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Choctaw Casino Bus
Photo: Winstar Casino
The Mississippi Band of Choctaws, which operates two casinos and affiliated resorts in Neshoba County at what’s called Pearl River, Miss., also owns land in Jones County and proposes a casino on it in the Bogue Homa community. It would be the first casino built outside the tribal headquarters. The casino, the Laurel Leader-Call newspaper reported, would be equipped with 500 to 700 slot machines. It would be a $17 million investment, employing about 250 people.
Barbour, plus the state’s two U.S. senators, two members of Congress and several Republican statewide elected officials, have announced opposition because, they claim, it is not allowed as an Indian casino under a gaming compact signed by the late Gov. Kirk Fordice and the late Choctaw chief Phillip Martin.
Attorney General Jim Hood, asked for an opinion about legality by Barbour, ruled last week that the Fordice-Martin compact does not exclude casinos from the Choctaw-owned lands in Jones County.
Barbour soon after fired off a letter claiming Hood had violated ethical canons by informing casino proponents of his decision before informing Barbour himself. Hood, as attorney general, is Barbour’s official attorney unless outside counsel is hired.
Most of that brouhaha is bad-blood politics, but it doesn’t mean casino opponents don’t have a cause.
Choctaw casinos, as do all other Native American casinos on tribal lands, operate under special legal standards because of tribal status as a nation subject to treaty terms with the United States. A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the late 20th century upheld tribal exemptions from paying state and local taxes and from state regulation.
The court of public opinion, however, is not subject to federal, state or tribal control. The Daily Journal opposes the proliferation of gambling statewide.
Opponents, especially those who live within the 50-mile radius that would be the casino’s primary area, should press their case against siting the facility in Bogue Homa.
At the very least, demands should be made that the Choctaws make payments equivalent to sales, income and property taxes to offset public expenditures that will be made to support infrastructure leading to the casino.
The Choctaws, even with special status, are Mississippi citizens, and they should be pressed hard to bear the same load as others, including tax equivalent payments on businesses that compete with independent, private-sector gambling ventures.
The Daily Journal, once again trying to act as the moral compass for the rest of us, condemns the expansion of gambling in our state on some platform of superior morality.
The bottom line is that it doesn't matter to me if its a slot parlor or a resort or a few dealers dealing three card monty on the tops of cardboard boxes. If it's on Indian land and they want to do it, they should be able to. They've paid their dues for hundreds of years.
They've paid more than the price to do whatever they want on the meager allocation of their land that we forced them onto after taking all the rest from them.
And as far as Journal Inc., tying to keep gambling from spreading in our state is concerned, perhaps they should revisit the principle of supply and demand.
There's obviously a demand for gambling that the Choctaw are willing to use a bit of their land to supply.
No one forces anyone to walk into a gambling house of ANY type. The Choctaw are just trying to capitalize on the demand for gambling. And I say they have every right to do what they want with their land. Their families have already paid the "taxes" with their blood.
What did you do there that has brought you a lifetime of regret and unhappiness? Meet your future spouse?
I enjoy going to Tunica. It is one of the cheapest mini vacations that I can enjoy.
Whats this "bear the same load as others" stuff.
Mr. Editor,ever heard of the "Trail of Tears"?
What good can come from "pressing hard" a people for being forgiving and strong and like most indigenous coultures in the world, RESILIENT... and bearing the load of historical ignorance and narrow minded economics conveyed by reading your column!
The Choctaws have as much right to the unhappiness and regret as the rest of us.
Just like Governor Barbour you would probably welcome them with open arms……more money for the State. And that is what this battle boils down to…. the all mighty Dollar. If the Choctaws are allowed to build another casino near the Coast then the State does not get the tax revenue. My guess is there are some folks on the coast that are driving some of this.
As you pointed out in your editorial, the Choctaws are an independent Nation within the boundaries of Mississippi and operate under special Federal Laws. There is a reason for that. Lest we forget that our ancestors took this land from them, put them through hell, forgot about them for a century and they have struggled ever since.
From 1986 to 1989 I spent every summer on the Reservation near Philadelphia as a Public Accountant performing an audit of the Choctaw Nation. From the middle of May till late August each of those years, I was on the reservation everyday and saw what Chief Philip Martin and the Tribal Council were trying to do for their people. Bring a better way of life with food, shelter and gainful employment. I saw the struggles and poverty. I observed first hand Philip Martin and the Tribal Council working with Local, State and Federal Government on issues that impacted the Tribe and the local community. Mostly trying to be fair to all parties and understanding the needs of everyone. Where were you? Where was the Governor back then?
What I admired about the folks that I met and worked with was that they never gave up in spite of having road blocks thrown in their way. They did not wait on the Local, State or even Federal Government to try and improve the lives of their people. They had several manufacturing plants that they built on the reservation. Gambling revenue was not even an option at the time. But it is now. As you noted, the Indians do have an agreement with this State on Gaming. Governor Barbour does not like that agreement. The land in question in South Mississippi has always been owned and considered part of the Reservation.
Again it boils down to the almighty Dollar. The Indians, like every other governmental body is just trying to figure out another way to take care of their people.
Shame on you. Shame on our Governor. Shame on our two U.S. senator’s. We have not even let them get to the table to try and negotiate a fair settlement before we once again slam the door in their face.
Whitney Williams
Belden, MS