Indians? Casinos? What?" you might be asking now, and I think I need to elaborate a bit. Not so long ago, the indigenous people, the Indians, lived on the American continent. Then the Spaniards came first... Rundbrief 05/2000 ..and later all sorts of other people settled on the land of the Native Americans. They resisted vehemently in some cases, but ultimately succumbed to the Europeans, who plied the Native Americans with firewater and took their land from them in not always fair ways.

Nowadays, Native Americans either live integrated into society or isolated in so-called reservations. Rundbrief 10/2006 That goes so-so, their huts are quite poor, and people hang around on the street, just a 'No Motivation/No Future' kind of society. Since they don't make a lot of money from the few pearl necklaces and straw baskets they produce, they lack the funds to build schools and provide their children with a better future.

In 1988, the American Congress came up with a procedure to help these tribes generate income more quickly: they allowed them to operate independent casinos on reservations under the "Indian Gaming Regulatory Act" (IGRA). The profits were not subject to taxes and could be invested in the development of the reservations. A casino is practically a license to print money, and the cash flowed abundantly because Americans gamble like crazy.

This, however, brought other interest groups into play, who did not see why ordinary people should pay a heap of taxes while the Native Americans brought in money tax-free by the shovelful. Nowadays, there are 400 Native American casinos spread across America, generating a total of 18 billion dollars annually!

A years-long back-and-forth ensued, resulting in the tax burden on the Native Americans being gradually increased. California recently even brokered a deal whereby the Native Americans will pay three times as much in taxes as before.

But for some, that is still not enough, and that's why especially regular casinos and teachers' associations (which benefit from more money in the state treasury) are mobilizing against the rigged contract. Both groups apparently have tons of cash, as they are constantly broadcasting...

As always, there are two sides to the story of the Indian Gaming"refers to the gambling operations conducted by Native American tribesin the United States. These operations are typically regulated underthe Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and can include casinos, bingohalls, and other gaming activities on tribal lands. What amuses me about the whole back and forth, however, are the completely transparently manipulative commercials, which were technically sophisticated in filming and editing, but the content shows that amateur demagogues were at work here. We can't vote anyway, but we still watch the commercials with interest.

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