The Spokesman Review’s Rich Roesler reports that Gov. Chris Gregoire is likely to sign a proposed gaming compact with the Spokane tribe that could lead to a massive expansion of gambling in Washington state.
“I’m delighted they finally did come to the table,” said Gregoire, who as attorney general once sued the tribe for offering gambling without a state compact. “They have stayed the course and negotiated in good faith.”
She spoke at her weekly news conference with reporters at the capitol.
Asked if she would sign the compact as it is now, Gregoire responded “I haven’t thoroughly reviewed it, every jot and tittle of it, but the parameters that I’ve heard about, yes I would.”
I’m not so sure what the governor is delighted about. The proposed compact ups the ante for tribal gaming, giving the Spokanes 4,700 cash-fed slot machines and high-stakes betting. Under federal law the other tribes have the right to reopen their compacts to demand equal terms, and if history is any guide, they will.
The compact is great for the Spokanes but it’s a bad deal for Washington state, which is already in the midst of a gambling epidemic. And my sense is that this compact is bad politics for Gov. Gregoire and her fellow Democrats. Just two years ago voters overwhelmingly rejected Tim Eyman’s I-892, which would have legalized slot machines statewide. (Spokane County voters rejected the measure by an even larger margin.) And Republicans are poised to make hay with the issue.
Speaking of which, I’ll be filling in for Frank Shiers tonight on 710-KIRO from 9PM to 1AM, and Rep. Bruce Chandler (R-Granger), the ranking Republican on the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee will be joining me at 9:05 to discuss the proposed Spokane compact. Um… he’s opposed.
Komo online has this story too. It says she will sign despite some lawmakers being against it……….
OMG
The great Queen is doing something the voters don’t LIKE???? My goodness, call in the National Guard to make her Stop…..Oh wait, I keep forgeting the Emergency Gas Tax, oh me bad…..Remember when the Viaduct was gonna fall any day, and that was like 2 years ago…
I didn’t vote for her, so hey, told you so.
I’m tired of this nanny shit, Goldy. If you don’t like gambling, don’t gamble — just like if you don’t like abortions, don’t have one.
FOR ALL YOU WINGNUTS WHO THINK GOLDY NEVER SAYS A CROSS WORD ABOUT FOLKS THIS SIDE OF THE AISLE, I CALL BULLSHIT.
AND YEAH, PROMOTING MORE GAMBLING IS BAD FOR THE PEOPLE OF ANY STATE BUT IRONICALLY IT SEEMS THE ONLY WAY PEOPLE IN THIS FREAKING NECK OF THE WOODS WILL ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE TAXED.
GAMBLING NO! INCOME TAX YES!
GOV. GREGOIRE – DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE.
If you don’t like gambling, don’t gamble
TELL YOU WHAT IVAN. WE’LL TRADE. AS MUCH GAMBLING AS YOU WANT FOR A BAN ON ALL ADVERTISING FOR CASINOS: TV, BILLBOARD, RADIO – ALL OF IT.
I’M SAFT OF CASINO JINGLES.
AND I’M STILL AGAINST THE STATE PROMOTING ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR – I LOVE THE LIQUOR LAWS IN THIS STATE! I COME FROM A STATE WHERE THERE’S A LIQUOR STORE ON EVERY CORNER. IT’S A BLIGHT.
Yos Lib
Do you Own a Car?
Do you buy Gas?
Do you Drink?
Do you Smoke?
Do you own Property?
Do you consume goods delivered by Large Trucks?
That is just a few examples of how the people of this state “Allowed” to be taxed.
This is one of those things that I cannot understand, other than to realize that Republicans are not the only ones to get out of touch with real people once they get elected.
Were it not for the results of I-892, it could be rationalized on the basic premise of ivan‘s post. There is a certain logic there. Nobody is dragging these folks in off the street and making them gamble. (Yes, there are problem gamblers, but we cannot cocoon all of society in some sort of legal bubble wrap because of the problems of a few.)
