Examiner Local Editorial: Bad old days of D.C. government corruption are back
By: Examiner Editorial
Hard as it is to believe, major scandals involving Mayor Vincent Gray's campaign and transition team are being eclipsed by almost daily revelations of venality and highly questionable judgment by members of the D.C. Council. With six of 13 council members, including the chairman, currently or previously under ethics clouds, D.C.'s hard-won reputation as a professionally managed, modern city has quickly eroded. The ethical lapses are so numerous and so egregious that they immediately bring to mind the bad old days of rampant corruption during the ignominious administration of former Mayor Marion Barry.
The ongoing farce at the Wilson Building includes:
* Chairman Kwame "Fully Loaded" Brown: The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance filed a formal complaint with the Board of Elections and Ethics alleging that Brown's 2008 campaign failed to report more than $300,000, and that some of the unreported cash may have been back-channeled to entities doing business with the city. Yet Brown had the audacity to introduce an ethics bill that would set a ceiling on fines for just such violations.
* Jim "Hollywood" Graham: The Ward 1 council member somehow forgot to alert law enforcement in 2008 that he had been handed an envelope containing $2,600 in cash during a federal undercover sting that caught his former chief of staff taking bribes from taxi companies in return for steering favorable legislation through the council. Graham explained that he scotch-taped the envelope shut and initialed it ("I think I saw that in a movie someplace ... ") before handing it back.
* Michael "Luck Be A Lady" Brown: The Washington Post reported that this at-large member, who successfully shepherded the nation's first online gambling operation through the council with no public hearings, likewise forgot to mention that he had been paid $240,000 by an international law firm representing the online gaming industry.
*Harry "Play Ball" Thomas Jr.: The Ward 5 council member was accused of diverting $300,000 in taxpayer funds from a youth baseball program and then splurging on a $70,000 Audi SUV and golfing trips to Las Vegas and Pebble Beach. In a separate case, a federal judge gave Thomas two weeks to respond to allegations that he skipped out on $15,000 in student loans dating back to the 1980s.
Any still-untarnished council members must get off the sidelines and start demonstrating the principles of good government before it's too late to restore D.C.'s reputation or regain the public's trust.
Showing posts with label Washington D.C.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington D.C.. Show all posts
Saturday, June 18, 2011
D.C. officials' quest for cash and power leads to corruption charges
D.C. officials' quest for cash and power leads to corruption charges
By: Freeman Klopott
Examiner Staff Writer
A rapid expansion of the District's budget, easy access to campaign dollars and a taste for the high life have sparked a series of corruption charges not seen in D.C. since the mayoral reign of Marion Barry.
"The size of the city as an economic enterprise has nearly doubled [in the past decade].
There's more money in the campaigns, and combine that with a sense of entitlement and the temptation is great," said Bill Lightfoot, a former city councilman who also was the chairman of Mayor Adrian Fenty's failed re-election campaign.
The District's total budget has grown by about 43 percent over the past decade, going from $6.2 billion to the $10.8 billion spending plan for next fiscal year approved by the council this week. Over nearly the same period, campaign contributions to some citywide offices have almost doubled. All of those dollars have made winning the power of elected office more valuable, and might have turned some officials down unethical paths.
Mayor Vincent Gray and Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas are the subjects of federal investigations. The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance is pushing for another into Council Chairman Kwame Brown and is investigating Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander's alleged misuse of her constituent services fund. At-large Councilman Michael Brown pushed through a plan to legalize online gambling in the District without letting it be known he has ties to a law firm that was backing it.
Total dollars raised by winning candidates in citywide council elections
At-large council races:
2004: $481,000
2006: $751,000
2008: $1.3 million
2010: $774,000
Council Chairman races:
2006: $701,000
2010: $1.1 million
Total dollars raised by the two leading candidates in mayoral elections:
2006: $6.7 million
2010: $7.7 million
Source: Office of Campaign Finance
That makes for more investigations than at any given time during Barry's 16 years as mayor, although some of his top officials were jailed and he landed there, too, on a drug conviction.
"The overriding theme is that they're spending more than they're making on cars, trips and sailboats," said one council member, who spoke to The Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity. "They have easy access to money, and they're taking it."
