Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
Any evaluation of the situation needs to factor in the atmosphere of hostility from Albany and a governor who is eager to execute his own agenda, foist the land from the association and dismantle racing in the state.
How convenient too that all responsibility of the State Racing & Wagering Board, the Franchise Oversight Board and State Legislature appears to have evaporated as part of this. Guess they didn't need to do their job in monitoring the timeline on the original increase (which the legislature foisted on NYRA and players as part of the NYC OTB transfer to state control).
People shouldn't be taken in by the smokescreen.. there's bigger motives involved here than extracting Charlie Hayward or browbeating NYRA.
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Steve, these are very vaild points. The State Racing and Wagering Board and Franchise Board are just as guilty if not more here. Their job is to ensure the integrity of the sport. What is their excuse?
As for the State Legislature, don't even get me started on them. This is one of the most corrupt governments in the USA. You can't even open a newspaper without seeing a State legislator being investigated, charged, on trial or convicted of a crime on a daily basis. I believe Carl Kruger is the poster boy of the day today. Or it may be Pedro Espada. They are incredibly corrupt and it is sad that they keep getting elected until they are convicted and stripped of their positions.
DiNapoli's office is just as responsible. What happened to the audit in 2010 that didn't catch this? How did they miss that? Yet they are quick to place the blame on others and take the credit for it instead of sharing the blame, typical DiNapoli spin of taking a negative and making it a positive for him that the general public that knows nothing about this swallows up as a positive for him. Frankly, DiNapoli is incredibly inept, had no experience as a comptroller and continues to waste taxpayer money.
At the end of the day, who gets screwed? The "dengerate" horseplayer, like you and me and no one gives a $hit. We are an easy punching bag just like smokers, who cares about us. You can tax us at usurious rates and no one really cares. You can screw us and the public says we deserve it. It is a sad state of affairs.
I don't for a second think that the timing of this report by those that are more responsible for the blame than those they are scapegoating is a coincidence either.
Having said that, regardless of the atmosphere in Albany, if the allegations against NYRA are true than the decision making was truly warped and allowed this kind of scapegoating to happen IMO.