In 1988. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act set uping bet oning on Indian reserves as a agency of assisting tribes become self-sufficing and less dependent on authorities dole-outs. Donald Bartlett and James B. Steele co-wrote an article which appeared in Time magazine on December 16. 2002 entitled “Wheel of Misfortune” negatively knocking the effects of establishing the said Act. A twenty-four hours subsequently. the Native American Times published an column which contains dissenting statements against the first article.
Harmonizing to Bartlett and Steele. the major defect of the Act is the unequal redistribution of net incomes derived from bet oning in the militias: “It gives one million millions of dollars to the white angels of Indian concerns and nil to hundred of Native Americans life in poverty…hundreds of 1000000s of dollars to one Indian folk with a few twelve numbers—and non a penny to a folk with 100s of 1000s of members… ( 78 ) ” The majority of the essay expounds and provides grounds to these averments. It besides points to the fact that while these folks earn tax-exempt grosss. they continue to roll up 1000000s in authorities assistance.
The Native American Times column. interim. accuses the Time magazine article as merely a piece that “fan the fires of racism with prevarications ( “Indian Gaming” 84 ) ” and returns to either refute or warrant the points raised of the latter. Bartlett and Steele claim that merely a few Indians are profiting financially from the Native-American gambling industry therefore get the better ofing the intent of the act. which is to raise the mean Native American out of poorness. At the same clip. a high per centum of the net incomes from these moneymaking casinos go to the affluent leaders of folks.
The column counters this statement by saying that there are varied grounds why some folks do good than others. It cites the instance of Oklahoma. place to more Native Americans than any other province. The province prohibits Class III chancing therefore forestalling an chance for the Native Americans in Oklahoma from recognizing the Congressional Act. Today tribes continue to “fight with every resource available to them to keep off those who would direct them back to the metaphoric reserve ( “Indian Gaming 85 ) . ” The column besides praises the success narrative of the Shakopee folk which the Time magazine article derides.
The success is well-deserved. harmonizing to the column. since this group has experienced one of the most agonizing histories of force inflicted against Native Americans. For all its passionate defence and unfavorable judgment of the Time magazine article. the column of the Native American Times does non touch on the other issues raised by the former like cronyism among the tribal leaders. the engagement of white Americans behind the casino operations. and the applications for acknowledgment by nonextant folks that all of a sudden resurrects because of the concern chance.
Then once more. the former is a lengthier and more elaborate presentation complete with figures and facts. in maintaining besides with its being an fact-finding article. However. it can be argued that the column does non necessitate to rebut the Time magazine article point by point and that its full statement is summed up when the column author states that the ground why people like Bartlett and Steele are being excessively critical about the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is because “the idea of rich Indians is against nature we can merely presume ( 85 ) . Inequality. anomalousnesss. and other issues about the Native American and their casinos may be but they are no different to those in regular gambling industries. Despite some affluent members. Native Americans are still the poorest and most exploited people in America.