Chairman Brown owns a 38-foot yacht named Bulletproof. It was his 2008 at-large campaign -- currently being scrutinized by the city's campaign finance sheriff -- that pushed the envelope on contributions to citywide elections. The uncontested campaign raised more than $825,000. Nearly one-third of those dollars were paid to a company owned by his brother via a third party, according to an OCF audit. The D.C. attorney general has accused Thomas of funneling more than $300,000 of city cash meant for kids into his wallet so he could buy an Audi sport utility vehicle and take golfing trips to Las Vegas and Pebble Beach, Calif. Both councilmen deny wrongdoing.
The accusations of campaign misdeeds leveled against Gray by former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown have drawn Congress into the mix of investigators. For now, though, "the [House oversight] committee is not looking to micromanage the District," a committee spokesman said.
D.C. is still riding on the momentum of the past decade's economic boom and a perception that the nation's capital finally became cool. But for how long, former Attorney General Peter Nickles said.
"When [District employees} read in the paper about fully loaded Kwame Brown, or Sulaimon Brown getting a $110,000 salary without an interview ... there's an adverse effect on their morale and that will do damage," Nickles said.
By: Freeman Klopott
Examiner Staff Writer
A rapid expansion of the District's budget, easy access to campaign dollars and a taste for the high life have sparked a series of corruption charges not seen in D.C. since the mayoral reign of Marion Barry.
"The size of the city as an economic enterprise has nearly doubled [in the past decade].
There's more money in the campaigns, and combine that with a sense of entitlement and the temptation is great," said Bill Lightfoot, a former city councilman who also was the chairman of Mayor Adrian Fenty's failed re-election campaign.
The District's total budget has grown by about 43 percent over the past decade, going from $6.2 billion to the $10.8 billion spending plan for next fiscal year approved by the council this week. Over nearly the same period, campaign contributions to some citywide offices have almost doubled. All of those dollars have made winning the power of elected office more valuable, and might have turned some officials down unethical paths.
Mayor Vincent Gray and Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas are the subjects of federal investigations. The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance is pushing for another into Council Chairman Kwame Brown and is investigating Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander's alleged misuse of her constituent services fund. At-large Councilman Michael Brown pushed through a plan to legalize online gambling in the District without letting it be known he has ties to a law firm that was backing it.
Total dollars raised by winning candidates in citywide council elections
At-large council races:
2004: $481,000
2006: $751,000
2008: $1.3 million
2010: $774,000
Council Chairman races:
2006: $701,000
2010: $1.1 million
Total dollars raised by the two leading candidates in mayoral elections:
2006: $6.7 million
2010: $7.7 million
Source: Office of Campaign Finance
That makes for more investigations than at any given time during Barry's 16 years as mayor, although some of his top officials were jailed and he landed there, too, on a drug conviction.
"The overriding theme is that they're spending more than they're making on cars, trips and sailboats," said one council member, who spoke to The Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity. "They have easy access to money, and they're taking it."
Chairman Brown owns a 38-foot yacht named Bulletproof. It was his 2008 at-large campaign -- currently being scrutinized by the city's campaign finance sheriff -- that pushed the envelope on contributions to citywide elections. The uncontested campaign raised more than $825,000. Nearly one-third of those dollars were paid to a company owned by his brother via a third party, according to an OCF audit. The D.C. attorney general has accused Thomas of funneling more than $300,000 of city cash meant for kids into his wallet so he could buy an Audi sport utility vehicle and take golfing trips to Las Vegas and Pebble Beach, Calif. Both councilmen deny wrongdoing.
The accusations of campaign misdeeds leveled against Gray by former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown have drawn Congress into the mix of investigators. For now, though, "the [House oversight] committee is not looking to micromanage the District," a committee spokesman said.
D.C. is still riding on the momentum of the past decade's economic boom and a perception that the nation's capital finally became cool. But for how long, former Attorney General Peter Nickles said.
"When [District employees} read in the paper about fully loaded Kwame Brown, or Sulaimon Brown getting a $110,000 salary without an interview ... there's an adverse effect on their morale and that will do damage," Nickles said.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
McCain's Gambling Connections
Stumbling across the blog entry at the bottom, was reminiscent of the articles written about Senator John McCain during the Presidential Election and his connection to Indian Casinos.
Some are included here --
The Fiasco of Deregulation
Senator McCain's Fairy Tale Image
Which includes - For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling [worth reading in its entirety]--
In 1994, Mr. McCain pushed an amendment that enabled dozens of additional tribes to win federal recognition and open casinos. And in 1998, Mr. McCain fought a Senate effort to rein in the boom.
