Deval Patrick isn't the first person to get into casino-related trouble, though few of us had to be publicly confronted with our regrettable outcomes the way Deval Patrick did. Eager to move past his failed plan to create much needed revenue for the Commonwealth through gaming, Patrick gave a major economic address yesterday at MIT.

Patrick's speech (text here, video here) lists $344 million in budget cuts, a several billion dollar infrastructure improvement plan, the one billion dollar Life Sciences Intiative (which he says will make us the so-called "international hub of healing"), and an emphasis on clean energy as ways to jumpstart the state economy.

The Herald's Michael Graham is unconvinced: "One has to ask what kind of person looks at our current, shaky economic conditions and says, 'You know what we need? More workers, more debt and more expenses!'"

Still, Graham's own tabloid's editorial page notes: "[Patrick's] throwback approach - fix the roads, and the businesses will follow (and put people to work in the process) - isn’t the worst idea." That's not exactly high praise, but given the governor's recent press, it's certainly a step in the right direction.