But we had I-892, and the people of Washington spoke quite clearly against the expansion of gambling.
Unlike many of the wingnuts, one of the defining traits of liberals is that we have a tendency to question authority. Even when that authority is in our party.
Along with the expanded gambling, the proposed pact has an additional kicker. The Spokanes want an off-reservation site for another casino.
Normally, the Governor can put a stop to these off-reservation facilities by simply ignoring them. No need for long, drawn-out legal battles, armies of lawyers and PR folks on both sides battling it out in the courts and on the evening news. The proposal simply fades away into obscurity.
This proposal requires the Governor to consider the proposal “in good faith”. My guess is that any answer other than “Sure guys, go for it! Do whatever you want!” will be appealed in court as not being “in good faith”.
Perhaps there is more to this proposal than initially meets the eye, but if so, we need to be told what it is. I’m glad we have a Democrat as Governor, but I’m still disinclined to roll over when any politician says “trust me”.
Yos Lib
When did wine and beer become non-liquor? Every store on every corner sells wine and beer. These are your so called “blights”.
Yos Lib Bro @ 5:
Works for me.
@2 The voters didn’t like the emergency gas tax? What a short memory you have. Mark the Sleazy Welsher bet Goldy $100 that voters would repeal the gas tax by 15 points — but I-912 lost by 10 points (or vice versa, I forget which). Mark has a short memory, too, because that bet still hasn’t been paid …
Nobody likes taxes. But the majority of Washington voters are smart enough to realize that roads and bridges don’t build themselves. And in the so-called “red” counties, plenty of voters understood this tax pays for 3,000 projects across the state, not just a couple of megaprojects in King County. Better find another topic, Kiropunk, because your lies about this one have no traction.
@6 Listening to wingnut liars like Kiropunk, you’d think Washington voters had all these taxes shoved down their throats by some dark force beyond human control. Wrong! They ELECTED the legislators who passed these taxes! And the funny thing is — they re-elected them, too.
Hey Kiropunk! If you repeal all the taxes you listed, what taxes do you propose to replace them with? I agree excise taxes suck, because they disproportionately hit the lower income groups. Putting all the tax burden on small business sucks, too. That’s why I support replacing the B&O tax and state sales tax with an income tax.
The Spokanes are somewhat of a special case. Their reservation is located in a sparsely populated area far from the state’s population centers, and this compact does NOT give them an off-reservation casino site, so they need something to draw people to their casinos. I’m not defending the proposed compact, I’m simply pointing out that its specific terms are driven by specific factors unique to that tribe.
What the Spokanes and Colvilles really need, in my opinion, is fish passage past the Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams. Before the Columbia River was dammed, these tribes harvested upwards of 2 million lbs. of salmon annually. Since the Grand Coulee dam was constructed in the 1930s, the upstream harvest has been zero. I don’t know why fish ladders weren’t included in the design of this dams; I assume because of (a) expense, and (b) back then, federal bureaucrats and everyone else had contemptuous attitudes toward the Indians. But attitudes and times have changed, and it’s time to consider rectifying this omission. REstoring anadromous fish runs above these two dams will be good for sportsmen and upstream communities, too. And if the tribes got back a part of their historic fish economy, there might be less pressure to rely on gambling for tribal income.
Disabled vet Joshua Sparling goes to the anti-war protest to counterprotest. The Left responds…..by literlally SPITTING ON HIM. You never would’ve seen this at a conservative rally.
People, is this really how you want to be remembered: Spitting on a disabled vet??
Roger Rabbit said:
Well, Roger, while the compact does not specifically give them an off-reservation site, it does require the Governor to consider their application “in good faith”.
Frankly, the rest of it doesn’t bother me nearly as much as that one point. I consider the tribes to be what the treaties recognize them to be, separate nations with limited soverignty. On their reservations, they should be able to do pretty much what they want. I’ve always considered the rules regarding tribal slot machines (whatever we want to call them) to be rather silly.