He also voted twice in the last decade to give casinos tax breaks estimated to cost the government more than $326 million over a dozen years.
Author Shares Triumphant Battle against Compulsive Gambling in Self Published Release
Author Shares Triumphant Battle against Compulsive Gambling in Self Published Release
Compulsive gambling, also known as gambling addiction, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Unlike alcohol or drug addiction, compulsive gambling does not manifest any obvious physical symptoms, making this condition also known as the ‘hidden illness’.
Compulsive gamblers find it extremely difficult to control their urge to gamble. Gambling is all they could ever think about and want to do, even when it is already taking a toll on their loved ones, their work or their finances. Broke or not, depressed or happy or even when the stakes are not in their favor, people who are affected with compulsive gambling just cannot seem to stay out of the bet.
Compulsive gambling can cause relationships with loved ones to suffer, wreak havoc on responsibilities in the home or at work and drag you to financial burden. It is estimated that women make up 1/3 of the population who are compulsive gamblers and it continues to rise at present.
Author Rosemary A. Cunliffe North knows just how compulsive gambling can ruin everything good in a person, having been a gambling addict for more than seven years herself. This prompted her to self-publish the book, Women Overpowered by Compulsive Gambling. This Xlibris release is a personal account of how she succumbed to the baffling and insidious world of gambling, wallowing in the dark pitfalls of this addiction.
Moreover, Rosemary also shares that, like her, any compulsive gambler can get out of this rut. She believes that with other compulsive gamblers, especially women, can turn their life around and start a new and clean slate. Alongside diligence, determination and hard work, Rosemary inspires and enlightens others through her book.
Women Overpowered by Compulsive Gambling is published by Xlibris.
McCain is a high-stakes craps player who loves the pure, adrenalin-pumping, rush of the game. Obama is an exceedingly low-stakes poker player who sizes up his odds methodically and rarely loses money. It’s a great insight into the two personalities. And there’s an even better scoop a little further down. While I knew most of the details of Obama’s poker-playing, I had no idea McCain was such a hard-core gambler: In the past decade, [McCain] has played on Mississippi riverboats, on Indian land, in Caribbean craps pits and along the length of the Las Vegas Strip. Back in 2005 he joined a group of journalists at a magazine-industry conference in Puerto Rico, offering betting strategy on request. “Enjoying craps opens up a window on a central thread constant in John’s life,” says John Weaver, McCain’s former chief strategist, who followed him to many a casino. “Taking a chance, playing against the odds.” Aides say McCain tends to play for a few thousand dollars at a time and avoids taking markers, or loans, from the casinos, which he has helped regulate in Congress. “He never, ever plays on the house,” says Mark Salter, a McCain adviser. The goal, say several people familiar with his habit, is never financial. He loves the thrill of winning and the camaraderie at the table. Only recently have McCain’s aides urged him to pull back from the pastime. In the heat of the GOP primary fight last spring, he announced on a visit to the Vegas Strip that he was going to the casino floor …
The Fiasco of Deregulation
Senator McCain's Fairy Tale Image
Which includes - For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling [worth reading in its entirety]--
In 1994, Mr. McCain pushed an amendment that enabled dozens of additional tribes to win federal recognition and open casinos. And in 1998, Mr. McCain fought a Senate effort to rein in the boom.
He also voted twice in the last decade to give casinos tax breaks estimated to cost the government more than $326 million over a dozen years.
Author Shares Triumphant Battle against Compulsive Gambling in Self Published Release
Author Shares Triumphant Battle against Compulsive Gambling in Self Published Release
Compulsive gambling, also known as gambling addiction, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Unlike alcohol or drug addiction, compulsive gambling does not manifest any obvious physical symptoms, making this condition also known as the ‘hidden illness’.
Compulsive gamblers find it extremely difficult to control their urge to gamble. Gambling is all they could ever think about and want to do, even when it is already taking a toll on their loved ones, their work or their finances. Broke or not, depressed or happy or even when the stakes are not in their favor, people who are affected with compulsive gambling just cannot seem to stay out of the bet.
Compulsive gambling can cause relationships with loved ones to suffer, wreak havoc on responsibilities in the home or at work and drag you to financial burden. It is estimated that women make up 1/3 of the population who are compulsive gamblers and it continues to rise at present.
Author Rosemary A. Cunliffe North knows just how compulsive gambling can ruin everything good in a person, having been a gambling addict for more than seven years herself. This prompted her to self-publish the book, Women Overpowered by Compulsive Gambling. This Xlibris release is a personal account of how she succumbed to the baffling and insidious world of gambling, wallowing in the dark pitfalls of this addiction.
