Do all Roads Lead to Rome?

I’ve long been a proponent of proactive transportation policy and more specifically using railroads to move people and goods and how effective rail systems make life better. I’ve been doing this for a long time. In 1990 I was one of the original 25-30 people who were standing in Monument Square in Portland, Maine calling for the creation of Amtrak service between Boston and Portland.

Today this service is a success. A new seventh daily train has been added and according to the advocacy group Train Riders Northeast the Amtrak service is now poised to expand north of Portland to a brand new station in Brunswick. I’m confident this this new service will do as well as the Amtrak service between Boston-Portland which is known as The Downeaster.

I think expanding Amtrak throughout New England is good transportation policy from all aspects, transportation, commerce, community and the list continues on. Similar initiatives are going on in Vermont.

Rail freight service is improving as well. Norfolk Southern Corporation has started the Patriot Corridor running from Mechanicville, New York to Ayer, Mass with a subsidiary effort directed from East Deerfield, Mass. up the Connecticut River valley to White River Junction, Vermont. This is a project that involves a multi million dollar capital investment in the rail infrastructure and a project that I’m confident will lead to substantial taxbase and jobs throughout New England.

I could easily continue on about some further projects that are happening with respect to rail in New England but I won’t because recently, I’ve found a video on UTUBE which I’m concerned about, a project that I’ve heard of before and a project that Senator John E. Sununu and Congressman Paul Hodes told me that does not exist.

This video is about a project known as the NAFTA Superhighway and the construction of roadway and rail from Mexico through to Canada that will be ultimately used to integrate the economies of Canada/United States/Mexico into a North American Union.

I don’t know if this project is happening or not. But I do know that at one time Rome was once a very powerful government and their policy was to tax and control.

All of the roads did originate in Rome.

Source: Endgame 6 of 13 via UTUBE.

Historical Racing Machines

So on my way home from Concord I decided to stop at the Lodge at Belmont. I’m thinking that the Kentucky Derby is coming the expanded gaming legislation is in the statehouse, and I haven’t been there in awhile, or at least since they’ve eliminated live greyhound racing.

It was pretty quiet today which makes sense its in-between seasons and there weren’t a lot of major racing going on the widescreens from places like Penn National, Belmont, Aqueduct, Presque Isle, etc. The first thing I noticed in the main lobby was an architectural rendering which looks like an expanded Lodge at Belmont with an attached hotel. My impression is that it looked very similar to the buildings at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort in Verona, New York. I’m thinking that if this is built that this would be the highest valued piece of property in Belmont in addition to the new jobs that would be created in this area of New Hampshire.   

If only the legislature can pass the gaming legislation. And Gov. Lynch signs it into law.

Right near the rendering which was done by an architectural firm with offices in such places as Las Vegas and Tulsa, Oklahoma is a demo model of a historical racing machine. This is a machine that looks very similar to a standard slot machine but in this case it is the last 10-15 seconds of a horse race where the bettor wagers on the outcome of a race that is from the past. Unlike regular live horseracing there is no handicapping, there are no odds or Beyer figures posted the bettor simply selects three horses the race is quickly run and the winnings are either paid or just a ‘game over.’ It moves about as fast as a standard slot machine and the payouts I saw for a .25 cent wager are all below $7.00. There is a handi helper function which really isn’t a helper it just selects the three horses instead of the player doing it.

I’ve read that these historical racing machines are an alternative to the regular slot machines that are now being proposed for New Hampshire. I don’t see how this can be an alternative the whole process of these machines seems to be exactly the same as the spinning of the slot machines; and from a regulatory standpoint how could the state let in historical racing machines and not let in the slot machines. Govenor Lynch is right the expanded gaming is either in New Hampshire or it isn’t.

There wasn't any activity in the poker room or any music at the Bluesology which is the bar area so I decided to head north.  It is in between seasons.