But the potential expansion of casinos beyond the reservations is an entirely different matter, and this compact opens (or at least unlocks) a door to just that type of expansion.
If the Governor doesn’t approve of the Spokanes’ off-reservation site, the next obvious step for them is to go to court, claiming that she did not consider the request “in good faith”.
Other tribes will, of course, want the same treatment, so the practice of making these requests go away through inaction will no longer be an option. Facing the option of years of well-funded litigation, the State will end up having to go along with many more of them.
I don’t even like visiting Las Vegas, and I certainly don’t want to live there.
I’ve got nothing against lawyers making a living, but I’d really rather not provide them with a case that will be keeping their great-grandchildren employed.
ggdsodv @ 16:
The Left responds…..by literlally SPITTING ON HIM
Oh for crying out loud!
THE LEFT did not respond by spitting on him.
(What the fuck is this THE LEFT thing anyhow? Get a group of liberals at a bar, and we won’t even be able to agree on what type of beer to order. You think Leftintern sends out orders to spit on protestors and we fall in line with this?)
ONE PROTESTOR spat on Mr. Sparling.
This leftist will respond by saying that spitting on anyone, vets, non-vets, counter-protestors, etc. is completely uncalled for.
Balance has been restored to the universe. Are you happy now?
No, of course not.
@17,
One of the things noted in a recent republican conference call was that tribes may be able to purchase land, put it into trust and then potentially be able to open a casino on that property. I don’t know how much truth there is to that but it does seem possible to negotiate that under this compact.
As for the other arguements, there is little incentive for casino’s to consider other factors like transportation, urban (or otherwise) planning and costs associated with their business’ impacts on communities. So it is not so much as “don’t gamble if you don’t like gambling” as it what impacts it will have as a whole.
Being tax free, I don’t think the tribes would have much incentive to care either way.
Apparently this is one of those bits of propaganda that goes on to become an urban legend. If you have references from some source that doesn’t have an obvious axe to grind, I’d be interested, although all that it would prove would be that we’ve got a few undisciplined and ill-mannered folks on our side too.
Daily Kos (no, not what I would consider to be unbiased, but certainly no more biased than Ms. Malkin’s blog, where this legend started) has an interesting take on it.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/28/113945/971
But… I certainly agree that spitting on the ground near Mr. Sparling was inappropriate, and his response of spitting back could be considered appropriate due to the provocation.
Just so that we are clear, Mr. Sparling doesn’t even claim that anyone spit ON him. That’s just the lie that you wingnuts want to get into circulation.
Oh, and as to your claim that the right would never spit on people with opposing viewpoints. I suggest you speak to some of the “Women in Black” that do silent anti-war protests. They tell me that they get spit on several times a day by folks that don’t like what they aren’t saying.
Some tribal members have made this claim before, most recently regarding city zoning regulations over in Puyallup. They’ve been tossed out of the courts every time it’s been tried.
Still, as I mentioned earlier, the “consider in good faith” portion of the compact, regarding the off-reservation casinos is what bothers me most.
There is a lot of money in legalized gambling, and proponents have the resources to overwhelm the State’s lawyers, if we let it get to that point.
Current practice allows the Governor to effectively veto any off-reservation casino by simply ignoring the request. If she never looks at the request, her non-decision cannot be appealed in the courts. All those lawyers and proponents of off-reservation casinos cannot get a foothold with which to fight it.
My understanding is that the proposed compact would change that, potentially opening floodgates that are just barely holding as it is.
Oh, and in regards to post 20. This is what I get when I write posts while continuing to research.
Yes, there is a New York Times article that does document the incident, although apparently nobody actually did any checking on the people involved. Sloppy journalism.
Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01.....ref=slogin
Even so, assuming the incident happened as Mr. Sperling (Apparently Mr. Sperling has recounted other “incidents” for which there are no witnesses) then it is simply proof that being liberal is not synonymous with being well-mannered. While I may not like this fact, the evidence right here on this board seems to confirm it.
Yes, we lefties can be almost as rude as you wingnuts.
That being said, remember that if you want us to answer for the unnamed spitter, then you get to answer for Rev Phelps, protesting at military funerals claiming that the deceased Soldiers are going to burn in hell for all eternity, and holding signs for the mourners to read.
Spitting on the ground seems pretty tame by comparison, don’t you think?
The Snoqualmie Tribe will have a casino (it appears) in 2008, closer to Seattle than any of the other tribal casinos.
http://tinyurl.com/32mxot
And if you are against the expansion of gambling in Washington, you can thank GW Bush for some help right after his inaguration.
http://tinyurl.com/2sdm4b
Thanks to Bush suspending Clintons 11th-hour order, something I don’t think Gore would have done, there isn’t a Duwamish casino in or near downtown Seattle. This would have a been a much bigger expansion of gambling in our state, than what Gregoire’s signing a new compact with the Spokane tribe. So Goldy, how about some props for Bush helping in your new pet cause?
goldy…well, good for you to call gregoire on this. but i am surprised that you are surprised by her actions.
and i just have to say it….I TOLD YOU SO! LOL.
and john barelli…….anyone who is thinking about buying real estate from you would surely think twice with comments like this…….”Unlike many of the wingnuts….” referring to people that are republicans. so note* if you are a republican john does NOT want your sleazy business. i mean he has his beliefs and we can’t expect him to throw them under the bus tires just because you have money to spend on a house right?
or how about this “pearl”…”Apparently this is one of those bits of propaganda that goes on to become an urban legend. ” and THIS is referring to the veteran that was spit upon by some leftwing loser………
very interesting huh?
really makes you want to buy real estate from him…if you are MUMIA….
ConFirst @23,
Actually, tribes require special federal authorization to build casinos on non-tribal land, so tribes without reservations (like the Duwamish) would not be able to build a casino. They could obtain rights to slot machines, and lease those rights out to other tribes, but they are only guaranteed a right to build a casino on reservation land.
So there.
Rabbit at 15: thanks for one of the few intellectually honest posts on this thread. We owe Native Americans a debt we’ll never be able to repay.
And, CG, back to tut-tutting and derisive comments? Posyt some substance once in a while. You’ll be more interesting.
Gregoire knows what she’s doing, Barelli and Goldstein.
First, once again we see the far-right neo-con trying to spin things. Even Mr. Sparling himself does not claim that anyone spit on him. The claim is that “words were exchanged and one of the antiwar protestors spit at the ground near Mr. Sparling; he spit back.”
Now, christmasghost, your other comment about my not wanting the business of Republicans. Sorry, unlike many here, I have no problem with most Republicans.
Far-right neo-cons, however, will probably take your comments to heart and not use me as an agent. While I don’t turn away business because of political beliefs, it is still probably for the best that they start with someone else, as I take the laws regarding equal housing opportunity very seriously (to the point of having a written policy that I bring out every time I’m asked to find a neighborhood that only has people “like us”).
Still, I stand by my statements here, which is why, unlike some, I am willing to put my name on them. Apparently you are not willing to do the same.
Funny, you want to actively try to hurt my business, but are unwilling to even put your own name on your posts.
Oh, and unlike some here, if I criticize a Veteran for becoming a mouthpiece of the neo-cons and making claims that nobody has been able to verify, I feel that I have earned a certain amout of leeway to do so.
http://tinyurl.com/flelx
So how, exactly, did you serve?
skagit…it’s sad day when goldy is more intellectually honest than you [or anyone else on the planet]…..
you really do have many personalities ,don’t you? and one of them is gregoire’s “guard dog”?????
now that’s hilarious!!!!