Moreover, Rosemary also shares that, like her, any compulsive gambler can get out of this rut. She believes that with other compulsive gamblers, especially women, can turn their life around and start a new and clean slate. Alongside diligence, determination and hard work, Rosemary inspires and enlightens others through her book.
Women Overpowered by Compulsive Gambling is published by Xlibris.
McCain is a high-stakes craps player who loves the pure, adrenalin-pumping, rush of the game. Obama is an exceedingly low-stakes poker player who sizes up his odds methodically and rarely loses money. It’s a great insight into the two personalities. And there’s an even better scoop a little further down. While I knew most of the details of Obama’s poker-playing, I had no idea McCain was such a hard-core gambler: In the past decade, [McCain] has played on Mississippi riverboats, on Indian land, in Caribbean craps pits and along the length of the Las Vegas Strip. Back in 2005 he joined a group of journalists at a magazine-industry conference in Puerto Rico, offering betting strategy on request. “Enjoying craps opens up a window on a central thread constant in John’s life,” says John Weaver, McCain’s former chief strategist, who followed him to many a casino. “Taking a chance, playing against the odds.” Aides say McCain tends to play for a few thousand dollars at a time and avoids taking markers, or loans, from the casinos, which he has helped regulate in Congress. “He never, ever plays on the house,” says Mark Salter, a McCain adviser. The goal, say several people familiar with his habit, is never financial. He loves the thrill of winning and the camaraderie at the table. Only recently have McCain’s aides urged him to pull back from the pastime. In the heat of the GOP primary fight last spring, he announced on a visit to the Vegas Strip that he was going to the casino floor …
Friday, December 17, 2010
Gaming the system
Gaming the system
This newspaper stands against any action that would spread the social, economic and personal damage done by gambling, on the Internet or elsewhere.
But everyone, pro- or anti-gambling, should be troubled by the Kabuki theater now being staged by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid regarding a bill that pretends to give the federal government control over the global phenomenon of online poker. His efforts to get the bill approved in the rush of lame-duck congressional business is bad policy, and his colleagues on both sides of the issue and both sides of the aisle would be wise to stage an intervention to stop him.
Reid, of course, represents Nevada, where a lot of people have a vested interest in who gets to gamble where. He was narrowly re-elected last month with heavy help from both the management and labor ends of the Las Vegas casino industry and Reid, never all that big on carrying water for the gambling game, obviously owes them something in return.
The apparent payback is a bill that claims to put limits on online poker websites. It does, at least on paper. But it also gives a federally protected advantage in the brave new world of online gambling to the existing (Las Vegas) casinos.
In theory, the bill would allow Americans to play online poker only through websites licensed by the U.S. Commerce Department. And the department would only be allowed to grant such licenses to operations that already have brick-and-mortar casinos up and running. That would, in theory, prevent a rush of online-only gambling sites from setting up shop in North Dakota, fleecing the pigeons until someone objected, then shutting down one URL and launching another.
But, like many seemingly reasonable regulatory actions, that would also amount to a protectionist rule for the companies that already dominate the gambling industry — and already give a lot of money to politicians. Reid is among them, of course, but so is Utah’s anti-gambling Sen. Orrin Hatch.
The bill would also throw a bone to Hatch, Rep. Jason Chaffetz and other Utah politicians by pretending to allow anti-gambling states such as Utah to keep online poker sites from doing business with Utah residents.
Of course, it’s all just as much a fraud as the promise of easy riches from gambling. Law or no law, Utahns and everyone else on Earth can play online poker on sites based anywhere from Aruba to the Isle of Man.
Our leaders are going to have to put a lot more thought into what, if anything, they can do about it. And they should do it in ways that are honest with the American people and not simply designed to curry favor with activists on one side or high rollers on the other.
This newspaper stands against any action that would spread the social, economic and personal damage done by gambling, on the Internet or elsewhere.
But everyone, pro- or anti-gambling, should be troubled by the Kabuki theater now being staged by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid regarding a bill that pretends to give the federal government control over the global phenomenon of online poker. His efforts to get the bill approved in the rush of lame-duck congressional business is bad policy, and his colleagues on both sides of the issue and both sides of the aisle would be wise to stage an intervention to stop him.
