Passamaquoddy, county unified for political clout

Maine’s House of Representatives recently passed a joint order directing the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs to report on a bill authorizing a referendum to allow a tribal commercial harness racing track. The House voted 98 to 44 to pass the joint order. The Senate voted 17 to 16 against it. The real story, how-ever, is that Democrats voted it down.

Twelve of 17 Democrats, most from southern Maine, and Joe Perry of Bangor, voted to guard their client base from getting off welfare. The Democrats have been smart enough to cultivate their client base. This has kept the tribes poor and thus lacking political clout. The same might be said of all of Washington County.

The Baldacci administration asked me to serve on the Washington County Economic Task Force. I accepted the challenge with pleasure and a sense of duty. I believe Gov. John Baldacci and David Flanagan have come to realize (and have stated in print) what all of Washington County already knows: If Washington County and the Passamaquoddy Tribe are to escape its continuous state of welfare, we collectively must do it for ourselves.

My viewpoint is shared by many other leaders in Washington County; the tribe is one of Washington County’s greatest assets. Throughout their 400-year history with Europeans, the tribes have consistently demonstrated their willingness to share. Today’s effort is no different. Besides the customary cut the state will receive from a commercial race track with slot machines in Washington County, the tribe has pledged approximately $500,000 annually to Washington County Community College, approximately $500,000 annually to Washington County Economic Development Authority, a pledge to support the Downeast Heritage Museum and a pledge to support Washington County schools.

The problem is that the elite power player Democrats in Augusta, southern Maine and Bangor don’t want to lose their hold over the poor, the downtrodden and the underprivileged they are supposedly trying to protect in Washington County. At the same time, Bangor Democrat Pat Blanchette is making a blatant case to undermine competition by suggesting that the people of Washington County might bring unsavory characters to the region as a means of scaring the public. She wears her agenda

on her sleeve.

How terrible it would be for big- spending Democrats if the tribe had enough wealth that they might build tennis courts, parks and sports stadiums. At that point, the tribe and the people of Washington County might enjoy a deserved level of influence in Augusta.

To understand the risk that the Senate Democrats are taking by voting down the joint order, one must understand the history of political support the Passamaquoddy peoples have given to the Democrats. The Passamaquoddies did not enjoy the privilege of voting until 1967 when Ed Muskie made sure that voting became a right for the tribes of Maine. Democratic Sen. Muskie voted for the tribes. Democratic Gov. Baldacci voted against them. So much for the Passamaquoddies being loyal to the Democrats.

From 1820s to 1975 the tribes of the state of Maine were literally wards of the state. They were governed by Health and Welfare and later by Department of Indian Affairs. Forced on welfare they never wanted, they still find themselves in the perpetual state of welfare.

Purposefully keeping the tribes on welfare keeps the need for big state spending on entitlement programs looking like the main character of my daughters current favorite movie, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Each day the cartoon caterpillar eats more and more and gets fatter and fatter until it resembles the big spending bureaucratic welfare machine we call the state of Maine. But Maine doesn’t turn into a butterfly.

Some of the questions opponents ask about the proposed racino in Washington County include:

1. Is there enough population to support two racinos within 100 miles of each other?

A. Capitalism dictates that we needn’t worry about that question. If the tribe fails: so be it. I would be a fourth-generation new car dealer in Machias but for larger dealerships in city centers which eroded our customer base, we decided we no longer wanted to slog it out in that business. Competition drove my family out of the car business, not a mandate from politicians.

2. Shouldn’t we be worried about the underprivileged people in Washington County wasting their small paychecks on gambling?

A. There are plenty of reckless behavior choices to get some people in trouble with or without a racetrack with slots in Washington County. Until Maine opted to sell valuable assets instead of curbing spending, lottery and liquor come to mind as state-supported vices the poor and downtrodden imbibe in regularly. The real reason this question is posed is that the leaders in Bangor want those same low-income people from Washington County that they are wrongly trying to protect, to spend another $30 in gas to unwisely waste their paychecks in Bangor.

3. Will there be enough horses?

A. The Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association has pledged by board vote to support the Passamaquoddy efforts. The number of racing opportunities governs the number of horses. If there are more racing opportunities, more horses will come.

The Passamaquoddy Tribe and other people in Washington County want to vote by way of referendum whether to build a commercial racetrack with slots in Washington County. Many feel that doing so will help create Washington County as a destination, which will help our local economy.

Many in Washington County believe the same as I: if we are supposed to pull ourselves out of perpetual welfare, then those from outside Washington County shouldn’t decide for us how we should or shouldn’t try to accomplish that goal. It would be absurd for Augusta, Portland and Bangor to decide for Washington County what Washington County and the Passamaquoddy Tribe can and should decide on its own.

David Whitney is a businessman in Machias. While he is a native of Washington County, he is not a member of any tribe.