The only thing I don’t like about the Lodge at Belmont is its location. Getting there from Concord is Route 106 which does move along fairly quickly but there are lights in places like Loudon which can be aggravating and when the races are happening at NH Motor Speedway, forget it. Going north on 106 to get back to I-93 I think is a nightmare, especially at night. The hill going down by Belmont Fire Department; the stop sign in front of the church then trying to get through the residential area of Belmont and then onto to the traffic lights in Tilton.

Think its easier to hit a superfacta.

Real NH Learning and Real NH Politics.

From the official press release below it looks like the Governor and Executive Council have approved $234,678 for a workforce training program aimed at high school students in northern New Hampshire.

Why is this needed?

It’s interesting in that they discuss a “contract with the Grafton County Economic Development Council.” Was this contract put out to bid? I think part of the argument here could be that the State of New Hampshire is at least trying to do something in creating jobs and that this program might be useful in helping local area businesses like Garnet Hill and New England Electric Wire have experienced applicants and trained employees for their operations. This is in addition to education.

I’m trying not to be cynical and negative but I think this is a waste of $234,678 and will do nothing more than pay a coordinators salary, plus benefits and likely the ditzy wife of someone who is connected to the right circles in Grafton county.  As a part of this the local news media will go right along with the program and they’ll be some story showing an innocent high school student working as an order filler or answering the telephone and how useful this program is. I think a better use of the $234,678 would have been to put the funds directly to the schools themselves to make sure the students graduate with some of the funds escrowed for students that either show an interest on their own, or have an interest and/or a demonstrated talent like machine engineering. In all reality this might not even be needed because companies like New England Electric Wire have in the past tried to do this on their own without taxpayer money and ditzy well-connected coordinators.

I don’t think this $234,678 is going to lead anywhere. And I’ll bet the vote just sailed through the Executive Council. It's just money anyway.

At one time New England Electric Wire Company based in Lisbon sponsored what I thought was a quality program. They had a partnership with Lisbon High School to bring in I think high-speed T-1 access into the high school so that video conferencing could be done with instructors from around the world so to offer better training for their in-house engineers and the students at the school would be able to take advantage of some of the content as well.

This is better than spending $234,678. And for what kind of results?  

I think the taxpayers and the students are going to get nothing out of all this.

Nothing.

But the Grafton County Economic Development Council will get something.

Source: Official Press Release.

Governor and Council Approve Funding to Expand Real World Learning Opportunities for Students

For Immediate Release

CONCORD – Gov. John Lynch and the Executive Council today approved the use federal Workforce Investment Act funds to expand a successful program in Grafton County that offers real world learning opportunities and high school credit for students.

The $234,678 contract with the Grafton County Economic Development Council will help to expand the existing North Country Work Place Education Project.

“We must continue to create new opportunities for real-world learning, where students can gain on-the-job training and the basic skills they need to graduate from high school and get a good job. These funds will allow us to expand a successful program, where students are learning valuable lessons, as well as high school credits,” said Gov. Lynch. “This program represents the state’s growing efforts to provide greater alternative education programs that are helping more of our young people graduate from high school.”

Gov. Lynch has made increasing New Hampshire’s high school graduation rate a priority, by increasing the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 and expanding alternative education programs. In just the last year, New Hampshire’s high school dropout rate decreased by 30 percent. This initiative builds on those efforts.

The current program matches students from the Lisbon Regional School and Profile High School, with companies such as Garnet Hill and New England Wire. Funding from the Workforce Investment Act will fund an expansion to other North Country high schools and businesses.

“Providing students with the opportunity to gain new job readiness skills is of paramount importance to building the workforce of tomorrow,” said Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald. “I'm thrilled that more and more young people will be able to access this first class project and to take advantage of this excellent public/private partnership.”

“The Governor and Executive Council’s support for this public/private partnership represents the solid support for innovative solutions to the problems in the North Country,” said Mark Scarano, executive director of the Grafton County Economic Development Council.