Reid, of course, represents Nevada, where a lot of people have a vested interest in who gets to gamble where. He was narrowly re-elected last month with heavy help from both the management and labor ends of the Las Vegas casino industry and Reid, never all that big on carrying water for the gambling game, obviously owes them something in return.
The apparent payback is a bill that claims to put limits on online poker websites. It does, at least on paper. But it also gives a federally protected advantage in the brave new world of online gambling to the existing (Las Vegas) casinos.
In theory, the bill would allow Americans to play online poker only through websites licensed by the U.S. Commerce Department. And the department would only be allowed to grant such licenses to operations that already have brick-and-mortar casinos up and running. That would, in theory, prevent a rush of online-only gambling sites from setting up shop in North Dakota, fleecing the pigeons until someone objected, then shutting down one URL and launching another.
But, like many seemingly reasonable regulatory actions, that would also amount to a protectionist rule for the companies that already dominate the gambling industry — and already give a lot of money to politicians. Reid is among them, of course, but so is Utah’s anti-gambling Sen. Orrin Hatch.
The bill would also throw a bone to Hatch, Rep. Jason Chaffetz and other Utah politicians by pretending to allow anti-gambling states such as Utah to keep online poker sites from doing business with Utah residents.
Of course, it’s all just as much a fraud as the promise of easy riches from gambling. Law or no law, Utahns and everyone else on Earth can play online poker on sites based anywhere from Aruba to the Isle of Man.
Our leaders are going to have to put a lot more thought into what, if anything, they can do about it. And they should do it in ways that are honest with the American people and not simply designed to curry favor with activists on one side or high rollers on the other.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Moral Bankruptcy of Washington
It wasn't so long ago that we were a proud nation that cared about each other.
Washington has turned us into Banana Republic residents fighting over crumbs and fighting each other.
It wasn't so long ago that we shared a common purpose.
Now we accuse 'the other' of being the cause of our demise.
The Democrats seek to stick a "Carcieri Fix" into the "Continuing Resolution" that will impoverish that many more of us [Section 2727 from H.R. 3082].
Senator Harry Reid seeks to tuck internet gambling into the "Continuing Resolution" to repay campaign contributors to allow us to bankrupt ourselves from the comfort of our own homes.
The Republicans seek to reward wealthy contributors with tax incentives for shipping jobs overseas.
Open Secrets provides the clues for a Democracy Bought and Sold.
Government should uplift, improve its citizens, support their Common Wealth.
A "Carcieri Fix" was added to the "Continuing Resolution"
House version, then removed from the Senate version.
Now, the Senate is considering passing the House version,
all very confusing and filled with many rumors.
It is important that you call your Senators and your Representatives
and ask them to support removing Section 2727 from H.R. 3082
or vote NO on the "Continuing Resolution."
This would make it possible for the Mashpee Wampanaog to take
Mashpee, Middleboro and Fall River land into trust and construct
Slot Barns in those locations once Beacon Hill approves gambling.
It would also allow the Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard and the
Narragansett Tribe in Rhode Island to do the same.
It would allow this around the country, regardless of community objection.
Section 2727 will amend the Indian Regulatory Act and allow the
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for all tribes, undoing
the Carcieri v Salazar SCOTUS decision.
Please make the calls to their Washington offices:
Senator John Kerry
(202) 224-2742
Senator Scott Brown
(202) 224-4543
For other Senators:
http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
For the telephone number of your Congressman:
http://www.house.gov/
I'm reminded --
In 1787, shortly after the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a woman interested in the proceedings approached Benjamin Franklin. "Well, doctor," she asked, "what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" The venerable champion of American liberty replied, "A republic, madame, if you can keep it."
Pennsylvania passed Gambling Legislation at midnight on the 4th of July.
How prophetic! Will you call your Senators and Congressman?
Washington has turned us into Banana Republic residents fighting over crumbs and fighting each other.
It wasn't so long ago that we shared a common purpose.
Now we accuse 'the other' of being the cause of our demise.
The Democrats seek to stick a "Carcieri Fix" into the "Continuing Resolution" that will impoverish that many more of us [Section 2727 from H.R. 3082].
Senator Harry Reid seeks to tuck internet gambling into the "Continuing Resolution" to repay campaign contributors to allow us to bankrupt ourselves from the comfort of our own homes.
The Republicans seek to reward wealthy contributors with tax incentives for shipping jobs overseas.
Open Secrets provides the clues for a Democracy Bought and Sold.
