NAVAJO TRIBAL GAMBLING COMPACTS IN TROUBLE
This morning, the Albuquerque Journal ran an op-ed article by Navajo President Ben Shelly that exhibited a very defensive tone. He mentions the opposition that other tribes have with the increased number of casinos that would be allowed by the new compacts, and the suggested economic benefit that would flow to the Navajo Nation if they were able to build the casinos. He also works at the heart-strings, saying that with new casinos, Navajo’s dispersed children would be able to come home from their various universities and get good, high-paying jobs at the casinos.
In the legislative Committee on Compacts, held last Wednesday at the Capitol, there were about eight tribes and pueblos that testified and every one of them were adamantly opposed to the three new casinos that the Navajos would be allowed to build under the new compacts. They talked about the current market saturation, and said that the new casinos would be economically disastrous for their existing casinos. Pojoaque and Laguna seemed particularly anxious about the potential for Navajo casinos near their casinos.
In the face of this solid wall of tribal opposition, President Shelly says that the Navajos have a right to do whatever is in their own self-interest. So much for Native American solidarity.
As for casinos bringing their children home from the universities to get the big salaries working for the casinos, there have been numerous reports in both Navajo and pueblo land that many of the tribal young have decided they don’t need to go off to the universities, but can get decent jobs at the casinos right out of high school. It appears that the casinos may actually discourage higher education for young Native Americans.
To add insult to injury, the agenda for the next Committee on Compact meeting states, “Consideration of Requests to Resume Negotiations.” President Shelly considers the negotiations to be completed, and all that is needed is for the legislature to approve the compacts.
His final sentence in the op-ed sounds very much like pleading. “We negotiated this agreement in good faith and firmly look forward to the Legislature’s support on this important economic development initiative…”
There are so many reasons that we don’t need three additional casinos in New Mexico. Chief among them is that three new casinos means thousands of more slot machines, the most addictive form of gambling available. The human tragedies caused by these addiction machines illustrates that both the state of New Mexico and the tribal governments consider a very large number of their citizens to be expendable Americans in their quest for more gambling riches.