On January 9th, 2007 Senator David Vitter, R-La., attempted to renew an amendment to define tribal governments as corporations under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
The amendment came up as Congress debated an ethics and lobbying reform package, S. 1 in the Senate, which is a priority of the new Democratic majority. Vitter's amendment - ''To modify the application of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to Indian tribes.''
In the past, this amendment has been defeated by extensive lobbying efforts from Tribal governments from across the country who claimed that limiting the campaign contributions of Tribes would limit their participation in the political process.
What the Tribes aren't disclosing is that many of their actions and activities are on the same standing as a corporation. For instance, Tribal governments in California generally act as the heads of their government and the heads of their development corporations (casinos usually). These casino operations generate tremendous profits for the Tribes which they pass on to their membership shareholders as 'per capita' payments, just like a corporation would pass on its profits to its stock holders.
The California Supreme Court recently ruled against the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla band of Indians over their donations into the California political system. The Court felt that the Tribe was able to wield too much influence in the political system without enough checks and balances being applied to their contributions.
When looking back at the Abramoff scandal, it seems apparent that the Tribal governments have been using this same type of influence on the national level. What is truly at stack here is not Tribal sovereignty but political integrity of a system that has come into dire need of a boost in its integrity in the past decade.
The bottom line is Tribe's want to be considered sovereign nations. Sovereign nations are not allowed to contribute money to political campaigns in the United States. If a Tribe wants to divert money from their corporate developments (casinos and whatnot), then they should be classified as a corporation for the purposes of limiting and reporting their donations.
Currently, Tribes are enjoying tremendous and liberal treatment under the law when you consider that they are virtually immune from every civil law on the books. If the Tribes aren't subject to US laws, they shouldn't be able to participate in manipulating them either. That's a right reserved for citizens of the United States who are American Indians, not the groups who would be Kings among the Natives.
Please support the Senator's drive to make these changes. The Tribe's are going to throw the big bucks at preventing any changes in the status quo, so its up to the rest of us to make the Congress do what's right.
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