State casino a get-rich-quick scheme

(The following letter appeared in the Saturday, March 20, 2004 Bemidji Pioneer.)

      I am writing this letter to respond to a letter to the editor printed in the Pioneer’s Wednesday, Feb. 25, edition entitled: “Renegotiate gaming compacts with tribes.” The letter addressed the issue of Indian gaming, a complex issue with much at stake for both the tribes and the state. I would like address some of the concerns of the letter writer, Mr. Dale A.P. Anderson.

He believes that the state of Minnesota should receive at least 10 percent of Indian gaming revenues while advocating for the state to open its own casino. If Minnesota operated casinos, he argues, it would “force them [Indian casinos] to treat their non-Indian workers a little better, extend better service to the public, and comply with the wishes of greater Minnesota ...”

      First of all, the tribal-state compact which was instituted in 1989-90, stipulates that the compact can only be renegotiated if both sides agree. Maybe we Indians would be more willing to renegotiate if we had more cooperation from a government-to-government basis on a county level. In my experience, the biggest impediment to economic development on Indian reservations is the county government.

      Holistically looking at the problems plaguing Indian country, I would be more than happy to give the state all gaming rights if reservation land could be taken into trust, reservations could cultivate a tax base, tribal courts and reservation legal codes could fully develop - overall, if self-determination actually translated into meaningful sovereignty. The No. 1 impediment to most of these issues is a lack of cooperation from the county governments.

      Secondly, Minnesota is considering opening a state-run casino in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Given that this is the only site discussed for further gaming development, I don’t know how much direct pressure that this state-operated casino will place on the apparently oppressive greater Minnesota Indian-operated casinos.

      Finally, let’s get to the heart of the matter: why does Minnesota want to operate its own casino? State lawmakers are in a bind: massive budget shortfalls, a bloated state bureaucracy and a governor who refuses to raise taxes leaves Minnesota with a deficit of about $160 million. With the media hype over the “racino” last year, gambling is the hot-button cash-cow policy that is the solver of all problems this year.

      Just imagine if Minnesota ran a casino, the state would not only be able to balance the budget for the next 20 years and build stadiums for the Vikings, Twins and Gophers, it would also be able to issue the coveted per capita checks to all Minnesotans! Get real. Minnesota can’t balance its budget or build stadiums on get-rich-quick schemes while impeding the sovereignty of Indian tribes. Real leadership will require real solutions -- not taking the only real means for economic development from Indian nations to give to a greedy state government machine.

LENNY FINEDAY

Aden Hills, Minn.

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