Casino Monies
In an article on the increase of political campaign bribes, er, “donations”, came this little gem:
According to the website www.politicalmoneyline.com, tribes nationwide have given $25 million over the past five years alone.
Eureka Times-Standard, July 2, 2006
Another example of the law of unintended consequences, or at least unannounced consequences since this one wasn’t rocket science when the matter first came up. How completely predictable that, when government creates a virtual monopoly, or through inaction allows one to come into existence (utility companies, oil companies), that the cartel will use its power, first to maintain its privilege, and later to purchase special benefits. The casinos came because the white man politicians saw an opportunity to use the Native Americans as a way of fetching large amounts of tax revenue without “raising taxes”. Although anyone with a passing familiarity with casinos knows they are a tax on the math-impaired, and raise the cost of government due to lost productivity resulting from their appeal to and encouragement of despair (I’m doomed, I’m powerless, my only way out is to hit the jackpot), not to mention the other substantial government and general societal costs caused by the gambling addictions that are encouraged.
There is something specially sad about this latest reminder that the Native Americans who have such a rich culture and science continue to be corrupted by the white man. First their healthy diet became poisoned by the introduction and adoption of alcohol, which besides the obvious problems also brings with it an addiction to sugar. Genocide, spiritual, cultural, and physical. Acceptance of processed and later junk food, furthering the vicious cycle between alcohol and sugar. Diabetes soared. Healing methods that worked well for many centuries are being replaced, not supplemented, by pharmacological masking of symptoms and the corruption of prescription drug money.
The casinos came on the pretext of easy money for governments, wrapped in the warm-fuzzy promise that revenues would also be used by the tribes to help peoples who have suffered so greatly. And while that does sometimes happen, all too often the result has been just the creation of another special interest group, rather than the empowerment that was promised. Had the casinos came a hundred years earlier, perhaps the culture would have been strong enough for the funds to have been used for empowerment of the multitudes rather than of and for the few.
One can still hope that things will be turned around by people of conscience and tradition in the Native American community, and that they will join with principled visionaries in other communities to take the best of each and make a better world. Our work, our journey, continues.
TLC
According to the website www.politicalmoneyline.com, tribes nationwide have given $25 million over the past five years alone.
Eureka Times-Standard, July 2, 2006
Another example of the law of unintended consequences, or at least unannounced consequences since this one wasn’t rocket science when the matter first came up. How completely predictable that, when government creates a virtual monopoly, or through inaction allows one to come into existence (utility companies, oil companies), that the cartel will use its power, first to maintain its privilege, and later to purchase special benefits. The casinos came because the white man politicians saw an opportunity to use the Native Americans as a way of fetching large amounts of tax revenue without “raising taxes”. Although anyone with a passing familiarity with casinos knows they are a tax on the math-impaired, and raise the cost of government due to lost productivity resulting from their appeal to and encouragement of despair (I’m doomed, I’m powerless, my only way out is to hit the jackpot), not to mention the other substantial government and general societal costs caused by the gambling addictions that are encouraged.
There is something specially sad about this latest reminder that the Native Americans who have such a rich culture and science continue to be corrupted by the white man. First their healthy diet became poisoned by the introduction and adoption of alcohol, which besides the obvious problems also brings with it an addiction to sugar. Genocide, spiritual, cultural, and physical. Acceptance of processed and later junk food, furthering the vicious cycle between alcohol and sugar. Diabetes soared. Healing methods that worked well for many centuries are being replaced, not supplemented, by pharmacological masking of symptoms and the corruption of prescription drug money.
The casinos came on the pretext of easy money for governments, wrapped in the warm-fuzzy promise that revenues would also be used by the tribes to help peoples who have suffered so greatly. And while that does sometimes happen, all too often the result has been just the creation of another special interest group, rather than the empowerment that was promised. Had the casinos came a hundred years earlier, perhaps the culture would have been strong enough for the funds to have been used for empowerment of the multitudes rather than of and for the few.
One can still hope that things will be turned around by people of conscience and tradition in the Native American community, and that they will join with principled visionaries in other communities to take the best of each and make a better world. Our work, our journey, continues.
TLC
posted by TLC's Place at 7:13 AM
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