Seminoles Could Have Poker

February 20, 2009

Sometimes it is hard to remember why we hire certain legislators to work on our behalf. It would seem that their job is to make sure that the rules are followed and that they ct in the best interest of the people. However, instead, sometimes they act in the best interest of their egos, and don’t really care how much taxpayer money gets wasted in the process.

The state was ready to sign a compact with the Seminole Tribe to give them slot machines. However, they also needed to give them poker because they wanted the tribe to give them some money back. Once they allowed slot machines in South Florida they had to let the tribe have them as well.

Charlie Crist went to them and signed a deal getting them to agree to give them revenue from the slot machines, and in return he gave them poker. This was great because most of the people who wanted to see the Seminoles get gambling wanted poker, and the tribe wanted it as well.

But the legislators got upset that Crist didn’t ask their opinion first and went to the courts and made them overturn the agreement that Crist had made with them. The problem is that they are going to be approving another version of basically the same agreement that Crist had made with them. They could have simply allowed that one to stand, the state would have been receiving money from poker from the tribe, and the taxpayers would not have had their money wasted.