boring editorial

[plazul]

Local politicians love Presidential election years because nobody pays attention to what they're doing. While you're being innundated with political advertising they're busy handing out patronage deals and planning boondoggle projects that will bankrupt your community.

I consider myself an expert in municipal finance and I do what I can to stop things like tax increment financing for political patrons but it's a losing battle. Why do people care so much about national politics and ignore what's going on right in front of them?

I can just about guarantee that you're getting screwed at every city council and county board meeting.

[Tombstone]

Isn't that the way it is with everything? We get in our "groove" and get busy. Too busy to look up sometimes. A lot happens when your head is down.

[plazul]

They do pay attention to land politics in Idaho. Nothing like buying a piece of property and then finding out that they've rezoned your area for commercial development.

[Tombstone]

Yes, I know that is a real problem in the "busy" states like California, Arizona, etc. I'm not sure what is happening on the East Coast.

Not too much of that here since there are so few people and the commercial areas are very distinct. Everything else is in the sticks.

There is one big difference that I've noticed here that I had not found in my previous experience when I lived and worked in other more populous states: The laws here are few. But the enforcement is real and to the letter.

[anastrophe]

it's funny, here in rohnert park, where i live, we just had a special election august 24th. the mayor and city council made a pact last year with a 'local' indian tribe for a casino they wish to build just outside of town. the tribe, as a sovereign nation, can build the casino pretty much without anyone's approval. however, they try to work with local communities to smooth things out.

rohnert park fancies itself as a 'family orientied' city, whatever that means. a vocal minority is against the casino, believing it'll bring crime and 'undesireables' to rohnert park (yes, 72 year old gambling granny is a real threat to society!). the mayor and council came to an incredible agreement with the tribe - rohnert park will get $200 million dollars over twenty years, really for doing absolutely nothing. this will pay for more law enforcement, public improvements, and lots of other things - RP is a tiny little town, where $200M is a huge windfall.

a small but very vocal minority decided to 'recall' the mayor and two council members. this obviously taking a page from the publicity the recall of our state governor last year generated. it worked to some degree - it got a lot of press in the bay area.

the results of the vote? the residents of this 'family oriented' city voted overwhelmingly against the recall, seeing the good that can come to the community with $200 million in revenues with virtually no strings attached.

i voted against the recall. it would have accomplished nothing - the casino will be built with or without RP's consent - particularly given that it's being built outside the city limits! will it bring undesireables? probably a few, but i'm not terribly concerned about it. we have a state lottery, and that hasn't turned this place into sodom and gomorrah. well, no more so than it used to be!

[Tombstone]

ah! The intrigue of local politics. That's a good story.

What is the current status of "problems" with other Indian Casinos around Northern CA. Is it a real problem?

I would think as more and more of these things sprout up, they'll just dilute the customer base and the "problem customer" base. Will the casinos have one armed bandits, or are there restrictions on that?

[anastrophe]

i think it'll be a 'full service' casino for whatever that's worth. all the standard forms of gambling.

frankly, i never hear of any particular problems from the indian casinos. they always build them to be extremely low key in appearance from the outside - definitely not a single inch of neon! one that advertises from time to time on TV looks like nothing more than a california mission-style resort - all pale grey and red/brown adobe, tile roofs, the whole bit.

i think some people get their panties in a bunch because gambling is immoral to some people. that's fine - don't like it, then don't go gambling, sheesh, how simple is that. but apparently some people seem to think it's their duty to 'save' people from themselves - in fact, when the same tribe tried to get approval to build the casino in marin county - a very, VERY insular, wealthy, region - a woman said exactly that when asked about it on the news "we need to save people from themselves". what gall!

anyway, i hear a lot more about crime in downtown oakland or richmond, virtually nothing from the indian casinos.

("jeeves, get me another cup of coffee, i'm on a roll!" )

[Tombstone]

I agree with you. I don't like others pushing their "agendas" down my throat.

Hey, does that work both ways?!

