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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