Wisconsin tribes become active lobbyists
Unless you're not paying attention, you may have noticed that Indian gaming has become very big business in Wisconsin. Big business is big into campaign funding. Why? Becuase money buys influence. The Indian tribes have learned this lesson and appear to be bringing their wallets to the state capitol.
Is this illegal? No.
Is swindling Indian tribes out of millions of dollars illegal? Yes and that is why Jack Abramoff has been indicted.
Below is a recent story about the Indian campaign contributions in Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin tribes with gambling interests have stepped up their political spending in recent years, with Gov. Jim Doyle the primary beneficiary, a newspaper reported. In the past four years, gambling interests have given Doyle and the Democratic Party almost $1.3 million while giving other candidates almost nothing, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sunday.
Gambling interests gave Republican Tommy G. Thompson about $200,000 in contributions when he was governor from 1987 to 2001. Gov. Scott McCallum, the Republican who lost to Doyle in 2002, received $3,150 from gambling interests.
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Read more: Pioneer Press
2 comments:
SSDD...
If I recall way back during the Clinton Admin (don't get me wrong, would rather have the Prez making love, er, I mean getting a bj, rather making than war...) several Mn tribes donated about $400K to the Dems, in what was interpreted as an act to prevent the Five Feathers (LCO+Red Cliff+Ojibwe/Chippewa)+Winnebago? and track owner Fred Havenick from converting the Hudson dog track to a casino. Didn't work as the feds approved it but the Rep. Gov Scott McC blocked it. It always seemed a paradox to me.
National Briefing | Midwest: Wisconsin: Casino Plan Blocked
By ELIZABETH STANTON (NYT)
Published: May 16, 2001
A proposal by three Indian tribes for an off-reservation casino has been blocked by Gov. Scott McCallum. In February, the Lac Courte Oreilles, Red Cliff and Sokaogon bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa won federal approval to put 56 acres in Hudson, Wis., into federal trust for a casino. But in a letter to the Interior Department, Mr. McCallum, who must approve the plan, said the casino would not be in the best interest of the tribe or state residents. The tribes have sued to overturn his decision. Elizabeth Stanton (NYT)
What ever happened with the lawsuit anyway?
Anyhoo, the NY Times is running an interesting Tribal Underworld series; last Sunday it was on the drug infestation at Red Lake (Mn) and Lac Courte Oreilles: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/national/19smuggle.html?pagewanted=all
What ever anonymous you are, Hudson
can be thankful for the actions of
Gov. Scott McCallum in regards to the casino. Scott McCallum always struck me as a very decent fellow. If it weren't for the rest of the wing nut legislature in WI, I might have even voted for him and I'm a life long Democrat.
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