Originally Posted by anastrophe

i think it'll be a 'full service' casino for whatever that's worth. all the standard forms of gambling.

frankly, i never hear of any particular problems from the indian casinos. they always build them to be extremely low key in appearance from the outside - definitely not a single inch of neon! one that advertises from time to time on TV looks like nothing more than a california mission-style resort - all pale grey and red/brown adobe, tile roofs, the whole bit.

i think some people get their panties in a bunch because gambling is immoral to some people. that's fine - don't like it, then don't go gambling, sheesh, how simple is that. but apparently some people seem to think it's their duty to 'save' people from themselves - in fact, when the same tribe tried to get approval to build the casino in marin county - a very, VERY insular, wealthy, region - a woman said exactly that when asked about it on the news "we need to save people from themselves". what gall!

anyway, i hear a lot more about crime in downtown oakland or richmond, virtually nothing from the indian casinos.

("jeeves, get me another cup of coffee, i'm on a roll!" )

[plazul]

Originally Posted by anastrophe

it's funny, here in rohnert park, where i live, we just had a special election august 24th. the mayor and city council made a pact last year with a 'local' indian tribe for a casino they wish to build just outside of town. the tribe, as a sovereign nation, can build the casino pretty much without anyone's approval. however, they try to work with local communities to smooth things out.

rohnert park fancies itself as a 'family orientied' city, whatever that means. a vocal minority is against the casino, believing it'll bring crime and 'undesireables' to rohnert park (yes, 72 year old gambling granny is a real threat to society!). the mayor and council came to an incredible agreement with the tribe - rohnert park will get $200 million dollars over twenty years, really for doing absolutely nothing. this will pay for more law enforcement, public improvements, and lots of other things - RP is a tiny little town, where $200M is a huge windfall.

a small but very vocal minority decided to 'recall' the mayor and two council members. this obviously taking a page from the publicity the recall of our state governor last year generated. it worked to some degree - it got a lot of press in the bay area.

the results of the vote? the residents of this 'family oriented' city voted overwhelmingly against the recall, seeing the good that can come to the community with $200 million in revenues with virtually no strings attached.

i voted against the recall. it would have accomplished nothing - the casino will be built with or without RP's consent - particularly given that it's being built outside the city limits! will it bring undesireables? probably a few, but i'm not terribly concerned about it. we have a state lottery, and that hasn't turned this place into sodom and gomorrah. well, no more so than it used to be!

My aunt lives in Rhonert Park so I've been watching the casino developments. In looking at the $200,000 you need to consider that, for the most part, casinos have a negative impact on local economies. How much will you lose, both in small business and quality of life, if the casino is built? There are many scholarly papers on the gaming impact topic that you can see on the web.

Like most large "Indian casinos" this will be run by a Las Vegas management company which will be shielded from the more stringent auditing requirements of non Indian casinos. And wherever there are casinos other vice operations like prosituiton and loan sharking rings spring up and cause probelms for the community. They aren't often visible, but they are there and police have to deal with it.

We have a small Indian trust land casino in our community which was allowed to be built on condition that the city would receive 19% of the drop on the slots. Every quarter the city receives a check and since the casino's inception those payments have always been roughly the same. Sorry, but gaming profits are cyclical and you don't always wind up with the same amount of profit year after year in the casino business, or any other business for that matter.

I would be more inclined to support Indian gaming if they were more open to state and federal inspection and their proceeds were taxed at the same rate as every other business. And while most people gamble for recreation a lot of lives are ruined from gambling addiction and the Rhonert park facility ought to set up a trust fund for treating compulsive gamblers.

An accountant friend of mine is an expert in Indian gaming law and he played a major role in setting up our Indian casino. He says that the mob is now in all five of the Indian casinos in Northern Minnesota. Those type of accusations always surround Indian casinos and bands resent it but I still think nothing attracts organized crime like a gaming license. Not for the gaming profits, but for a casino"s capacity for money laundering.

[capt_buzzard]

I thought you guy's got rid of all the mobsters?