John Barelli said: Yes, we lefties can be almost as rude as you wingnuts. 01/30/2007 at 2:12 pm
Ummmm…, No John you are wrong. September 9-15 2005. Headless Lucy!
Ummmm…, No John you are wrong. Jan – Jun 2006 Rujax!
Ummmm…, No John you are wrong. Roger Rabbit everyday!
Ummmm…, Yes John you are right once. Anti-Liberal attacking Goldy’s heritage.
Skagit said:
Maybe so, maybe not. As always, the “devil is in the details”, and she isn’t giving those out. Since her job in this area is to represent the people of the State of Washington, and last time I checked that included me, I’d like a bit more information so that I can understand her position here.
She may well have been told by legal experts that this is the best that can be negotiated and that if she doesn’t sign on, we’ll get a court/federal government imposed agreement that is even worse.
While I can agree that the tribes have gotten the short end of the stick many times, this does not appear to be one of those cases, and we’re trying very hard to live up to not just the letter, but the spirit of our treaties with them.
That does not give the tribes a blank check to do whatever they want.
It is a good topic for discussion, as the normal polarization of this group is a bit different on this topic, showing that neither the lefties here, nor at least a few of the right-wing types always march in lock-step.
Oh, and ConservativeFirst, you’ll have to excuse me if I doubt that the expansion of gambling in the Puget Sound region was the reason for President Bush’s decision to suspend recognition of the Duwamish.
Of course, no member of the Duwamish has ever been prominent in local history, so he probably just didn’t think that they were that important.
http://www.duwamishtribe.org/h.....i_ahl.html
Puddybud at 5:04 PM
Are you saying that we can’t be almost as rude as the wingnuts?
No, I’m still pretty sure we can be, at least if we try really hard.
Barelli, do you really think Bush has a clue or “thinks” about anything? He probably overturned it because Clinton did it . . . first of all. Second, he probably thought that giving them status would somehow equate with giving them federal money.
Surely you are savvy enough to understand Bush’s thinking by now.
Gregoire, a very smart and clear-thinking lawyer herself. And “blank check?” – I’d give ’em a blank check. Seems to be that when they’ve sent previous “checks” through the bank, they’ve all been returned marked “insufficient funds.” I don’t suffer from that notion that I know best for absolutely everyone on all seven continents (6 if you consider Eurasia one continent.) And, I don’t believe I have to be every persons personal moral guardian or conscience.
Oh, and CG, try posting something thoughtful here . . . or, if you must, resort to name-calling. I’m prepared for it.
john…on a lighter note….in your ad, is that a cape you are wearing [liberal-man to the rescue] or is it supposed to be your jacket?
skagit…knickers in a knot again? why would anyone waste time calling you [any of the you’s] names?
honey…you are the king of one liner nonsense……
you almost sound like gregoire’s husband.
Ah, CG, still name-calling. As expected. You seem to have little else in your mind. BTW, you wanna be my honey? You seem to be asking . . . have you had a relationship with Gregoire’s husband? You seem to know . . .
oh, and it was reported that democrats protesting outside the republican convention in ’04 were urinating on the convention participants as they left the building. Really now. come one, people. This stuff is just gross.
skagit……..EEEEYEWWWWW……………ohmygod! gregoire’s husband? the kryptonite to all women everywhere? you must be kidding!
oh yuck! you have succeeded, you evil monkey, in making me want to scoop my mind’s eye out with a spoon.
okay….i give, you win. no more mental images of the creepy little man, okay?
is that you mikey?
yeah, it’s mikey
Skagit:
I’m pretty sure you’re right about the reasons for suspending recognition of the Duwamish. Of course, I’m really not happy with President Clinton for delaying it to the point where President Bush had that option.
While I would trade back in a heartbeat, President Clinton was not exactly my favorite President. He seemed to govern with his finger to the wind, rather than having some sort of real personal philosophy of his own.
Governor Gregoire may well have good reasons for her position, and certainly we need to come to some sort of reasonable compact with the Spokanes. I’m not convinced that the current one qualifies.
