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Jack Dean
Libertarian for Congress
39th District
"WORK-TO-WELFARE" ON HORIZON FOR INDIAN TRIBES,
SAYS LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES -- California is threatening to send thousands
of Indians back on welfare - by depriving them of the right
to earn a living through gaming, the Libertarian Party of
California charged today.
"Politicians have been touting 'welfare-to-work'
programs lately. This is the first example I've seen of
'work-to-welfare,' and it's absolutely tragic," declared
Libertarian state chair Mark Hinkle.
Hinkle's statement comes in the midst of the ongoing
feud between Governor Pete Wilson and California's 41 Indian
gaming tribes. After signing a compact with the nongaming
Pala band of Mission Indians in March, Wilson demanded that
all California gaming tribes accept the Pala compact or
risk shutdown of their gaming machines.
In response to the current crisis, the Libertarian Party
of California passed a resolution in support of Indian gaming.
At issue are "Class III," or Las Vegas-style games, which
under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act require a
negotiated compact between tribe and state government for
their operation. An estimated 13,000 Class III machines
are operating in California without a compact.
Tribes argue that the Pala compact is too restrictive and
would hurt gaming. The compact gives each tribe an allotment
of 199 video gaming machines. Nongaming tribes can lease
their machines to gaming tribes, but no tribe can operate
more than 975 machines.
Yesterday, the Secretary of State announced that a ballot
measure which would preserve Las Vegas-style Indian gaming
had qualified for the November ballot. But also yesterday,
the State Senate voted 21-10 to ratify the Pala compact.
California's four U.S. Attorneys have filed civil
forfeiture suits to seize or shut down tribal slot machines.
Is California afraid of a little competition for its
state-run lottery?
"It certainly seems that way," observed Hinkle. "Taking
away the gaming machines will only serve to deprive these
tribes of the only method of economic development that has
ever worked on reservations."
Indian gaming is a $5 billion dollar industry nationwide,
according to Gaming & Wagering Magazine. In San Diego County
alone, tribal gaming has produced 5,000 jobs with a $22
million annual payroll, according to the National Indian
Gaming Association.
"Prior to gaming, federal handouts were the primary source
of income for most tribes," noted Hinkle. "Thanks to gaming,
tribes have broken the cycle of welfare dependency."
Should the federal or state governments have any say in
what Indians do on reservations?
"Absolutely not," Hinkle asserted. "Indian tribes are
sovereign nations and have the right to use their property
for whatever they choose, including gaming - free of
government interference and regulation.
"Indian tribes have a gun to their heads. If the
government hauls off tribal slot machines, hardworking
Indians who have struggled for economic independence will be
forced back onto the welfare rolls - and you can bet on that."
The text of the resolution passed by the Libertarian
Party of California follows:
WHEREAS the U.S. Constitution excludes American Indians both
from being taxed by, and having elected representatives in,
the federal government of the United States; and
WHEREAS American Indian tribes live on property which is not
rightfully under the jurisdiction of any government of the
United States; and
WHEREAS American Indian tribes are, we believe, correct in
asserting that they are sovereign and not subject to the laws
of any government of the United States while on American
Indian lands; and
WHEREAS the American Indian tribes have paradoxically traded
away the practical reality of their sovereignty in exchange
for common material benefits from the United States federal
government including health, education, and welfare benefits
"forever":
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Libertarian Party of
California supports full and unrestricted rights of American
Indian tribes to use their own property for any and all
peaceful purposes of their choosing (including gaming or
gambling) "forever";
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, as rights must always be balanced
by responsibilities, the Libertarian Party of California
supports a discontinuance of all federal and state health,
education, and welfare benefits to Indian tribes "forever";
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that, in order to bring meaning and
specificity to these resolutions, the Libertarian Party of
California calls for: a) repeal of all California state
laws which subsidize or regulate American Indian tribes,
and b) an end to activities of the federal Bureau of
Indian Affairs within the borders of the State of California.
Link to: California's Modern Indian War
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