CERA Says Congress Malfunctions on Winning Slot Machine Ticket, Indian TribesWin Again

The Citizens Equal Rights Alliance today released the following document titled "Congress Malfunctions on Winning Slot Machine Ticket; Indian Tribes Win Again":

We were all fooled. It was a slick game that accomplished a number of goals debilitating to communities and constituents across the country:

1. House Bill, H.R. 4893. Congressman Richard Pombo's H.R. 4893, "The Right Act" to limit tribal off-reservation casinos gave the embattled incumbent great leverage as a champion of community interests and property rights. The Act itself was viewed by citizens across the country as a bold and desperately needed stroke by the Congressman, to protect communities at risk for uninvited and undesired off-reservation casinos. His rhetoric reasserting strong property rights and community values will play well in a tough race back home.

2. Senate Bill 2078. Sen. John McCain's S. 2078, limiting off-reservation casinos played more to the tribal constituents, in that the bill's ambiguous language feigned restriction of off-reservation casinos, but provided adequate "loopholes" and a synergizing "grandfather clause." The clause served as a veritable Open Enrollment for tribes to hurriedly submit applications for off-reservation casinos prior to April 15, 2006. The Bureau of Indian Affairs reports that 41 applications for off-reservation casinos were quickly filed in direct response to Senate Bill 2078. Other sources put this number considerably over fifty.

Not too many political smoothies can claim reform while actually escalating an egregious federally protected tax-exempt gambling monopoly that knocks the property and sales tax base out of one community after another, and installs tribalism as a governing force in town. The game played is that of pumping up a tough bill in the House, fully knowing that its weakened Senate counterpart bill is stalled and that neither bill will move forward. Then shove a fair and sensible bill, H.R. 4766, calling for a short (2-year) timeout, under the pile. Now nothing moves forward except more off-reservation tribal casinos bullying into your communities soon.

The corrupt, unconstitutional, Congressionally-designed gambling machine malfunctioned for America's communities and voters. We were dangled a false promise again. Tribal governments exempt from Campaign Finance Reform (yet another reform of Senator McCain) will continue pumping substantial undisclosed and unlimited cash flowing to both political parties and obliging incumbents such as Senator McCain and Congressman Pombo.

All the goals of the recipients of largesse have been met: 1) McCain's heralded as a reformer; 2) Pombo sounds wonderful to his constituents; 3) Tribes are untouched, and synergized to push even harder with more off-reservation casinos; 4) A sane bill, Congressman Mike Rogers' (MI) H.R. 4766 bill requiring a 2-year moratorium on tribal-state gaming compacts for desperately needed legislative changes and rulemaking, is shoved aside; and most important: 5) Tribal gambling profits keep rolling back to Congress throughout the 2006 election cycle. Congress, tribes and the gambling industry win. At least 50 more American communities will get the economic wrecking ball soon. Pretty slick, but we are not fooled. We are fed up with the shenanigans. We need a moratorium!

Citizens Equal Rights Alliance neither endorses nor opposes elected officials. We strongly encourage mainstream media, communities and voters to ask all incumbents and candidates this question: "What have you DONE, (not promised, or pretended)...What have you DONE to STOP the spread of a tax-exempt, predatory casino industry and the spread of tribalism as a governing system across this country?

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