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Department of Interior goes off the reservation with latest decision
by Les
In a highly disappointing reversal of a prior decision, Larry Echo Hawk, the assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Department of Interior, announced the rule preventing Native American casino tribes from opening casinos far from their reservations has been gutted.
The rule, adopted in January 2008, said that tribes could not open casinos beyond commuting distance from their reservations and led to the rejection of at least 22 applications. Echo Hawk told The New York Times the rule was being rescinded because it “was unnecessary and was issued without the benefit of tribal consultation.”
It is remarkable that almost twenty-five years after Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to help tribes build “economic self-sufficiency” in the short-term, the federal government and the casino tribes continue their efforts to keep one of the nation’s biggest policy failures on the books. One reason why is because our federal elected leaders rely on the casino tribes to help bankroll the national political campaigns of both Democrats and Republicans.
Well-intended people have been talking about alternate economic solutions for Native American tribes for years. Yet there is no sense of urgency for these Native American tribes to change their predatory business partnerships and, as evidenced by their entrance into the payday lending arena, the situation is getting worse. To help “broaden” their portfolio, some Native American tribes are now partnering with pay day lenders to allow such companies to circumvent state laws in nearly 20 states, according to a recent report by the Center for Public Integrity.
It’s time leaders like Echo Hawk announced specific plans to transition tribal economies away from running the most destructive businesses in the country. It will require the political parties to find new sources of campaign dollars but all of the nation’s citizens, including Native Americans, will be the better for it.
No Casinos
There are other forms of economic development for Native American tribes besides casinos. It does not matter who owns casinos – tribes, commercial interests, or governments – they bring enormous social and economic costs. The policy has failed.
Casinos should not be a last resort
Agreed, Bill. Who is actually benefiting from tribal casinos? Look at the low rates of high school graduation, college attendance and unemployment amongst so many young Native Americans today. Many young Native Americans living near tribal casinos are encouraged to drop out or skip college altogether in favor of taking a casino job. Tribal casinos are not bringing new opportunities to young people, rather, those in the gambling \industry\ are perpetuating the backward notion that casinos are the only option tribes have left for economic growth in America.
Subject
Casino gaming is a great benefit to Native American communities. The business and whether your morals agree with it is a different issue. Native American tribes and reservations are far from hubs of economic activity, and the reliance on government programs leaves much desired and I would say failed.
Putting money into a community and boosting the tribal economics is a good thing, it empowers a culture to be independent and push the community into a better way of life. If we are to keep restrictions on a people we destroy their culture, if the culture is destroyed the sense of identity is lost. Tribal member without a sense of identity lose their purpose and resort to self destruction because they have no self worth. This was the failure of boarding schools, I would think we are past that policy.