Racino Pilot Program

Governor Lynch has stated exactly what I was thinking earlier in the week about the politics that is really behind the very idea(s) of expanding casino gaming in New Hampshire. The three term governor has stated that it isn’t possible to have a pilot program for expanded casino gaming. The casinos are either here or they aren’t.

I’ll start by saying I really can’t blame Gov. Lynch for taking this position. He is opposed to the idea of bringing casinos into New Hampshire and doesn’t want to go down in history as the person that was responsible. There is no question that New Hampshire would be a different place if expanded casino gaming were enacted into law but the question but I’m still asking if it would it be a necessarily bad place.

Chester, Pennsylvania.

This community is just south of Philadelphia right off I-95 and alongside the Delaware River and the tracks of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Chester has seen a better day. When I first visited the newly opened racino it reminded me of some of the poorer neighborhoods in Baltimore. Poor, black, section 8 and burned out buildings. The roadway leading up to the racino is better. There are some light industrial buildings, like a canned goods manufacturer and a newer looking correctional facility right across from the parking garage at the racino itself. I’ve already talked about the racino itself in a previous blog back in August so I won’t waste your time now. But after considering the position of Governor Lynch am questioning if a expanded casino gaming pilot program could be applicable and more importantly, successful  in New Hampshire.

I don’t think it could be. Governor Lynch is right once it’s here it’s here and there is no turning back. But after looking at the financial statements from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of the total revenue generated by gaming and what this means for the state treasury can’t help but to question if New Hampshire policymakers couldn’t be doing more in considering expanded casino gaming for New Hampshire.

i Tunes or Me Tunes.

Thought I’d start tonight’s blog with some information which may or not be helpful. And this information is iTunes. This is a product that is produced by Apple Corporation. I’ve always assumed it to be an expensive proposition in purchasing an IPOD or an iTouch for several hundred dollars, followed by a recurring expense of $15.00-$20.00 for the iTunes cards used for downloading music onto the IPOD to be listened to. Basically, a fashionable and trendy walkman.

Well today I found out that there is an inexpensive way to enjoy some of the iTunes and more specifically, free podcasting which has a lot of interesting content. Basically all I did was download the iTunes application and did a search of free applications including politics. Well, there’s a lot there and some of it is free. Right now I’m listening to the Gonzo Goat Rancher Show, it’s a mixture of comedy, politics, music and descriptive commentary. There are others. I haven’t spent a great deal of time researching all that is available. Some of the podcasts seem pretty interesting.  Podcasting and politics.

I also believe there is a way to download this content onto an MP3 player which can be purchased for $20-$30 dollars instead of the more expensive Apple societal statement route.  

Speaking of politics I’ve got a number of projects and ideas going on right now but nothing major to report on right now here on nhinsider.com. But I’d like to at least do a précis of some of my ideas and what will likely happen on my blog in the near future.

DRED Commissioner Bald nomination- Despite my interest and inquiry to Executive Councilor Ray Burton I’ve got nothing further to report here. Apparently, my concerns have been forwarded to the Commissioner in issues related to economic development and jobs. In any case there has been no response whatsoever. I’m frustrated by this because during the past two years I’ve contacted officials in Vermont including the Office of Governor about issues that face the region, especially in transportation and economic development. And each time I’ve received a response, a real response not fluff. I’m not even a resident of Vermont! So much for being a New Hampshire political insider.

Expanded Casino Gaming- It’s interesting that former Senator Rubens seems to be the go-to person for all things anti-gaming especially on WMUR.  I’m wondering who is actually listening to this societal based intellectual drivel. I’d be curious to see what Rubens would have to say about the new gaming legislation and development in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I mean no disrespect, but I think Rubens needs to shut the fuck up.  

Today I was reading the Union Leader about the tax breaks for northern New Hampshire only creating seven jobs. I’m disappointed at the responses by both Sen. Gallus and Rep. Chandler. It’s clear that that this initiave isn’t working and something else should be done.

Well I’m running out of space. But thanks for taking the time to read my blog. That’s why I’m doing this.