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National Opposition to Casinos
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WILL YOUR TOWN (OR HAWAII) BE NEXT TO SUFFER? By Barb Lindsay and David Yeagley We thought your website readers would like to know the actual experience of local communities in many states where tribes (like those in Texas) were granted federal recognition and then promptly opened tax-exempt gambling casinos -- even though they repeatedly promised, both in writing and verbally, that they would never do so. Remember, "sovereign" tribal nations can change their minds, elect new leadership, and decide to follow a different path than originally planned. Ethnic Hawaiians seeking federal recognition right now with the Akaka bill (S.3064) are making the same hollow promises. We would like to believe Congress did not intend for non-Indians to be the principal beneficiaries of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA). Yet the fact is that non-Indian investors, lobbyists, politicians, and casino management companies have left behind the poverty-stricken Native American families Congress did intend to help. Non-Indians enrich themselves through IGRA's $20 billion a year Indian casino business. Exhibit A is Jack Abramoff. We would like to believe Congress did not intend off-reservation communities to suddenly become convenient casino locations. But abuse of IGRA provisions has allowed tribes to go "reservation shopping" anywhere they want -- anywhere prime gambling facility venues are found. We would like to believe Congress did not intend federal "trust" status of tribally-purchased land to enable autonomous (often syndicated) gambling operations to dominate the economy and social character of surrounding communities. But "sovereign immunity" shelters trust land from taxation and virtually all state and local regulation. Thus, too many Native leaders and their coercive, out-of-state casino investors are responsible only to themselves. We would like to believe Congress did not intend tribal governments to make political contributions from tax-exempt casino profits and taxpayer-funded federal grants without regard to contribution limits that apply to every other for-profit enterprise. In fact, other sovereign governments cannot contribute to election campaigns. But the Federal Election Commission has given a free pass to tribal government "Nations" (and, indirectly, their non-Indian corporate backers) to influence the policy decisions upon which their gambling monopolies depend. We would like to believe Congress did not intend Indian casinos to adversely affect surrounding communities. But tax and regulation-free casinos eventually destroy local, tax-paying, non-tribal businesses. The lower prices offered by Native businesses attract non-Native clientele, thereby shrinking state and local tax receipts, and contribute to an addictive behavior that severely strains social services -- especially when tribes allow 18-year-olds to gamble, like they do in so many states -- such as Washington, New York, and California. We would like to believe Congress recognizes that non-Indian communities are comprised of American citizens -- with all rights inherent. But Congress appears to have given Native "sovereignty" a primacy that supersedes U.S. citizenship. This privilege has grown along with casino revenues. The rights of American citizens who are not enrolled members of a federally-recognized tribe (which is what would be created under the Akaka bill) have shrunk accordingly. Politicians, enticed (and intimidated) by huge campaign contributions, have allowed the expansion of Native "sovereignty" and the extension of tax, land-use, and business regulation immunities. We believe Congress never intended this extremely unfair result. The lure of a tax-free casino has prompted a flurry by ethnic groups to rediscover themselves with the help of outside billionaire interests. (Is it purely a coincidence that ethnic Hawaiians are seeking recognition right now in the midst of an Indian gambling explosion - - especially in a state with no legal gambling at all?) A "reservation shopping" industry has blossomed, with well-financed "rainmakers" lined up at the Interior Department's door. They're also inside congressional offices, influencing federal policies to expedite recognition of new tribes and fee-to-trust decisions. These are the true facts, folks! The result is a "Gold Rush" of off-reservation Indian casinos across our country -- especially in New York, Wisconsin, California, Washington, and Oklahoma. (Will Hawaii soon join this list?) There are four hundred-plus in operation, with many more tax-exempt casinos now awaiting approval. This well-intentioned jump start of the Native American economy has outraged most residents in local communities where casinos have already opened. Yet fault does not lie entirely with court-created tribal sovereign immunity. Dr. David A. Yeagley, a Comanche Indian and former Oklahoma State University teacher, cites the non-Indians' problem with gambling. "To fault Indians for benefiting from the dubious propensities of the greater population is simply blaming Indians for the White Man's weaknesses." Yeagley suggests the blame really lies with politicians who promote gambling, lotteries, and sharing in Indian casino profits to benefit the state. They ignore the social costs and instead offer under-funded, ineffective palliatives to gambling addicts. Too few community leaders demand legislative solutions. "The traditional American work ethic has been replaced by the fantasy of wealth without labor," says Yeagley, "and saving money, by buying at Indian businesses, has also become an irresistible temptation." The same thing will happen in Hawaii if the Akaka bill passes! Wherever the blame may lie, the concept of "sovereign immunity" has undermined the few, uncertain protections IGRA does give local residents. State and federal politicians are typically far too willing to deal with casino promoters for a piece of the action. "Sovereign" gambling operations and their ancillary commercial enterprises remain accountable only to themselves. They typically disdain meaningful mitigation of impacts on surrounding communities. Our democratic process is lost in the tidal wave of casino cash. Shamefully, the vast majority of tribal members are reaping no economic benefits from IGRA riches. Instead, they, together with the unfortunate Americans and small business owners whose communities have fallen prey to "reservation shopping," are the victims of a well-intentioned congressional act that has been superseded by The Law Of Unintended Consequences. Congress is currently debating long overdue reforms. Contact your congressional representatives now, urging them to help find a comprehensive solution, because this problem won't go away on its own. Voice your opposition to S.3064, too. At the very least, citizens of Hawaii should be allowed to vote on whether or not to balkanize their State and create a new race-based sovereign government carved out of the islands with special privileges only for a few. The future for our Nation's children -- both ethnic Hawaiian and non-Native American -- depend upon you taking action today. ##### DR. DAVID A. YEAGLEY ADDRESS: P.O. Box 75017, Oklahoma City, OK . Dr. David Yeagley is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Lawton, Oklahoma. He is a musician and scholar, with degrees in music, literature, and religion. He formerly taught at Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma. A number of his compositions are recorded on CD and are available in Barnes & Noble and elsewhere. He's a published author and columnist for David Horowitz' FrontPageMagazine.com. He has appeared on Hannity & Colmes, Bill O'Reilly, C-SPAN, and was recently (2005) featured in the History Channel's episode, "Comanche Warriors." He is the Founder and President of The Bad Eagle Foundation. Dr. Yeagley hosts his own web site: www.BadEagle.com BARB LINDSAY is National Director and Spokesperson for One Nation United, a nonpartisan, nonprofit umbrella group dedicated to the comprehensive reform of flawed Federal Indian Policy for the benefit of Indians and non-Indians alike. She earned her graduate degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1975. ONU represents over 300,000 concerned citizens, property owner and community groups, state and national trade associations, many small businesses and local governments, and elected officials in thirty-seven states who joined together in 1984 to work together on FIP reform, including the Environmental Protection Agency's egregious "Treatment As States" policy for tribes, Indian land claims, and other overreaching tribal government actions. Web: www.onenationunited.org <http://www.onenationunited.org> |
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