FROM THE ARCHIVE
URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/001650.asp

Opinion: Tribal 'elite' should play by same rules
Thursday, September 25, 2003

"Gov. Gray Davis profited big-time from gaming interests in previous elections, but this time he's getting a cold shoulder from the tribes. Why? He suggested publicly the tribal leaders should send back $680 million to the state as a "thank you" for letting them run all those casinos and slot machines. That's a big part of why Bustamante, whose brother manages a casino, has become the primary beneficiary of Indian money in the recall battle.

California deserves its reputation as a bellwether state. It's now leading the nation in discovering the Frankenstein's monster that many states have created when handing gaming licenses to Indian tribes. It may be too late to undo this unhealthy bit of commercial favoritism, but let's hope the Bustamante ruling is evidence that the new tribal elite will be expected to play by the same rules as the rest of us."

Get the Story:
Collin Levey: Democrats roll the dice with their tribal buddies (The Seattle Times 9/25)

Related Stories:
Schwarzenegger to make 'boogeyman' of tribes (9/24)
WSJ opinion-maker: Calif. tribes declare war (9/24)
Schwarzenegger ad attacks Calif. tribes (9/23)
Court rules against Bustamante donations (9/23)
Opinion: I was duped by Calif. gaming tribes (9/22)
Schwarzenegger: Tribe interfering with election (9/19)
Opinion: McClintock throwing race to Bustamante (9/19)
Calif. tribes have spent $5M on recall race (9/18)
Calif. tribe hosts dinner for Republican candidate (9/15)
WSJ Opinion: Bustamante's 'extreme' tribal agenda (9/12)
Schwarzenegger seeks Calif. tribes' endorsement (9/12)
Two tribes support Republican in Calif. recall (9/11)
WSJ opinion-maker: Democrats bowing to Calif. tribes (9/8)
Bustamante to shift $3.8M in tribal and other funds (9/8)
Bustamante stood with tribes long before gaming (9/8)
Suit filed over Bustamante's tribal contributions (9/5)
Editorial: Bustamante should return tribal money (9/5)
WSJ opinion-maker: Democrats bowing to Calif. tribes (9/8)
Schwarzenegger to tribes: You've got voicemail (9/5)
Bustamante hit for donations from tribes (9/4)
Viejas Tribe spending $2M to boost Bustamante (9/3)
Pechanga Tribe donates $500K to Bustamante (9/1)
Schwarzenegger says tribal consultation 'misguided' (9/1)
Editorial: Schwarzenegger right about special interests (9/1)
Editorial: Bustamante on the take from tribes (8/29)
ICT: Vote NO on recall but YES to Bustamante (8/29)
Calif. recall candidates seek tribal support (8/29)
Calif. tribes to host three recall candidates (8/28)
Schwarzenegger won't take money from tribes (8/27)

All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing under a Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)