It's time for California to legalize gambling, regulate it, tax it and reap the benefits of casinos in our higher populated cities.
California faces a budget crisis that is reaching critical mass. Four years ago, tribes promised us with exaggerated claims, that we'd reduce our budget deficits if we passed Props. 94-97. Then Governor Schwarzenegger said it was good for California, knowing at the time that one of the tribes hadn't even taken it before their people. Some tribes even tried to keep Californians from voting on the propositions.
Where are we FOUR years later? Not only didn't expanded gaming fulfill it's promise to California, tribes haven't even benefited. All the slots we were told would bring MORE dollars to California haven't even been placed into casinos. Tribal gaming is suffering from economies.
Self-Reliance has become a joke, replaced by civil rights violations, tribal citizenships are being destroyed so that remaining tribal members could steal per capita from rightful citizens, that we've documented here many times. Many tribes have not benefited from gaming, that was promised by Pechanga's Chairman Mark Macarro when we passed Props. 1A and 5 a decade ago. Tribes have gained political clout, from the monopoly established by allowing gaming on reservation land, which, while good for tribes, has not been as good for CA citizens, other than our politicians.
We need revenue and the trickle that CA gets from tribal gaming needs to be a flood. More jobs, more spending here in our state, less money spent to get to distant casinos or Las Vegas. We need gaming legalized and regulated so that we can see where the money goes. You do realize that we have NO RIGHT to audit tribal books? They are self regulating. I'm not saying we can't trust the tribes, but, hey, they've cheated their own people, why wouldn't they cheat Californians too? Or as some tribal people put it... "normal people".
What do you think?
Also you need to add in the loss of State taxes on the roughly 30 million or more a month in per cap payments...plus all the other State taxes the tribes don't pay...cars, motorhomes, quads , boats...all Stae tax free.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of crap!.
Quit whining and crying, the white man made all the rules. The same old political machine loves the campaign contributions, same old political white boys controlling the purse strings all the to the supreme court, so, you get the picture.
ReplyDeleteHaha I like the last comment. Why is it that people think that all people in tribes don't pay taxes on things like cars, motorhomes , boats, how ignorant are they. I am in a tribe in California and pay taxes on everything just like everyone else. I do not get any breaks or special treatment. People need to get their facts straight before they start rambling off a bunch of crap that's not true.
ReplyDeleteWhat is most important to CA, or should be would be the increased number of jobs and the increased competition.
ReplyDeleteThis could bring prices down, increase pay for casino workers. Increased tax receipts by putting people back to work, reducing unemployment.
It would be a good idea.
I think it's silly when people say "more casino's equal more money for California". This is a ridicules statement, there is a finite amount of money in California. Imagine a pitcher of water (the water representing the income of Californians).
ReplyDeleteYou can only fill up so many glasses with the water, adding more glasses means less water for the other glasses. If people spend more money on more casinos, it means less money for other businesses.
You might get a few more people to come from out of state, but the majority of people who will be spending there income will be Californians. As for the increase of jobs, that may be so, but there pay still has to come from the Casino, it doesn't magically appear out of thin air.
There isn't a finite amount of money.
ReplyDelete1. There is plenty of investment money from outside CA, from banks, brokerages and other investors.
2. An increase in workers, from construction and staffing creates "more money"
3. Taking some water from the "other glasses" in this case tribal casinos, but "more water" into CA taxable income column.
4. Getting people to spend their money HERE, vs. say Las Vegas, or say not traveling out of state can also increase the "water".
5. Getting FOREIGN tourists to come HERE for gaming is another example of outside money.
Casino's on reservations are good because they are out of the way. Nobody wants a casino across the street or slot machines at their grocery store or gas station. It's tackey and cheap. Vegas has many casinos in close proximity tribal casinos are spread across California that's why people come from all over to Vegas. Legalizing gaming in California is still gonna make casinos spread out unless they choose one area to build all their casinos like Vegas. Stop hating on the natives for having a prosperous business and benefiting like any family owned company does. And most natives do pay a lot of state/federal taxes just the ones on the Rez don't which is not the majority. I am a disenrolled I no longer get percap but many of my family does. You must be a disenrolled as well or non native because why else would you talk like this wanting to hurt your tribe and relatives.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia's biggest money problem is that it caters to way too many people on some kind of financial assistance, you have more people taking from the kitty then those that pay into it, that is the main reason that Stockton had to claim bankruptcy, other cities are close to it. The problem with the Indian Casinos is that the tribal leaders will only be able to hold on to their monopoly for so long, it will get to the point that the general public will tire of the inter-tribal feuding and decide to legalize it, especially the ones who like to gamble.
ReplyDeleteThe gamblers are to bizzy feeding there habit to share it with the political operatives, let a lone find the time to organize a fight to legalize it in the state, the monopoly stands.
ReplyDelete