Weighing in

Idaho’s federally recognized Indian tribes, citing their growing economic clout statewide, want Gov. Butch Otter to create a Cabinet-level post dedicated to improving tribal relations. The governor’s staff described the proposal as little more than an idea that arose during a meeting with tribal respresentatives, but it quickly drew mixed reactions from readers, who shared their thoughts on spokesman.com’s Huckleberries Online blog.

Kage_Mann: Oh, great, some more government bureaucracy. The state of Idaho was bankrupt and had to receive federal monies to bail itself out … . So, now is not the time to create another state government dept.

JamesBond: We need to spend more money. Mexico and Canada also deserve a place in Otter’s Cabinet! Micron does too. And the Vatican.

Hmoffsuite: Cancel the bingo casino licenses that give the tribes an unfair advantage over private business enterprises if they have a problem with the way things are. I think the Indians are getting too aggressive in some respects.

ShoshoneConser- vative: Actually, I’ve always thought that they should allow the tribes to send nonvoting delegates to the Legislature, who would have a voice in debate, much like what Puerto Rico, Guam, D.C., etc., have in Congress. There are a lot of issues, like water rights legislation, land issues and jurisdictional issues, where having the tribes at the table from the get-go, and at least hearing their position, could save a lot of grief, litigation and money down the road.

Hmoffsuite: That would be a reasonable solution. I was somewhat curious as to how other states have handled this issue. I’m guessing they have pretty good representation in California. They, the Indians, have a lot of clout there. I guess once governments become intoxicated with the bingo revenue, arrangements can be made. Too bad they don’t calculate the social costs when they enable gambling.

Spokelooneh: Indian gambling casinos are … revenge for centuries of white men that forced them off their lands, broke treaty after treaty with them, and attempted with brutal fashion to destroy their indigenous culture. Without all the white retirees throwing away their children’s inheritance on mindless gambling, there’d be no demand for Indian casinos. And it’s practically recession-proof, as those Social Security checks and pension checks continue to come in, each and every month. And those casino jobs are damn near impossible to outsource to Pakistan.