Government should uplift, improve its citizens, support their Common Wealth.
A "Carcieri Fix" was added to the "Continuing Resolution"
House version, then removed from the Senate version.
Now, the Senate is considering passing the House version,
all very confusing and filled with many rumors.
It is important that you call your Senators and your Representatives
and ask them to support removing Section 2727 from H.R. 3082
or vote NO on the "Continuing Resolution."
This would make it possible for the Mashpee Wampanaog to take
Mashpee, Middleboro and Fall River land into trust and construct
Slot Barns in those locations once Beacon Hill approves gambling.
It would also allow the Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard and the
Narragansett Tribe in Rhode Island to do the same.
It would allow this around the country, regardless of community objection.
Section 2727 will amend the Indian Regulatory Act and allow the
Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for all tribes, undoing
the Carcieri v Salazar SCOTUS decision.
Please make the calls to their Washington offices:
Senator John Kerry
(202) 224-2742
Senator Scott Brown
(202) 224-4543
For other Senators:
http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
For the telephone number of your Congressman:
http://www.house.gov/
I'm reminded --
In 1787, shortly after the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a woman interested in the proceedings approached Benjamin Franklin. "Well, doctor," she asked, "what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" The venerable champion of American liberty replied, "A republic, madame, if you can keep it."
Pennsylvania passed Gambling Legislation at midnight on the 4th of July.
How prophetic! Will you call your Senators and Congressman?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Dems Slip Indian Gambling Measure Into Spending Bill
Dems Slip Indian Gambling Measure Into Spending Bill
You’ve got to watch those Democrats every minute. Now they’ve gone and jeopardized the passage of the omnibus spending bill by sneaking in a provision to authorize Native American gambling casinos.
Byron York at the Washington Examiner.
“On Wednesday night the House voted, 212 to 206, to pass a giant spending bill that would keep parts of the government running for the next several months. But it turns out the measure, passed with no Republican votes, does more than that. A little-noticed provision inside the bill, pushed hard by Democrats, could also lead to a massive expansion in the number of casinos run by Indian tribes.
The measure would give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to quickly, and without approval from anyone else, take lands into trust for new tribes. What that means is this: A group of people with some native American background petitions the Secretary for recognition as an Indian tribe. That is approved. The new tribe owns a parcel of land and offers the land to the Interior Department for the purpose of the U.S. government taking title to the property — taking it into trust — and then allowing the tribe to use the land for its own purposes. That way, the new tribe doesn’t have to pay taxes on the land and is also protected from legal actions against them. Then the new tribe, enjoying those benefits of federal land ownership and not having to answer to any state or local authorities, opens a casino.”
Read Byron’s report in its entirety right here.
It’s underhanded political stunts such as this that cause much consternation in this country.
Five will get you ten that provision is ripped out of the bill in the Senate.
From: BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL
Dems slip Indian gambling measure into spending bill
On Wednesday night the House voted, 212 to 206, to pass a giant spending bill that would keep parts of the government running for the next several months. But it turns out the measure, passed with no Republican votes, does more than that. A little-noticed provision inside the bill, pushed hard by Democrats, could also lead to a massive expansion in the number of casinos run by Indian tribes.
The measure would give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to quickly, and without approval from anyone else, take lands into trust for new tribes. What that means is this: A group of people with some native American background petitions the Secretary for recognition as an Indian tribe. That is approved. The new tribe owns a parcel of land and offers the land to the Interior Department for the purpose of the U.S. government taking title to the property -- taking it into trust -- and then allowing the tribe to use the land for its own purposes. That way, the new tribe doesn't have to pay taxes on the land and is also protected from legal actions against them. Then the new tribe, enjoying those benefits of federal land ownership and not having to answer to any state or local authorities, opens a casino.
In the past, a Supreme Court decision limited such actions to tribes that were recognized at the time a 1930s law governing Indian affairs was passed. Under the new law passed by the House Wednesday night, any new group recognized as a tribe by the Secretary of the Interior -- without review by any other government body -- would be able to use that process.
"The Obama administration is aggressively pushing this," says a Senate GOP aide who is working to try to strip out the measure in the Senate. "There have been lots of pushes to recognize new tribes, basically for gambling purposes. Any group that claims it meets the criteria can apply to Interior to be recognized as a tribe. And this allows newly recognized tribes to take land into trust so that they can operate casinos."
