I’ll leave it to others — Gladys Kravitz, perhaps? — to ponder the deeper meaning of this. But it looks like those of us who are trying to stop a gambling casino from being built in Middleborough have one more thing to worry about if John McCain is elected president.
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angelin
Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as “birds of prey.” Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors.———————-AngelinjonesInfluencer
mike_b1
Old Man McCain calls himself a maverick for having the gall to run against George Bush? Yet he has a lifetime rating of 82.3% from the American Conservative Union. Don’t confuse me with the facts, especially after you hit me in the head every day for five years.
Gladys Kravitz
Hi Dan, and thanks for the vote of confidence! Actually, I was just outside DC this weekend at a conference about Stopping Predatory Gambling, and didn’t get to see this article until just now.The conference offered two speakers discussing the abuses caused by IGRA – which John McCain helped write. Despite 20 years in which to witness and act on the debacle of the Indian Gaming Act (…which he helped write…), which has allowed mega gambling casinos to proliferate in residential communites, next to homes, shools and places of worship, and 20 years in which to act – we’re all still waiting for Senator McCain to step up and really do something about it.IGRA was so badly written that it seems to negate states rights and requires arduous amounts of litigation for even the smallest local gains. Meanwhile, wealthy casino interests line pockets and influence people and even the perception of gambling. To the point where using casinos to fund budget shortfalls has started to sound downright acceptable to many.Oh the wonder of it all.Meanwhile, Senator Obama has spoken against gambling, yet has been adopted by Native Americans.“I understand the tragic history,” Mr. Obama said, addressing tribal leaders and members. “Our government has not always been honest or truthful in our deals.”The adoption ceremony for Mr. Obama was held in a tent, out of view of the crowd. It was closed to reporters and photographers.This is enough to make anyone living with the threat (or actuality) of an Indian casino in their community nervous. We are called racists at every turn in efforts to discredit our valid arguments. Native Americans rightly deserve and have a lot of sympathy across this country for abuses in the past, but turning our country into Gambling Nation is trying to turn two wrongs into a right.I still find articles touting the Mashpee Wampanoags at the Tribe which met the pilgrims’. But it’s just not so. As we know, in real life, things are much more complicated.The truth also is that not all Native Americans favor Indian gaming or casinos. Just like other Americans. Many tribe and even Mashpee Wampaonag tribal members oppose a Middlboro casino. Many Tribal members across this country believe they can do better than building an econonmy based on gambling. But those same excessive gambling profits which have the uncanny power to sway elected officials do the same for Tribal leadership.Indian gaming accounts for a third of the gaming revenue in this country. And that’s a lot of influence.I have read McCains words at recent (2006) hearings on off-reservation gamging and HAVE witnessed recent changes in regulations which make it more difficult to engage in reservation shopping. But not surprisingly, since he is not involved in Indian Gaming regulation or legislation, I haven’t heard anything from Obama.A lot of Americans would love to hear the candidates discuss this issue. And I suspect they would also love to witness a declaration of, or better yet, an era of, change.But (excuse the pun) I won’t bet on it any time soon.