudbury Democratic Town Committee. Our Town Committee passed a resolution against casino gambling a couple of months ago. I won't read the whole thing here, but our chair Beverly Guild has copies of it, and there are also copies on the table outside, so you can get one if you don't have it already.

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Let's first clear the air a little bit:

The administration spokespeople here have talked about casinos as a way of creating construction jobs. Well there are a lot better ways to do that. There are school buildings crumbling all over this state. Just fixing that problem would provide an enormous number of good jobs.

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And we need to stop talking about these casinos as if the issue was entertainment. We've heard the administration spokespeople talk about golf and restaurants and such. Well, developers aren't drooling over this, and tripping over each other lining up because they want to build golf courses and restaurants. There are enormous profits in gambling---that's what's at stake, and let's not pretend otherwise.

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Now Tom Larkin mentioned that gambling profits were "sterile" money from an economic point of view, and he's absolutely right. Another example is military spending. Economists have long known that probably the least efficient way to stimulate the economy is to pour money into the military. If you make a bomb, it can't be used for anything that will benefit anyone. Under the best circumstances it just sits there, and from a purely economic point of view, you've thrown money down the drain. And at worst, of course, there are really terrible consequences.

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Gambling is similar. No goods exchange hands. Nothing of value is produced. The economy doesn't benefit in any real way. And most of the money leaves the state in any case. Look at Connecticut, which everyone talks about: Do you know how much money Connecticut takes in from their casinos? Less than we get here from the Lottery. That money isn't being used to benefit Connecticut.

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So where is this proposal coming from? We had this guy who ran for Governor. I worked really hard for him. When he ran, he wasn't talking about casinos. He was talking about building up the things that really contribute to the economy and to the quality of life of people here---things like investing in renewable energy, biotechnology, and putting some significant money into education. All those things create real wealth---both intellectual and economic---and real jobs.

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So he got elected, and to start funding some of these things he tried to close an ancient tax loophole that had been given to the telephone companies a hundred years ago. Maybe it made some sense at the time. It certainly hasn't made any sense for most of the last century. And he couldn't do it. I think he gave up awfully easily. But the point is that politicians have been spooked by the Republican assault on taxes. And so no one talks about where taxes come from, and where they are going. The fact that our Federal taxes,which should be used to build up this country, are being squandered and sent to Baghdad and Halliburton. The fact that large corporations and people of great wealth now pay taxes at much lower rates than they used to---none of this can be discussed. I want state legislators and a governor that make an issue of this. I'd like to see our governor go to Washington and make a Federal case out of it. I think we need to talk about these things on a national level.

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But instead what we get is a proposal for casino gambling.

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And I have to disagree slightly with one of the people who spoke before me. I don't think it's cynical to be opposed to casinos. I think it's cynical to *support* casinos. Because the whole casino proposal is predicated on the assumption that we can't have a discussion about where money comes from and where it goes. The whole proposal reflects the notion that we can't build a society that reflects our values, that brings us together and realizes our hopes. It's a tremendously cynical proposal. We deserve a lot better.[[At this point I spoke directly to the administration representatives.]]

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I don't actually have a question for you. But I do have an answer.

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The answer is no.

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--Carl Offner

Back to Heroism and Courage

On January 1, 2008, the Brockton EmptyPrize printed a letter to the editor by Mark Coelho that criticized Rep. Calter's position on the Middleboro Casino.

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On Thursday, January 17, Rep. Calter addressed an SRO audience in the Middleboro Library.

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Rep. Calter was available to explain the issues and answer questions.

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Were you there Mr. Coelho?

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I didn't see the media there either.

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And the vocal casino supporters who were there failed to ask questions, yet they subsequently misrepresented what transpired on other blogs.

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The Middleboro BOS has somewhat arrogantly requested that Rep. Calter attend one of their meetings to explain his position. Mr. Coelho, I can only hope you will attend, along with many others to ask your questions and listen for an explanation.