The big spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, will be considered by the Senate next week. (At the moment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to push an online gambling legalization measure into tax-cut legislation.) Given local opposition to gambling expansion in many parts of the country, and fearing that the House version containing the new Indian land measure will pass without much notice, Republicans are trying to sound the alarm. "If no one talks about this," says the aide, "in two years, people will be saying, 'Why are there so many more casinos? What the hell happened?'"
You’ve got to watch those Democrats every minute. Now they’ve gone and jeopardized the passage of the omnibus spending bill by sneaking in a provision to authorize Native American gambling casinos.
Byron York at the Washington Examiner.
“On Wednesday night the House voted, 212 to 206, to pass a giant spending bill that would keep parts of the government running for the next several months. But it turns out the measure, passed with no Republican votes, does more than that. A little-noticed provision inside the bill, pushed hard by Democrats, could also lead to a massive expansion in the number of casinos run by Indian tribes.
The measure would give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to quickly, and without approval from anyone else, take lands into trust for new tribes. What that means is this: A group of people with some native American background petitions the Secretary for recognition as an Indian tribe. That is approved. The new tribe owns a parcel of land and offers the land to the Interior Department for the purpose of the U.S. government taking title to the property — taking it into trust — and then allowing the tribe to use the land for its own purposes. That way, the new tribe doesn’t have to pay taxes on the land and is also protected from legal actions against them. Then the new tribe, enjoying those benefits of federal land ownership and not having to answer to any state or local authorities, opens a casino.”
Read Byron’s report in its entirety right here.
It’s underhanded political stunts such as this that cause much consternation in this country.
Five will get you ten that provision is ripped out of the bill in the Senate.
From: BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL
Dems slip Indian gambling measure into spending bill
On Wednesday night the House voted, 212 to 206, to pass a giant spending bill that would keep parts of the government running for the next several months. But it turns out the measure, passed with no Republican votes, does more than that. A little-noticed provision inside the bill, pushed hard by Democrats, could also lead to a massive expansion in the number of casinos run by Indian tribes.
The measure would give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to quickly, and without approval from anyone else, take lands into trust for new tribes. What that means is this: A group of people with some native American background petitions the Secretary for recognition as an Indian tribe. That is approved. The new tribe owns a parcel of land and offers the land to the Interior Department for the purpose of the U.S. government taking title to the property -- taking it into trust -- and then allowing the tribe to use the land for its own purposes. That way, the new tribe doesn't have to pay taxes on the land and is also protected from legal actions against them. Then the new tribe, enjoying those benefits of federal land ownership and not having to answer to any state or local authorities, opens a casino.
In the past, a Supreme Court decision limited such actions to tribes that were recognized at the time a 1930s law governing Indian affairs was passed. Under the new law passed by the House Wednesday night, any new group recognized as a tribe by the Secretary of the Interior -- without review by any other government body -- would be able to use that process.
"The Obama administration is aggressively pushing this," says a Senate GOP aide who is working to try to strip out the measure in the Senate. "There have been lots of pushes to recognize new tribes, basically for gambling purposes. Any group that claims it meets the criteria can apply to Interior to be recognized as a tribe. And this allows newly recognized tribes to take land into trust so that they can operate casinos."
The big spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, will be considered by the Senate next week. (At the moment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to push an online gambling legalization measure into tax-cut legislation.) Given local opposition to gambling expansion in many parts of the country, and fearing that the House version containing the new Indian land measure will pass without much notice, Republicans are trying to sound the alarm. "If no one talks about this," says the aide, "in two years, people will be saying, 'Why are there so many more casinos? What the hell happened?'"
Friday, December 3, 2010
Secret negotiations in D.C.
Senate Leadership Accused of Secret Plan to Legalize U.S. Online Gambling
Three U.S. House Republicans are objecting to what they call a “secretive, closed-door, undemocratic” effort in the Senate to pass legislation that would legalize and tax some Internet gambling before Congress adjourns this year.
Representatives Spencer Bachus, Dave Camp and Lamar Smith, all in line to be committee chairmen with oversight of online gambling when Republicans take control of the House in January, said they have learned that the Senate may attach a measure to “must-pass” legislation during the current lame-duck session.
“Creating a federal right to gamble that has never existed in our country’s history and imposing an unprecedented new tax regime on such activity require careful deliberation, not back- room deals,” the lawmakers said in a Dec. 1 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Internet gambling has provoked heated debate in Congress over the past few years. Proponents say regulating online poker and other games would bring billions into federal coffers, while opponents contend that it would encourage Americans to make poor financial choices and could open the market to children.
