Officials abolish $4 weekly prize for bridge club

Boston.com ^ | 12/26/03 | Associated Press

[mansion]

ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) -- Bridge players at the Andover Senior Center say the deck is stacked against them.

Seniors are threatening to boycott the center after town officials abolished a $4 weekly prize at the afternoon bridge club, saying it violated gambling laws.

[mansion]

heartwarming!

The ban inspired players to heckle town manager Reginald Stapczynski when he came to discuss the new policy two weeks ago.

Picking on the elderly, Reggie? I can just read his mind:

This town would be PERFECT if it weren't for those old people and their infernal bridge games!"

[evolved_rage]

If only these old people were native American. They would have been given mob money to expand....

[Oztrich Boy]

Officials abolish $4 weekly prize for bridge club

if this hadn't been done the terrorists would have won.

[davisfh]

"Seniors are threatening to boycott the center after town officials abolished a $4 weekly prize at the afternoon bridge club, saying it violated gambling laws."

I'll bet that this is the only crime that city officials have been able to solve in recent times. What a bunch of buffoons!

[razorback-bert]

Zero tolerance at work.

Dose Mass a tax have a lottery?

[RLK]

Brilliant. A bunch of old farts playing bridge all week for a four dollar prize and someone has to poke his nose in it. It's the only thing the have and they're happy with it.

[Hank Rearden]

"Blow it out your a$$, Mr. Gasbag Politician!" would be the appropriate response to this parasite.

[Mulder]

A bunch of old farts playing bridge all week for a four dollar prize and someone has to poke his nose in it. It's the only thing the have and they're happy with it.

In our quasi-totalitarian police state, those lawbreakers should be consider themselves lucky since a bunch of Nazi jackboots didn't burn down their houses and turn their German shepards loose on them.

[Nick Danger]

As the guy behind the counter at the bowling alley used to announce, "There is no gambling allowed on the premises. There can only be prizes for games of skill."

[The Great RJ]

Have their Senior Center "adopted" by a local Indian tribe--problem solved.

[PistolPaknMama]

If only these old people were native American. They would have been given mob money to expand

And matching federal grants...

[mathurine]

We can't catch any drug dealers, murderers, rapists, or other perpetratrators who terrorize our cities, but we sure as hell can make sure these old farts don't gamble by playing bridge. Actually, Mr. Mayor, bridge is not a game of chance, but you are either too young or too stupid to understand that. I think it is not age but stupidity in your case. Run for higher office so the old folks can vote you down and make you try to earn a living doing something that we are currently importing Mexicans to do because we can't find enough unemployed Americans to do hard and dirty work. When your unemployment runs out, you will be ready to get down and dirty and haul garbage, etc. under the direction of a new and more enlightened mayor or mayoress.

[mansion]

We can't catch any drug dealers, murderers, rapists, or other perpetratrators who terrorize our cities, but we sure as hell can make sure these old farts don't gamble by playing bridge.

There was another thread, about cops breaking up a prostitution ring or something, and someone made a similar comment to yours.They were immediately attacked by someone who said something like "What, are we supposed to allow smaller crimes when bigger crimes are going unsolved?"

And I think the answer is - YES! We've got to have priorities!

Davisfh was right when s/he said that this is probably "the only crime that city officials have been able to solve in recent times." I think it's because these "perps" couldn't flee for fear of breaking their hips.

[henderson field]

"Town manager Stapczynski?" Is he American? What's he doing in Massachusetts? Send him back to the old country.

[Khurkris]

"The ban inspired players to heckle town manager Reginald Stapczynski when he came to discuss the new policy..."

I will taunt you unmercifully...I will blow my nose in your general direction...

[Pearls Before Swine]

Does Mass a tax have a lottery?

Yup, a big one, and well advertised, too. I suppose they don't sell lottery tickets at the senior center, though. The old folks have to wheel themselves up the street to the local variety store to buy their tix.

[Redcoat LI]

Yes we do.
They have daily number drawings,big jackpot drawings and launch a new scratch ticket every week.
The money is "for the children".
The lottery is a tax on the stupid.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Does Mass a tax have a lottery?

Yup, a big one, and well advertised, too. I suppose they don't sell lottery tickets at the senior center, though. The old folks have to wheel themselves up the street to the local variety store to buy their tix.

Now that the Feds are after Whitey Bulger (the mass killer of 19 hits who worked as an FBI informant and whose brother was the State Senate President before picking up his last barrel of pork as the UM president), the State moved in and muscled out organized crime. We used to have decent bookies who gave back 95 cents on the dollar. Now that the State runs gambling, we get back less than 50 cents on the dollar. The state is a bigger thief than the crooks.

[DeepDish]

With the Lotto up to 170 mil. I am going to run down and pay my stupid tax tomorrow. I buy occasionally, but never when the prize is under 100 mil.