PLATFORM : The Indian Gamble

The present dialogue surrounding the proposed institution of gambling on American Indian reservations would not even be a topic for debate were we speaking of any other cultural or national group, for example, the countries of Eastern Europe. Here are independent, autonomous nations struggling to establish both cultural identity and economic security.

Many of these nations are being actively encouraged by American business interests to consider public gambling as a legitimate source of income. Why should this kind of consideration be limited to independent nations outside American political boundaries? And why should American Indian leaders be subjected to a different set of standards than those that (allow state) gambling?

In these times of economic and social need, and in the face of perpetual hardship associated with reservation life, an opportunity for self-sufficiency and security cannot be ignored.