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One
Step Closer
It seems
ridiculous that the Seminole Indian
Tribe was not allowed slot machines in
the state of Florida for as long as they
were. They had tried for years to get
slot machines approved, and various
governors kept saying no. They knew that
the people of Florida wanted slot
machines, but this did not sway them.
Finally it came to a head with Governor
Jeb Bush, who maintained that the tribe
would not get them, only to see slot
machines allowed in two south Florida
counties – thus allowing the tribe to
bring them in under federal law.
Still Bush held out saying that he would
not approve them until the government
told him he had to make a deal or accept
whatever the Bureau of Indian Affairs
dictated to them. He left office still
without allowing slot machines. So then
we get Governor Charlie Crist, who
finally makes a deal with the tribe that
enables the state to make some money off
of the slot machines. Make no mistake,
the tribe was going to get their slot
machines, but the longer we waited as a
state, the harder it was going to be for
us to benefit from them.
Crist signed a deal, gave them their
slot machines and the legislature threw
a fit. They wanted to be cut in on the
deal that was being made, and nobody
asked them what they wanted, etc., etc.
So now they have signed a bill into law
that is pretty close to what Crist had
originally proposed, making them a part
of the process.
So slot machines are going to come in,
and many wonder at what expense. They
are worried about gambling addiction,
crime, etc. – but what about the expense
of tax dollars that were wasted by the
government in holding off a deal that
was already signed – only to rewrite it
and sign it still giving them slot
machines?
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