The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has always been considered the sober voice of fiscal responsibility on Beacon Hill.

The business-funded group issues budget and tax analysis on a regular basis that are must-reads at the Statehouse.

Governors often take issue with the group's findings and recommendations, but its reports are almost never dismissed out of hand.

That is until the group came out with a report this week faulting the revenue estimates the Patrick administration has made in its plan to legalize three resort casinos in the state.

The governor estimates casinos will generate $400 million for road projects and property tax relief. The taxpayers association contends the projection is greatly exaggerated, putting the likely figure at $308 million.

Patrick and his aides criticized the report in unusually harsh terms. "That's a great formula for stagnation and status quo," Patrick said of the way the group reached its conclusions. "Every business, when it's thinking about expansion, is going to have to think about the competitive forces today and what the competitive forces might be, but you cannot predict the future," he said.

According to The Associated Press, Daniel O'Connell, Patrick's secretary of housing and economic development, called the report "an embarrassment."

He hinted the foundation's findings are influenced by the group's call to raise gasoline taxes to support road and bridge projects.

"It's a shameless call for a significant gas tax hike," O'Connell said of the report. "I really think this hurts the credibility of the (foundation) for putting out such a shoddy piece of work."

Ouch.

Rising costs

The Congressional Budget Office estimated this week that the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq could eventually reach $2.4 trillion.

The White House originally estimated the cost at $50 billion. In fact, it fired a budget official when he put the estimate at $200 billion.

Politics as usual Some candidates are willing to swallow an unlimited amount of self-respect in order to get elected.

This week it was revealed that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is cozying up to Internet gossip monger Matthew Drudge, the man who has ravaged her reputation and that of her husband over the years.

She reportedly has leaked stories to him and hired a consultant with ties to him in order to get him to go easy on her.

Then, GOP candidate Mitt Romney went to speak at Bob Jones University, the arch-conservative school that considers Romney's Mormon religion a cult and false religion.

Low-key races

Several candidates in the Attleboro city election said this week that they have never seen such a quiet campaign.

They said interest among the public is limited and candidates are running low-key campaigns compared to previous years.

Those who campaign door-to-door said voters seem more concerned with small matters relating to their neighborhoods, rather than citywide issues.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. His commentaries appear in this space on Saturdays. Contact him at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.