We still have the fact that Ms. Gregoire should have little doubt about the opinion of the people of Washington in this matter. I-892 made that pretty clear. She may honestly believe that because of past treaty violations or for whatever other reason, the Spokanes deserve to be able to put casinos all over the state. While I disagree, I do understand the argument.
But if that is her feeling, then she should say so.
Oh, christmasghost. It’s my jacket. I only wear my cape for formal occasions, and when leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Not much call for that out here, as we don’t have that many tall buildings.
Agree with your first paragraph completely.
He was a fool to wait so long. Also, I did not vote for him in ’96 because I didn’t like his economic policies/trade policies.
He was way too Republican for me, thank you.
And “finger in the wind?” You bet! The most disappointing President we’ve had. I sure love to hear him speak nowadays,however. What promise he had. So sad.
I think he grew a bit in the job. By ’94, the Republican Congress pretty much had him caged . . . but, he still could have been a much stronger presence than he was. He did not use that bully pulpit well at all.
Lowi (Cornell Prof) “Clinton – last great Republican president.”
One more thing, Barelli. Regarding Clinton’s finger to the wind: it is pretty common for children of alcoholics to be “pleasers.” That’s my take on him . . . a pleaser.
I bet he’d do it differently now. Hearing his speeches, I think he finally get’s it.
John Barelli I would submit that the nonsensical tut-tutting, and general cackling by the X-mas Hag is the product of Estrogen-Starvation. . .that is the correct opposite paradigm for testosterone-poisoning, isn’t it? In another era I believe it would have been called old-maid syndrome. When apparently post-menopausal drones have no other life or outlet, they become noisome busybodies. . . . . John Barelli I would submit that the nonsensical tut-tutting, and general cackling by the X-mas Hag is the product of Estrogen-Starvation. . .that is the correct opposite paradigm for testosterone poisoning, isn’t it? In another era I believe it would have been called old-maid syndrome. When apparently post-menopausal drones have no other life or outlet, they become noisome busybodies. . . . . . .. .
Hmm, seem to have doubled there. ‘Course, it bears repeating. . .
So, post-menopausal women turn you off, huh?
#44
You should try it sometime froggy. It might be that us post menopausal women want something that doesn’t croak off before we are done……
and you know what they say about “experience” . . .
kiroking, you interested in frog farmers? me neither.
@ #47
Only “Bull” frogs I ever had an interest in was the one’s we speared when 10 or 11 years old. Grandma fried up their legs, and they tasted like chicken.
As far as the Farmer part, they see way too much fornication in their line of work, and expect the same in bed.
So in my “Experience”, I like the spontaneous ones. Never the same road traveled.
Ooops forgot the last part:
Never the same road traveled, and in it for the LONG HAUL….
tree frog…that would be PRE-menopausal woman thank you very much.LOL. this baby is hot flash free…….
and i see your reading comprehension skills are at an all time low.
old maid syndrome? no life or outlet?
oh, come on…..OUCH. heh heh heh
really…this is the best you can do? accuse me of being “estrogen-challenged”? that is the PC term for it, is it not? wow….now i feel so OFFENDED. maybe i should call the ACLU?
and to be an old maid sweetpea i would not be able to have any kids … and i have three sons. to not have a life i would have to forfeit my place on the board of directors, stop running production meetings,give up my vice president status, take my art out of galleries……wow…where should i begin?
what do you think?
and john…good comeback….it made me laugh. good one!
Well, I’m thinking mature, experienced, practiced and loving women who aren’t going to get into a custody battle over a little surprise just might have a little more to offer than Mr. Farmer suggests . . .
@ 51
You know those tree frog farmers, they like their eggs bunched up tight, and in a pond.
If water is my pleasure, I prefer the non-green kind.
Fascinating . . . three different post-menopausal women and all kicking ass – so to speak. Been there and done that . . . ego . . . TLC.
