Sunday, January 27, 2008

No on Expanded Gaming: California Congress, Time to Apologize and Come Out Against the Propositions

To all our Elected Congress in California:

We are just over three weeks away from our February 5th vote on expanded gaming in California. It's just enough time for all of you who voted for these compacts to stand up and say:

"We're sorry. We made a mistake. Vote No and give us a chance to fix it."
You must know that you have done wrong by the people of California. You have given way too much away, in terms of gaming revenues to tribes that have a monopoly on slot machines. You did not make the tribes pay for the privelege of having that monopoly. The people of CA, 3 million strong, had to act, via a referendum to halt your mistakes from becoming a reality.
Stand up, right now and let the people know that you will do better by us next time. You will gain the environmental needs, you will get enforcement capability, you will gain audit power, on OUR terms, you will gain civil rights for all native Americans that the tribes have disenrolled or kept out in moratoriums and you will gain a much higher percentage of the net win, after a better agreement of what net win means. Compare the list above, to what you got in these compacts and see which is better for California.
It's better to admit that you allowed yourselves to see a small amount of money, but blinded yourselves to the mint of funds that could be available to our people.
Here are wonderful words from Sheila Kuehl that should be a guide to your conscience.
I'll just rise once on all of these. I'm going to vote no on all the compacts with the exception of the Yurok compact, and I'll tell you why.
Many years ago when we asked to begin to ratify these compacts, it was a very, very good thing for the tribes. I didn't think it was a very good thing for California, because gambling is never a good thing for a state or a nation. It eats away, it's an addiction, and so to sort of compromise, we said, well this is really going to help these poor tribes get on their feet. And boy, did it.

They're so on their feet that billions of dollars are being made every year. Well, good for them. But I can't vote for an expansion of gambling. I can't vote for organizations that now refuse to take care of their workers in any fair way that we require of virtually everyone else in the state.
I can't vote for a compact that says, "we'll; give you money state if you vote for this compact, but we won't allow you to come into see if we are giving you the right amount of money."
I can't vote for compacts for tribes that aren't even sharing with all of their own members the largess that they win off the gambling addiction that they win off the gambling addiction of those who go to the clubs. OP: See www.pechanga.info or http://blog.myspace.com/paulinahunterofpechanga

So I would encourage any of you who agree with any of those points to stand up and say no to the expansion of gambling in the state, to stand up and say no to these tribes that have indeed pulled themselves up by our bootstraps. And to virtually in the future continue to say no to this expansion.
Congresspeople, The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians is one of the worst violators of civil rights in this state, along with Chukchansi. Yet, you, have not spoken out against it. You act like disenrollment is akin to getting booted from the PTA. Go to www.tribalcorruption.com and LEARN about what is happening. Aren't you embarrassed for not standing up for civil rights?
RENOUNCE the compacts, and I'll spotlight you here and on http://www.pechanga.info/. Tell us you are now revisiting your choice and want us to know about it. DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

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