Occupy Sandy and fighting back against disaster capitalism

[starroute]

3. That plus hotels and casinos

There was also some scheme I read about last winter to build a new convention center for New York near JFK Airport -- which is on the north side of Rockaway Bay. It seemed like a really bad idea at the time, since as the article pointed out, people who come to New York City for conventions want to be in Manhattan where they can do the tourist thing, not over an hour out of town.

... Ah, I see on checking that the idea fizzled out last June, but that Governor Cuomo -- whose scheme it was -- was "handling multiple offers from the gambling industry to develop a combination casino and convention center at other sites around New York City." (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/nyregion/cuomo-weighs-other-convention-casino-complex-options-in-new-york.html)

(See also http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120602/REAL_ESTATE/120609973)

In any event, the whole thing would hinge on a referendum to overturn the state's current prohibitions against casinos (other than on Indian land). But one way or another, I smell the likelihood of some really dirty politics in the pipeline, probably coupled with the argument that the state needs gambling revenues to pay for hurricane clean-up.