Why Does Mark Dayton Hate Native Americans?
By Mitch Berg
Over the course seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, we Whiteys stole this state from the Native Americans.
As part of the only reparations that really mattered – the free market – the state granted the tribes an exclusive franchise to the gambling industry.
And now Mark Dayton wants to wipe all that out:
Gov. Mark Dayton says if Minnesota expands gambling, a state-owned casino would be the best way to go about it.
Horse track owners have long sought to add slot machines. But the new DFL governor says so-called racinos will not produce as much cash for the state at a time when it’s desperate for new revenue.
But every little bit counts, when your entire platform is built around shaking Minnesota down for every nickel you can find to keep the unions assuaged.
“I’m not a fan of gambling myself, but I recognize a lot of people want to do it,” said Dayton. “I propose one state-owned and operated casino at the Mall of America, or possibly at the airport or downtown Minneapolis. Somewhere where the state would derive maximum financial benefit.”
How about on the reservations?
Where we promised that they’d be?
To be benefit the people whose land we stole?
January 5th, 2011 at 7:34 am
“I’m not a fan of gambling myself, but I recognize a lot of people want to do it,” said Dayton.
I’m not a fan of smoking crack. Because others want to do it doesn’t mean I should endorse it. But, a casino is the perfect allegory for the state. Say farewell to lucid thinking folks, it’s the Dayton Administration. It’s 5:00 O’Clock somewhere…
January 5th, 2011 at 8:52 am
How did we “steal” the land when the Indians had no concept of land ownership? Europeans conquered an indigenous people. This has happened time and again in history, all over the planet. The only difference here is said indigenous people weren’t exterminated. They were allowed to retain some illusion of autonomy, which seems to me to have been a mistake.
And dump the “we” part. I didn’t “steal” anything. Both of my granddads came over on the boat from Norway long after the matter was settled. I owe the Irish more of an apology than the aboriginal Americans.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:07 am
Another regressive tax. As I have written in comments here before, the liberals talk about taxing the rich, but in the end they will tax the poor. They just want the money.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:12 am
How about this: if expanding gambling is a good idea, then go ahead and expand gambling, so long as the state derives not one thin dime from doing so. If the only purpose of expanding gambling is to provide “revenue” for the state, then why would any sane person want to give those mobsters and cretins any more walking around money?
January 5th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Not even Oceana used it’s lottery as a source of income…it was strictly a tool to keep the proles enthralled and controlled.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:29 am
I’ll drop around this evening to pick up my reperations check, Kerm.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:37 am
When a RepUGLYcan proposes same idea, we get “but the children!”, “the welfare rolls!”, “the cost to society!”, “cost of addiction!” from all the ProgrASSives. When a LibeRAT proposes same – not so much. Hope and Change(TM) indeed.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:53 am
J: I agree with your sentiment, but a democrat and a revenue stream cannot be surgically separated. The revenue stream could be the undeniable Spawn of Satan but it wouldn’t matter. It’s money. It belongs to someone else. How can we acquire it without a gun?
January 5th, 2011 at 9:53 am
I am for this if there will be craps tables.
I am tired of living in a craps-free state.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:57 am
That’s “Oceania,” Swiftea. Next time try reading the book instead of the Wikipedia entry.
And sorry, there’s no reparations program for trailer trash, Swiff. Unless you count residuals from appearing shirtless on “Cops.” Angryclown will look into that for you.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:06 am
why would any sane person want to give those mobsters and cretins any more walking around money?
Ask any of the football-addled pro-stadium-at-any-cost zombies that same question. “MY recreation matters most, the rest be damned!”
January 5th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Angryclown will look into that for you.
Was that you I saw on TV last Saturday trying desperately to walk heal to toe? Really, Q comes before R Clownie. I know it’s hard to do without singing the tune.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Swiftee, we Norwegians vastly improved the Irish gene pool. You guys should be paying us.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:29 am
“MY recreation matters most, the rest be damned!”
Exactly. Now where are my craps tables?
January 5th, 2011 at 10:30 am
And sorry, there’s no reparations program for trailer trash, Swiff.
That would explain why your spawn are out selling their asses on the streets.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Unless you count residuals from appearing shirtless on “Cops.”
How much did AC Jr. get for his appearance on the “all cornhole” episode?
January 5th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Wow. The casino cartels have invested VERY heavily ($$$$$$$) in Democrat legislaters in order to keep their monopoly. Now we have libertarian style Republicans running the legislature, and a Democrat governor who is fine with breaking the casino gravey train, in total defiance of the Indians.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:59 am
If personal recreation subsidies are the purpose of government’s strong arm, we should be providing subsidies for any Minnesotan who wants to buy a bass boat.
January 5th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
You mean we don’t have subsidies for bass boats?!? What about all the money raised by those boat license fees, trailer license fees, launching fees and the new “clean water” tax? Surely, what the government takes away they can give back, right? Surely the odds at this state casino are going to be such that everybody wins, right?
January 5th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I’m all for this proposal. It’s time to right past wrongs.
The Indians got all the good land not the Whites. Their land is located next to the race track and casino and by the best fishing and wild ricing lakes; we got Frogtown, North Minneapolis and Cloquet, the Armpit of the North.
I’d bet their negotiator was Rom and ours was a drunken Irishman fresh off laying out the St. Paul streets, that’s got to be the reason we got Gypped.
Time to get even.
[tongue in cheek /off]
January 5th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Isn’t this part of the whole Racino idea to fund a new Vikings stadium? If so I’m all for it, if this goes into the general fund, not so much. Is it just me or is this not a very “liberal” proposal?
January 5th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
The Native American reservation system has got to go. Of course terrible things happened in the past – to everyone, of all backgrounds.
And it’s too bad. It really is. That’s for sure – no kidding intended at all.
But this is 2011. The reservation system benefits nobody – been to (just as one example; I could give more) Red Lake lately? They have barbed wire fences around their school and hospital, and trash littering the highway all the way through the reservation.
I’m really surprised that the community/leadership up there hasn’t gotten their act together – but they have not. It’s not working; it’s got to go.
And where things work better, say, around Lake Mille Lacs – why should separate laws apply to, say, fishing rights for “Native” Americans? Why?
It’s got to go. We should all be Americans only.
We should absolutely have gambling “off the reservation” for those who want it. It should not be the main focus of our economy, but it should be available, say, at the horse tracks.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
“I propose one state-owned and operated casino at the Mall of America, or possibly at the airport or downtown Minneapolis.”
A privately funded casino should’ve been built at the Old Milwaukee Road Depot site many years ago, it would’ve produced tons of jobs and revenue. The Indians should’ve never been given exclusive casino rights.