
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
July 1, 2005
/ 24 Sivan, 5765
A tale of Washington corruption
By
Rich Lowry
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a high-profile hearing
last week into the shady work of Republican Party lobbyist Jack
Abramoff, who is accused of fleecing Indian tribes. Everyone
professed great hand-wringing sympathy for the tribes over how badly
they had allegedly been treated. Oh, please. This is a trail of
tears partly of their own making.
In one of the most famous cases, Abramoff lobbied on behalf of
the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, which spent gobs of money to try
to keep a tribal competitor from opening a casino that would eat
into its own lucrative casino profits. The only principle at stake
here was cash, cash and more cash. And tribes now complain about
Abramoff's greed? "They were trying to protect their stash," says
the Rev. Tom Grey of The National Coalition Against Legalized
Gambling.
Abramoff has garnered extensive coverage because of his
proximity to Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, but the
process by which tribes get casinos was hardly an example of clean
government before Abramoff started getting rich off it. If you have
obscenely well-heeled special interests i.e., certain Indian
tribes dependent for their wealth on the obscure decisions of
Washington bureaucrats, it would be shocking if corruption wasn't
the result.
Out of roughly 350 Indian tribes in the continental U.S., more
than 250 host gambling operations, garnering $18.5 billion a year.
They pour a portion of that cash into congressional contributions
($10 million in the last election cycle) and lobbying, all meant to
protect and expand their moneymaking casinos. Abramoff and associate
Michael Scanlon earned $32 million in three years from the Coushatta
Tribe, which seems like a lot until you realize that the tribe of
837 people makes $300 million a year from its casino, according to
Michael Crowley of The New Republic.
Tribes need federal recognition and their lands to be put in
trust in order to open casinos. Getting these approvals from the
Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs makes for some of
Washington's dirtiest dealing. Under the Clinton administration, the
Interior Department was politicized, and Democrats milked tribes for
contributions. Two-thirds of Indian congressional donations still go
to Democrats, according to Crowley.
Gambling opponents hoped President Bush would clean up the BIA.
Instead, GOP politicians and lobbyists now milk casino-hungry
Indians in turn. Bush spoke out against gambling in the 2000
campaign, but has gone silent since. "You have a pattern of people
close to Bush making money off the BIA," says Grey. A few months
ago, Bush's head of the BIA, Dave Anderson, resigned over
conflict-of-interest charges.
Reformers want a moratorium on BIA recognitions of new tribes,
many of which are dubious fronts for gambling interests. No fewer
than 200 tribes are now petitioning for recognition. These tribes
would happily hire Abramoff if he were available. The General
Accounting Office has warned that BIA decisions have less to do with
the merits and "more to do with the resources that petitioners and
third parties can marshal to develop a successful political
strategy."
Reformers want the BIA to put an end to "reservation shopping,"
the practice of tribes getting property for casinos large distances
from their tribal lands. The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma
have asked the Interior Department for 27 million acres in
northeastern Colorado that is supposedly their honored tribal right
but have stipulated that they would be perfectly happy to settle
for 500 acres near the Denver International Airport for a casino
instead.
And reformers want to end the revolving door that has former BIA
officials becoming representatives of casino-hungry tribes. In a
notorious case, the Ione Band in California experienced what some
members considered a kind of hostile takeover by former BIA
officials and their relatives who are now in a position to profit
handsomely if its proposed $100 million casino is built.
Don't expect change at the BIA soon too many people are
getting too rich. Including the kind of greedy Indian tribes that
found a natural partner in Jack Abramoff.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Rich Lowry Archives
© 2005 King Features Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|