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Hopefully, the Middleboro BOS will have the sense to convene this meeting at the Middleboro High School and an overflow crowd will ask their questions.

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Mr. Coelho asked: "What is your plan to save our schools?" "What is your plan to save our town services?"

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In fairness, Middleboro has a Town Meeting form of government. That means that voters have an opportunity to determine spending and make choices.

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On November 5, 2007, Middleboro held a Special Town Meeting that was a grab bag of hastily prepared information and warrant articles that spent most of the town's piggy bank from the land auctions.

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The Finance Committee received some of the information regarding those articles that very afternoon. Why was the information withheld from the FinCom and voters?

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One must wonder who is watching and who is asking questions when this transpires?

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How do you understand the issues if the information is deliberately withheld from you by the Middleboro BOS?

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Prop. 2 1/2 provided limitations to town spending of 2 1/2% PER YEAR PLUS NEW GROWTH.

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Simply put, you can't negotiate contracts that provide 36% pay raises, as Mr. Perkins has done and expect the numbers to work.

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Rather than blaming our state reps. or others as the Middleboro Selectmen continually do, isn't it about time to accept some responsibility and recognize that WE, the voters of Middleboro HAVE CHOICES.

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We can make a concerted effort to understand how town government works, where the information is, where the money is, and attend Town Meeting.

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Have a complaint or question? Stand up at Town Meeting!

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The Town has been told that we may need a new ladder truck at a cost of $900,000.

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The City of Boston is buying new ladder trucks that cost $630,000.

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Why the price difference? Are the ladders shorter? Fewer wheels?

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Few of the recommendations from the DOR Report have been adopted. Is anyone asking why?

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Quarterly real estate tax bills have been estimated to generate $50,000 PER MONTH by the Town Treasurer.

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Have the Middleboro Selectmen accomplished it? They discussed it in 2003.

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Much can be accomplished with participation. Are you ready?

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Instead of criticizing Rep. Calter for his opposition to the flawed Agreement that will bankrupt Middleboro, why aren't we asking where our other Reps. are?

Middleboro selectmen issue phone scam warning

Eileen Reece's article was called to my attention by Bob Dunphy who posted the link to hoaxslayer. Initially, when this announcement was made, I posted the link to snopes.

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Middleboro selectmen issue phone scam warning
By Eileen Reece
Sat Jan 19, 2008, 09:48 PM EST
Middleborough -

Middleborough - Selectmen this week issued a warning about a telephone scam that could cost users an exorbitant amount per minute. IT Director Roger Brunelle said his office received a voice mail message two weeks ago from a woman who stated, “Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you — get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.” She then repeated a phone number beginning with 809. They did not respond. The following week, the town received an e-mail from Sandi Van Handel, an AT&T service manager, warning, “Don’t ever dial area code 809, 284 and 876.” According to Handel, the call is a scam in which the individual who returns the call may receive a long, recorded message so they will remain on the phone for an extended period of time. “Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you’ll often be charged more than $24,100,’’ said Handel. The scam may also include a message that a family member has become ill, died or arrested or a prize has been won. “If you call from the U.S., you will apparently be charged $2,425 per minute,” Handel noted. The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, she noted. “If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company,” said Handel.

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Status: International call scams are real.

However, the information about these scams in the message is inaccurate and misleading.Example: (Submitted June 2006)
Subject: Fw: IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT AREA CODES IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT AREA CODE

We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said "Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I Have something important to tell you." Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809 . We didn't respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:Subject: DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809 , 284 AND 876 THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809. This one is being distributed all over the US . This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call. Be sure you read this and pass it on.They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc. In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls. If you call from the US , you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute. Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged more than $24, 100.00. WHY IT WORKS: The 809 area code is located in the British Virgin Islands (The Bahamas). The charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong. Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam Sandi Van Handel AT&T Field Service Manager(920) 687-904

hoaxslayer

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SNOPES