[John Jorsett]

The propositions do more than simply add 17,000 slot machines. They increase the percentage of revenue that the state gets from the casinos. While that increased revenue will not balance the budget, it will help until we get a Republican majority in the state senate to reduce spending.

The opposition to the measures is being paid for by the casino owners in Las Vegas.

The problem for me is that the numbers for how much money the state would get come from an analyst hired by the tribes who would benefit. He says he can't disclose the data that he used to arrive at those figures because they came from the tribes and are 'proprietary'. If they can't be upfront when they're trying to push this measure, I'm not going to trust them to honestly report their revenue when it comes time to pay the state.

I'd be more in favor of legalizing casinos in general, not just for Indians, and subjecting them to state regulation, taxation, and oversight.

[calcowgirl]

The other thing that bothers me is the change in where revenues go. Today, they go into two Trusts that go specifically to address issues associated with the tribes.

The new process would have all revenues going into the State General Fund for it to get squandered on some new social program (or Arnie’s hydrogen highway) or something. It just feeds the beast.

[jamndad5]

One of the problems I see as I read through articles on the issue is that the “4 Big Tribes” in SoCal are raking in billions while many of the “Tribes” children are receiving taxpayer funded health care.

Another problem for me is that the for and against camps all seem to be union affiliated i.e. Delores Huerta UFW, against, and California Federation of Teachers, for.

What to do?