Allow them to play
American Indians in
California have a great way to support their tribes. They have casinos
on reservation lands.
Not all tribes have
casinos, however, and that is part of the problem escalating between Gov.
Gray Davis and the tribes.
Davis has been negotiating
a pact between the tribes and the state to increase gaming in these casinos.
Part of that pact stipulates that casinos must share part of their profits
with other tribes that have no casinos.
Tribal leaders rejected
that part of the deal but did agree to another provision that would allow
some expansion of current casino gaming.
The U.S. government
has mistreated American Indians enough over the past 200 years. Davis should
not let his personal feelings about gambling guide his approach to the
dispute with the tribes.
The fact is these
casinos are allowed on reservation property. They are already there. Let
the tribes do what they want with the small amount of land they have left.
Even California voters
are in favor of the American-Indian casinos. Last year voters passed Proposition
5, which was ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court last week.
The state does get
some tax revenue from the casinos, though not much. Davisí deal for the
tribes asks the tribes to pay more taxes to the state. He should be happy
tax revenue comes from the casinos as it is. Just imagine if all the casinos
shut down. Then all those tax dollars would head to Nevada. |
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