You are also right, however, that there’s not a specific exemption written into the bill, so this seems to have spiraled out of control.

I heard the concern about how businesses close to the casinos would deal with the ban not applying to the casinos. … but I guess if some stupid, smelly cancer craver is going to drive extra miles to stink up the place while he/she eats dinner, so be it.

I oppose that the bans need to be legislated. If smoking is so awful, then criminalize the product. Quit dragging it out over decades.

This is just stupid.

And there is only one Indian specific exemption in the bill, and that is for religious uses of smoke for OFF RESERVATION purposes. There is absolutely no exception in the law allowing smoking in casinos, and I defy anyone to prove otherwise.

I guess what I am saying is, Steve Sviggum is a liar, and there isn’t a damn thing any one of you can do to dispute my claim.

Denying the impropriety doesn’t negate that it exists you liberal pukes.

Again, why is the DFL accepting political donations from a sovereign nation? That race card has been overplayed, Freddy. Canadians can’t donate to the DFL.

1) Reservations are Soverign lands under the direct authority of the federal government. No state smoking ban will be enforceable on said reservations.

2) There is NO exemption in the bill saying this. It has been this way for the history of tribal sovereignty.

3) Republicans claim to be the party of free will, unless that free will is being exhibited by sovereign nations who donate money to their opponents.

4) If Canadians were big donors to the democrats, Steve Sviggum would attempt to pass an Ontario smoking ban, even though he lacks the authority.

5) Republicans are proving with this issue that racism is alive and well as a party platform.

And if you think that the DFL gets tribal money for their federal candidates, your are nuts. In fact, much of the money sits in state accounts that can’t be used for federal candidates (and there is a lot of tribal money in state candidate accounts).

What you wrote here should embarrass you.

So Bob, are you going to retract this article since its author is blatanly misinformed and it has no tenable point to make? For your own credibilty, I hope so.

Citations to the gaming compacts are good to (knock me over with a feather)… but I don’t know that clears up whether the state has authority to regulate certain business activities, particularly in the gaming industry.

Does the state have no authority over food-safety, liquor licenses (liquor is not served at Mystic, but is at others) etc? If not, then who… Fed gov’t doesn’t…

If the state has authority in these areas, then it must have the same regarding smoking bans… and if that is the case, then there is no reason to exempt casinos from those bans. This isn’t really about regulating gaming, afterall.

Moreover, if the State has no authority… then why write in the exemption? Seems like contributions by the tribes have paid off in special treatment by the DFL.

Again, I’m a non-smoker and also oppose the bans (if Tobacco is that bad, ban the product not where it’s used… solve the problem, don’t create a cause… blah blah blah)…

If someone can indicate definitively that the State actually has no purview over labor, food, etc… then please cite it.

I appreciate that you are against the state wide smoking ban. But if the ban is going to pass, why shouldn’t we try to force Indian casinos to be smoke free? Assuming the arguments are correct, second hand smoke doesn’t stop causing cancer when it gets on the Indian Reservations.

You are correct that the compacts were negotiated in perpetuity. Who can we, the taxpayers of Minnesota, thank for that? Skip Humphrey and the DFL. What does the DFL receive as its thanks? Millions of dollars in donations. I know you are against big corporations puting money into politics. At least they have to do it through individual donations to PACs. The tribes can literally pull Brinks trucks to the side of the casinos and fill them up with money to be used as campaign contributions. No other business in the United States can do that — not even Las Vegas casinos.

If the DFL wants to save lives by passing the smoking ban, they should do everything they can to protect the thousands of lives who visit and work for tribal casinos.

Oh, they let them have casinos, and they’re raking it in! We can’t even have video poker, and now we have to go smoke-free? Might as well burn the bar down for the insurance.

As a non-smoker, I’m against the smoking ban in bars and bar-restaurants where the food is smaller business. There should be legal ways to congregate and engage in legal activity. Otherwise just ban cigarettes altogether.

Smoking on Indian reservations is under the jurisdiction of the tribes, as far as I can tell. There is no Minnesota government agency with responsibility for overseeing tribal gaming. Federal law treads lightly.

We have non-expiring compacts with the tribes. We cannot force renegotiation or terminate them unilaterally. Nor can we tax gaming revenues.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/issinfo/gambling.htm

http://www.nigc.gov/LawsRegulations/IndianGamingRegulatoryAct/tabid/605/Default.aspx

The idea of withholding other monies is interesting, but probably ineffective. Seems to me that tribes are already working hand-in-hand with local governments to improve road access – no one wants to sink those efforts by tribes to invest back into the state.

