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Congressman Trent Franks - "Bend over Indians, you still have something valuable us white folks have not stolen"
Looks like Congressman Trent Franks wants to continue a long history of the American government screwing the Indians! Tohono O'odham Nation official assails anti-casino bill by Sonu Munshi - Dec. 6, 2011 09:55 PM The Arizona Republic The Tohono O'odham Nation's chairman, in Peoria on Tuesday, blasted Arizona Congressman Trent Franks' bill to stop a proposed West Valley casino. Ned Norris Jr. spoke at a Peoria Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Taking aim at those opposed to the southern Arizona tribe's plans, which includes Glendale and several tribes such as the Gila River Indian Community and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Norris said the tribe has been accused of violating the law. "If we're violating the law, why is the opposition now moving to change the law?" Norris said, referring to House Resolution 2938. Franks' bill would ban most gambling on replacement lands taken into the reservation system for the Tohono O'odham Nation, altering a 25-year-old settlement between Congress and the tribe. The settlement allowed the tribe to replace reservation land damaged by a federal government-built dam. Norris said the underlying motivation behind the bill is to "protect market share of a certain select group of people." Since unveiling the proposed resort and casino three years ago, the tribe has touted the jobs it would bring. Responding to a question at the meeting, Norris said a majority of those jobs would likely go to non-Indian people. He said that, at the tribe's other operations, it works out to about a 70-30 split, with most being non-Native employees. Afterward, Norris responded to questions about the number of jobs estimated by the tribe: 6,000 during construction and 3,000 permanent positions. The tribe has said about half of the permanent jobs would be direct hires and the rest would grow around the venture. Tohono O'odham leaders have continued to use those numbers even after they downsized the casino by two-thirds because of a land dispute with Glendale. The tribe has since won that legal battle, and Norris told The Republic there still is a possibility the tribe could revert to the full-scale project. "We are still reassessing our options on the size of the facility," Norris said. "And that's what the number would ultimately be if we went back to that full scale, and that option is still there." He said the tribe has commissioned another economic study to consider the project's impact on the current 54 acres or larger. Critics of the plan to build the casino at 95th and Northern Avenues say it would violate the state gaming compact of 2002, which was supported by Arizona's tribes, the state and the voters. They say the compact limits the number of casinos allowed in the Valley to the seven that already exist. A federal court case on the matter is pending. Norris maintained that the tribe, even under Proposition 202, is authorized to conduct gaming operations because it is allowed four operations and right now has three. |