Tribune Letters:

Indians know bad deals

(The following letter appeared in the Star Tribune on September 28, 2004. They involved gaming.)

      I was incensed to see that Gov. Tim Pawlenty believes the state's compact with Minnesota's Indian tribes on gaming "needs to change" (Star Tribune, >Sept. 25). I was also offended by state Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna, who said "we're one of the states who gave it all away when we negotiated way back when. We didn't realize what we were doing at the time."

      Kind of like the Indians didn't realize that they were "selling" their land for a couple of bottles of whiskey and a few glass beads. Our government apparently felt no need to remedy that situation.

      Obviously, the casinos have been more successful than the state had anticipated, and those revenues have enabled the tribes to substantially improve the poor standard of reservation living imposed upon them.

      Good for them -- it's long overdue!

Nancy McGregor, Woodbury.

      Abide by the compacts

      Poor Tim Pawlenty, Dick Day and the state legislators who support changing the state's deals with Indian tribes.

      "We didn't realize what we were doing at the time," Day complains.

      I didn't realize that one party being shortsighted made a contract null and void. If the tribes had lied and cheated their way to a good deal, as settlers and the U.S. government did in obtaining tribal land, then I'd say the state has an argument.

      Since that's not the case, I say we should take our lumps like grown-ups and respect the contracts we signed.

Aaron Tinklenberg, Lakeville.

      Stop the whining.

      Gov. Tim Pawlenty sounds like a whining child: "C'mon, Legislature. All the other states are getting shares of Indian gaming. Why can't I?"

      He should grow up and find his own source of revenue.

Kathleen Foley, Northfield, Minn.

      Our natural resource

      What a relief to read that teenagers are taking up gambling (Star Tribune, >Sept. 27)! With legislators shunning fiscal responsibility in favor of lotteries and casinos, it's critical that we get our kids betting as early as possible. Now, if we could just legalize prostitution, we could might save Social Security.

Claire Colliander, Minneapolis