A House committee in July approved legislation that would legalize some Internet gambling, allowing U.S. residents to place online wagers with companies the Treasury Department has licensed. It has not been taken up by the full House or in the Senate.
Processing Payments
The House measure, sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would override a law designed to block such betting. That law, which was enacted in 2006 and took effect in June, bars banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites.
The Senate legislation is similar to Frank’s bill. The House proposal requires licensed gambling companies to have safeguards to protect against underage and compulsive gambling and to prevent people from placing bets online in states that prohibit it.
Reid, of Nevada, has large gambling interests in his state. A spokesman for Reid, Jim Manley, said in an e-mail that he had no comment.
The three House opponents -- Bachus of Alabama, Camp of Michigan and Smith of Texas -- are in line to be chairmen of the Financial Services Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the Judiciary Committee, respectively. Each panel would have some jurisdiction over the measure.
“We also are concerned that this new rush to embrace Internet casino gambling might be partially motivated by one of the gravest sins that afflicts this Congress: desperation for more tax dollars to pay for ever-increasing federal spending,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues.”
Approving such controversial legislation by attaching it to another bill would be “a secretive, closed-door, undemocratic process,” they said.
Three U.S. House Republicans are objecting to what they call a “secretive, closed-door, undemocratic” effort in the Senate to pass legislation that would legalize and tax some Internet gambling before Congress adjourns this year.
Representatives Spencer Bachus, Dave Camp and Lamar Smith, all in line to be committee chairmen with oversight of online gambling when Republicans take control of the House in January, said they have learned that the Senate may attach a measure to “must-pass” legislation during the current lame-duck session.
“Creating a federal right to gamble that has never existed in our country’s history and imposing an unprecedented new tax regime on such activity require careful deliberation, not back- room deals,” the lawmakers said in a Dec. 1 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Internet gambling has provoked heated debate in Congress over the past few years. Proponents say regulating online poker and other games would bring billions into federal coffers, while opponents contend that it would encourage Americans to make poor financial choices and could open the market to children.
A House committee in July approved legislation that would legalize some Internet gambling, allowing U.S. residents to place online wagers with companies the Treasury Department has licensed. It has not been taken up by the full House or in the Senate.
Processing Payments
The House measure, sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would override a law designed to block such betting. That law, which was enacted in 2006 and took effect in June, bars banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites.
The Senate legislation is similar to Frank’s bill. The House proposal requires licensed gambling companies to have safeguards to protect against underage and compulsive gambling and to prevent people from placing bets online in states that prohibit it.
Reid, of Nevada, has large gambling interests in his state. A spokesman for Reid, Jim Manley, said in an e-mail that he had no comment.
The three House opponents -- Bachus of Alabama, Camp of Michigan and Smith of Texas -- are in line to be chairmen of the Financial Services Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the Judiciary Committee, respectively. Each panel would have some jurisdiction over the measure.
“We also are concerned that this new rush to embrace Internet casino gambling might be partially motivated by one of the gravest sins that afflicts this Congress: desperation for more tax dollars to pay for ever-increasing federal spending,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues.”
Approving such controversial legislation by attaching it to another bill would be “a secretive, closed-door, undemocratic process,” they said.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
DC: Lottery Revenues Decline, Poor Business Partners
As Beacon Hill races to embrace an Industry taxpayers will support, the experience of D.C. highlights the inability of officials to effectively scrutinize business partners, as well as the decline in lottery revenues caused by competing gambling products.
Gambling dollars are limited.
Shaky businesses, suits trail D.C. Lottery partner
D.C. Lottery partner Emmanuel S. Bailey's business profile boasts of having deep political contacts at the federal and state levels, multiple businesses and "successful executive careers in finance and banking."
So it seemed a natural fit when the well-connected former Fannie Mae executive signed with Intralot, the Greek-based international gambling company that won the District's $38 million lottery contract and needed a local face to gain D.C. Council approval.
....Historically perceived as a license to print money, even the two companies who vied for the D.C. contract are lukewarm about its prospects.
Intralot Vice President Byron E. Boothe Jr. said D.C. Lottery revenues dropped from $275 million to $240 million this past year, and are expected to dip below $200 million in the coming years. The reason? The District's lottery revenues are draining into Maryland, which has approved slot machines, and - along with Virginia - has begun selling both Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.
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