But also yesterday, the State Senate voted 21-10 to ratify the Pala compact. California's four U.S. Attorneys have filed civil forfeiture suits to seize or shut down tribal slot machines. Taking away the gaming machines will only serve to deprive these tribes of the only method of economic development that has ever worked on reservations. Thanks to gaming, tribes have broken the cycle of welfare dependency. Indian tribes are sovereign nations and have the right to use their property for whatever they choose, including gaming - free of government interference and regulation.
Indian tribes have a gun to their heads.
If the government hauls off tribal slot machines, hardworking Indians who have struggled for economic independence will be forced back onto the welfare rolls - and you can bet on that.