At any rate, we shouldn’t attempt to force Indian casinos to be non-smoking. Mistake Lake already provides large non-smoking areas to accomodate us non-smokers, and I for one really appreciate it.

Don’t slip and fall at a casino – you’re out of luck. If you’re an employee and are injured on the job, forget about it because they’re not interested in helping you (unless you’re one of them). It is sincerely a major risk for any non-indian to walk onto their property.

If they’re not interested in helping you after your injury (employee or customer), you don’t have ANY recourse. None. Zero.

Why any non-indian would ever step foot in one of these places is beyond me.

Rudy… see my advice to Sammie.

No, the family values party was using what little leverage it had to get the rich tribes to share the wealth with the poor tribes.

I guess we see how the Unions rate.

The Dems are under the thumb of the Unions only up to the point that it conflicts with the Tribes.

So the family values party wanted to increase gambling hugely in the Twin Cities

The Democrats, you know, the little feller, worked to keep improvished tribes poor so their rich donators can become even richer yet.

If the DFL had no power to help or hurt the tribes why would the tribes try to buy them off.

If they are not willing to do so, it seems to follow that they are willing to purposely hurt workers in order to protect these mega donors.

It is pretty shameful that if you give some DFLers enough money, they are willing to give people cancer. (assuming you buy into the second hand smoke arguments, which those DFLer must).

http://www.cfbreport.state.mn.us/pdfStorage/2006/CampFin/YE/30555.pdf

It is certainly worth looking into. I wonder if our “watchdogs” in the media will do so?

LL

I am smart enough to make my own decisions. I know I am smarter than 99% of the elected officials and I know I can make better decisions than they can make for me.

I am even smart enough to know that if I go outsider today, in this ear of glabal warming, when the temperature is -10 F, that i need to wear a hat. I can’t believe I knew that without a law requiring me to do so.

I am also pro glass container, even booze containers, on beaches and boats!!!!

I think we’ll have an amendment that will include the casinos. This would make sense since the DFL says this is all about health. The DFL will be backed into a corner on defending health.

FYI, for the record, I am OPPOSED to any smoking restrictions. if you don’t like it, don’t go to the bar, casino, or restaurant. If this is such a good idea, open up an establishment that is smoke free.

The DFL at least has the balls to be hypocrits and fugure out how to sell this to the public.

The GOP lacks the guts to stand on principal and stand up to the anti-smoking zealots and defend small independents businesses like bars and restaurants. The GOP does not deserve our support if they are not going to defend property rights and liberty in Minnesota.

At least the DFL is willing to go to bat for those who donate. The GOP is just ignoring the thousands of small business owners who make up a large part of their constituency.

Also, do you think that the wait staff on Casinos earns the lower $2.85 per hour federal minimum wage (for those earning tips), or do you think they make the higher Minnesota state mandated minimum?

A complex matter to be sure, but to be sure, the state has authority to regulate certain aspects of any business whether on a reservation or not.

Thanks to the millions they’ve given to grease the skids, the DFL handed the tribes a sweetheart deal in the 1988(?)… and continues to ensure their monopoly on gaming in Minnesota. This is no exception.

Will the DFL propose this?

The DFL is just bought and paid for by this and other special interests, so it is highly doubtful that they will take the necessary steps.

This isn’t about worker’s safety or anything of the sort, otherwise the DFL wouldn’t stand for this blatant inconsistency.

While there is at least the appearance that ban proponents are going to get their wish this session, there is still going to be a fight.

It will be interesting to see if the DFL stands up to this powerful interest in order to remain consistent in their position on this issue.

I doubt it.

You could make the argument that the Democrats are helping eliminate competition for the tribal casino’s. Not sure if the Bemidji paper knows something else about what power the state has over casinos.

And yet they expect us to build their roads for them, give them welfare when they want it, etc. etc. etc.

How signed this bad deal? Time to say “if you’re going to be an American, and if you’re going to use our services, then it’s time to actually BE an American who just happens to be of (insert tribe name here) decent and move on.”

Given this bad deal one has to wonder why they feel it necessary to fund the DFL party?

(for the record, i think it’s stupid that they’ll be exempt, but just letting you know the facts)