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If the tribe sends its members to college, and pays for it, that again to me, is a free college education. The Federal Government made its treaties and those treaties have to be honored. The States have negotiated their own deals with the Indian Casinos, and in California at least, they gave away a lot, and got little.

I think the college vote is the potential huge back breaking straw in this election. My point is that this is a argument that can be raised and aimed at college students and their parents in an effort to get votes. And the campaign is in the latter stages and there wouldn't be time for the Indian Casinos to effective counter the issue.

Remember, this point of view was brought up by my son, not me. The local Indian casino, to my knowledge, does not get taxed on its income from gambling. The casino pays its tribe members 14,000 per month, tax free. That to me, is certainly free money.

The casino is taxed at 100 percent of it's profits by the tribe. That's how it works at all casinos. The tribe then pays the tribal members, after taking out money for the tribal programs. Since it is one tribal member paying another on tribal lands, yes, it is not subject to tax. Is that free money? My mind is still split two ways on it...

If the tribe sends its members to college, and pays for it, that again to me, is a free college education. The Federal Government made its treaties and those treaties have to be honored. The States have negotiated their own deals with the Indian Casinos, and in California at least, they gave away a lot, and got little.

Two issues there.. The tribe paying for the college education was one of the points of the Indian gaming act. A decade ago, that Indian student likely would have been on welfare and qualified for financial aid. Today, it's paid for by the tribe. That, at least, is a good thing, getting people off the public dole and as Republicans, we should support people using enterprise to get ahead...

But as to the compacts, yes, I think the state gave away the store. However, they didn't have much choice, since the voters approved a model compact that gave away even more.

The compacts should be re-negociated with the thought in mind that the Indian Gaming Act was not made to create millionaires, nor create undue hardship on local communities. I especially want to see water rights included in the compacts before these casinos and their mega hotels drain the underground water supplies. Ghads, it's hard to articulate exactly what I want without sounding like a money-grubbing Democrat who wants to crush someone who had the audacity to become successful.

I think the college vote is the potential huge back breaking straw in this election. My point is that this is a argument that can be raised and aimed at college students and their parents in an effort to get votes. And the campaign is in the latter stages and there wouldn't be time for the Indian Casinos to effective counter the issue.

You've seen but the tip of the iceberg in what money could be brought to bear in a political battle with the tribes. Between their own warchests and those of the corporations and off-shore entities that finance those casinos (and other tribal enterprises), a hundred million could be spent in a week. College students are predominantly Democrat and would simply see it as being racist, the parents are too busy working to pay for their child's education to pay much attention. I don't disagree that it is an idea to get potential votes, but I do think that it is one with huge risks of backfiring with little payback.

Another consideration is that the casinos and the tribes have become the fastest growing sector in the way of employment, with particular attention to hiring people who are on welfare and getting them off of it. They generally pay much better wages than the colleges pay their support staff, and in return, garner incredible loyalty. Add in all the companies that do business with the casinos.. Well, they are an economic powerhouse in a state with few such examples. Treading carefully with this special interest is recommended for anyone.