Of course you didn't hear of any resentment. For years, AK had a "reverse" income tax -- you didn't pay, they paid you from the oil revenues; all you had to be was tax filer! My Lilly white, AK resident, squadron commander in Tucson took great joy in finding his $5k tax "refund" check in the mail from the Prudhoe Bay loot. Just the same as any Indian/Eskimo filer got!
Here in AZ, the various casino owning tribes give some $200mil a year to the state solely through their own largesse. The rest of the profits go to their own and other tribes for the betterment of housing, health care, education, etc. on the rez's. And that ain't enough -- the state still wants more!
In years past, AZ has had several initiiatives on the ballot to allow casino gambling statewide. The rationale for such has invariably been "Look how much the Indians are making..." The initiatives have been routinely rejected with the popular opinion being that "'They' have been so abused for so long, 'they' deserve what they can make."
And while the state pushes to reject such initiatives, it wants the tribes to "contribute" even more to the state coffers. Sounds kinda' like extortion doesn't it? To my knowledge, this state gives not a nickel to any tribe but they sure are anxious to get their hands on some of that Indian casino money. Sort of a "gotta keep them folks poor and out of sight down on the rez" attitude.
One would do well to remember that the American Indian is probably the only race against whom whose own national government (in which they had no voice declared "extermination" as a policy.
Before one jumps on that last statement, remember "Jew" is a religious affiliation NOT a race. Any forensic anthropologist can tell you that -- your bones can tell if you were an Indian or a Caucasian but not whether or not you were a Jew.
The American Indians are likely the most abused race in history. Jesse Jackson et al. are demanding "reparations" for the evils of slavery. If such "payments" are justified, let it be but let's go on a "first abused, first paid" basis. Pay the Indians for lands stolen, relocation, rightful revenues stolen...
And before those of you who want to jump in claiming that you, your mother, aunt, great aunt or great grand whatever is/was a "Cherokee Princess" just stow it. The Cherokee Nation has never had a king, queen, prince or princess!
sorry for the mini-rant here but you sorta' got me started...
Tain't largess that gets the Indians to fork over the 200 really large to the state. Federal law requires that they reach an accord or compact with the state in order to run a casino. No money, no compact. No compact, no casino. Pay to play.
The money is a moron tax to offset some of the deleterious effects on communities. Look what the Apaches have done to the good citizens of Globe. They have them flayed, filleted and staked out on the ant hill and the good citizens don't even realize it. Every week thay are lined up to gamble their welfare checks at the casino. The Apaches could have a big sign "Free scalping. Line up here." and those slugs would be fighting to be first. I'm fer the Apach.
Money for schools and houses sounds good but it's just a cover. BIA isn't lilly white (so to speak) but the corruption on the reservations is endemic. Peter McDonald sold his people out and he sold them out cheap. When he flipped the Big Bo he cost the Dine millions and he pocketed less than 5%. I don't remember if Ned Anderson went to the big house or if he was sentenced to life in San Carlos. Buck Kitcheyan did hard time. Valasquez Sneezy looks like he may be in well deserved trouble. The Sicilian tribe is cleaning up.
The state is looking at the possibility of non-Indian gaming but it is not aimed at the Indians. They are looking at the Arizona dollars lost to Las Vegas and the possibility of attracting some of Las Vegas's business. Resorts in Sedona and Tucson were prewired for the possibility of gaming. Supposedly it was one reason the Hopi bought Los Abrigados.
The rise of Indian gaming actually hurt the cause. They are snagging some of the dollars that used to go to Nevada. The stories of Sedona resorts being prewired also hurt. No one wants red neon in the red rocks. Finally, no one wants to cross the Mormons. They are still a potent voting block.
Poppycock. There was never a time in the history of this country that the U.S. Government did not have the power to exterminate the Indians. They did not nor did they attempt to. From the time of the founding to the end of the Indian Wars R. J. Rummel extimates that the total number of Indians killed by military action at around 1500. Fewer than 15 per year. In the middle of this period the U.S. fought a war that cost the lives of some 600,000 of its own people. Extermination is a myth.
During the Civil War the Dakotas rampaged in Minnesota. They killed 400 - 800 men women and children while losing a handful of their own. They were defeated and captured. If there was ever an excuse for extermination, this was it. Thirty-eight of over 2,000 were hanged. Thirty-eight.
In Arizona, a focal point of the Indian wars from 1872 to 1886, there were only two incidents with high Indian casualties, the Aravaipa massacre of Eskminzin's band which was carried out by Mexican, Indian and white vigilantes and the battle of Big Cave above Canyon Lake, which was a military operation. The Aravaipa massacre probably delayed Arizona statehood by forty years. In the cave battle Indians and whites begged the Apaches to surrender but they would not. Even the battle of Big Dry Wash had fewer than a dozen Indian deaths.
Sand Creek was carried out by a demented Chivington and a bunch of drunks from Denver, the Colorado "militia". Washita should have and almost did cost Custer his command. The Trail of Tears was carried out over the objections of the U.S. Supreme Court.
I say if you are so stupid as to go into a casino and lose your kids milk money, don't blame it on us. Also this tax thing, I guess most don't know that like you say, only the Indians on the Res are not paying taxes. I live off the Rez and have paid taxes just like everyone else all my life.
One more thing. My tribe does not have a Casino but we got $250,000 last year from the fund that the Casino tribes contribute to each year. This is to help the poor tribes out.
So if you don't like taxes, vote for Bush , Indians didn't have taxes until after 1492. If you don't like Casinos, don't go into them. If you don't like Indians on Reservations, we will sell them back to you at todays prices.