Tree-frog-fucking-farmer: you belong with your nubile hot-to-trots. We’ll do better than you.
@ 53
thanks for the laugh…..If I didn’t know better I would think that some of the more testosterone laden posters were a bit shocked at our confessions……
OMG…. Goldy, a money making proposition. Confessions of the HA Blogger/Bloggette
I want 10%, it was my idea…..
BTW I used my real name, because another poster dared me….
Sorry, CG, I see you’re still one of the hot-to-trots . . . my bad.
What a way to kill a thread….Maybe we should start a PM group here….. PM=Post menopausal….
Where is that damn frog when you need him…. I am sure he can help us with the tadpole phase….
I think they’re dumb-struck! Isn’t it a laugh! What power we have . . . every time we don’t like the way a topic is going, we’ll just have a little post-menopausal meeting – on line.
We might even rename the blog “Kick-Froggy-Ass Girls.”
If nothing else, I bet Mr. Farmer never brings up estrogen-challenged old maids again!
Estrogen challenged, yes. I leave your age and maturity to be demonstrated through your posts.
John Barelli says:
I never claimed it was. I was merely pointing out the result of his actions.
I assume you are being sarcastic. If you’d read the link I’d provided you understand the non-recognition of the Duwamish has nothting to do with lack of prominence.
Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the Clinton would make an 11th-hour recognition of an Indian tribe that had been previously denied recognition?
@7
“But we had I-892, and the people of Washington spoke quite clearly against the expansion of gambling.”
In my opinion, you had the tribes spending millions to defeat this initiative that would have ended their monopoly….They out spent the I-892 campaign by a very wide margin….All under the guise of “lets not expand gambling in Washington” what nonesense. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…
And the Gov is just paying off her marker….The ribes have been pumping money into the D party and the now Gov’s various campaigns over the years. It is irrefutible that the tribes are the most powerful lobby in this state.
So in my opionion this is just payoff……paid for from revenue that the state would/could otherwise have for say……healthcare for “safety net folks” or more money for education……..or a new tunnel…If only the state allowed private casino’s to have slots and taxed them at say 70%…….
Oregon did this one right.
A few things all you anti-gambling zealots are missing here.
1. The Spokane Tribe already has 3 gaming facilities in operation in Washington. They’ve had them for years. With real slot machines which are illegal here. Until now the State has had no ability to regulate those facilities. Now we do. How does that expand gambing?
2. They’ve had ongoing litigation with the State for a decade and a half. Until now they’ve refused to join with most other tribes in submitting to state co-regulation. This compact ends all that and makes their existing operations “legal”
3. The federal law which covers Indian gaming requires states which have legalize gambling (lottery, pulltabs, etc) to negotiate in good faith with tribes who wish to provide similar games. If you want to get rid of Indian gaming fine. But you also have to end the State-run enterprises or risk violating federal law. If Goldy thinks gambling is an “epidemic” in our state, why aren’t you pushing for repeal of the Lottery and Gambling statues?
4. The benefits to tribes and to surrounding communities far outweigh the costs of a few problem gamblers (treatment for whom is provided for quite extensively in this new compact) Currently the Spokane Tribe suffers from extremely high unemployment, alcoholism, and other social problems.
5. The Spokane tribe’s push to have an off-reservation facility near Spokane faces a long hard struggle and in all likelihood will never be approved. Of the hundreds of Indian gaming facilities nationwide only two off-reservation casinos have ever been approved. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has recently tightened it’s approval process and it’s highly doubtful any new off-reservation casinos will be approved anytime soon.
oh, OUCH, froggy. sheesh..talk about showing your [lack of] intelligence and wit….you beat us all to it.
yes…it is funny to think that it bugs these GUYS so much to have their asses kicked by ‘mere’ women….heh heh heh.
and ,yet, according to them we would all be up a tree if it weren’t for them telling us what was good for US.
now that is terribly amusing………..