And the stupidity award goes to...

New Bedford Rep. Robert Koczera is concerned about a Southeast Mass. casino, and is willing to put up his dukes over it - for all the wrong reasons.

Apparently, Koczera attempted to add a firm deadline to the Governor's compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, currently awaiting a vote of approval from the State legislature, because:

“It’s in my area that the jobs are going to be in limbo and purgatory pending the land in trust issue. That’s the only reason I’m raising these issues. If I didn’t fight, I don’t know who will,” Koczera said, adding that he did not have a “high comfort level” that the Patrick administration held any sway with the U.S. Department of Interior to move the land-in-trust application in a “reasonable amount of time.”

As a result, Koczera came under fire from the Tribe, which, as always, views the majority of commonly accepted business practices as an affront to it's sovereignty.

But Koczera's not getting the supidity award today.

In fact, if you're under the impression, despite all the evidence (which you probably haven't bothered to look at) that a casino will actually help the local  economy, Kocera's deadline is actually kind of smart.

So no, instead today's Stupidity Award goes to perpetual casino proponent State Senator Gail Candaras, (D - Wilbraham), who asserted that adding a deadline amendment to the compact would be it's "death knell", yet still came to Koczera's defense by gently reminding the Tribe that:

“He just wants you to save the economy of southeast Massachusetts the way you saved the pilgrims,”

Groan...

And so, Senator Candaras, for reasons you are obviously beyond all hope of understanding, you are today's well-deserving recipient  of  the Stupidity Award (or, as it's known by Cedric Cromwell, an army of casino lobbyists and the gods of inevitability - the There's-One-Born-Every-Minute Award.)

Congratulations!