WESTBROOK, Minnesota (STPNS) --     It seems our gutless legislators have decided gambling is not the answer for funding a stadium. I have heard all the arguments against it, everything from “We don’t think it is right to expand gambling” “It causes societal problems” “It propagates crime.” Well I say Horse Hockey, these guys simply don’t want to go against one of the biggest lobby groups in the state.

    The one about not wanting to expand gambling is the lamest excuse. The existing casinos have expanded their gaming fifty or a hundred fold over the past few years! It’s OK for indian gaming to expand year in and year out, but one lousy casino owned jointly by the White Earth Tribe and the state is going to upset the apple cart? Give me a break, this is all about greed.



    I will admit there might be a slight increase of problem gambling if the White Earth Tribe and the State of Minnesota build a casino in the Metro area. But lets face it, problem gamblers will find a way to gamble, and they will go to any length to do so.

    The White Earth Indian Tribe has proposed to give the state $400,000,000 up front, plus a fifty fifty share of the proceeds. This will not solve all of our problems, when it comes to budgeting, but it will solve the stadium issue, and it would probably help a lot in paying back the schools the money that is owed to them.

    You guys at the capitol have a better idea? I suppose they could have all the towns and counties hold annual bake sales. (That one’s for Digger)

    Even the governor seems to be out of touch on this one. He and others seem to think the other tribes will fight it in court and tie things up for a long time. Really, there is no precedent to support that. Also, do you think any judge in the country would even hear a case that would pit Indian tribes against each other? I really doubt it. Besides if you read the Minnesota Indian gaming compact there is nothing in the law that would preclude the state from building its own casino, especially when it would be in conjunction with an Indian Tribe partner.

    If they are worried about the negative impact on society, maybe they should look at eliminating gaming all together. What the heck, why not eliminate alcohol at the same time, that also has a negative effect on society. Oh yeah, I guess they tried that before. Things didn’t quite work out the way it was expected to.

    I guess the only way we could change things is by letting these guys, that are against it, know that they are all up for election. Of course since this legislature is so bent on meaningless constitutional amendments, perhaps they should take a look at the polls that consistently show that nearly 80 percent of Minnesotans are in favor of using gambling to pay for a new Vikings stadium. It is unfortunate that Minnesota does not allow citizens to petition for referendum initiatives to put constitutional amendments on the ballot. About 20 other states have provisions for this.

Have a great week and do good!