Monday, February 4, 2008

Indian Gaming Props Unfair to Californians: Vote No on Props 94-97

On the heels of the Governor visiting San Diego in support of the Indian Gaming Compacts, I wanted to take some time to post about the compacts.

While I am all for tribal sovereignty, I do not believe Californians should settle for flawed deals.

In principle, I believe in granting tribes more sovereign rights. However, Californians must ensure that this is done in a fair and equitable manner.

A “no” vote does not eliminate tribal sovereignty, but requires the State Legislature to go back to the table to re-negotiate deals that are fair for all of California’s tribes, casino workers and citizens.

Tribes that stand to gain billions of dollars from these deals should expect to:

1. Ensure that casino employees are afforded the same on-the-job rights that all Californians are afforded, including health care and Cal/OSHA standards.
2. Require an independent auditor to determine the State’s fair share of revenue.
3. Clearly define what revenue will be shared with the State.
4. Require any expansion to follow the same environmental standards as every other California business.

I do not believe this is too much to ask for allowing these four tribes to participate in the largest expansion of gaming in the history of the United States.

Voting “No” on Propositions 94-97 will send our legislature back to the bargaining table to get these deals right.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Casinos and tourist traps like these are unfortunately the new battlefronts of our future economy. We can take a stand to make sure these cash cow casinos know that they've got to be responsible with the jobs they're creating. Vote NO on the gaming compacts.

burnedweenie said...

If Non-natives in America held their own city, county, state and federal agencies accountable and scrutinized, instead of being cowards with the same ignorance today equal to 500 years ago as illegal immigrants with native tribes, this just might be a real democracy with real freedom instead of the paper cup patriotism and vegetable laws their constitution stated with Indians paying no taxes. Makes the US Constitution the toilet paper it really is which you use only when it cleans your bloody past!

Nobody has problems with gaming as long as Indians don't have it with the biggest farce being that non-natives not only make up the bulk of casino revenues and spending, but many casinos hire a large population of non-Indians as well.

Therefore Gladys, how do you consider casino jobs and any revenue flow in America as cash cows? You seem to see everything through racial lenses with the economy!