After surviving the Indian wars and loss of their land to the white men, the Maine Indian saga continues. Forced to live on reservations in poverty, only recently were they permitted to vote. Granted, they were paid a small token for lost land, but in return they face strict state and federal regulations.

If state officials had taken the initiative to get involved in setting the rules and regulations for casinos in Maine, then I believe a casino bill could have passed. Together, they would finance state and Indian programs, creating jobs and providing a high-standard casino for Maine people and tourists.

Two of the state’s Indian tribes introduced a plan to the state recently to operate the slot machine racino at Bangor Raceway. The Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee rejected the plan. I believe the reason for this denial was to have out-of-state companies controlling the racino and suppress the Indian initiative for improvement of their poverty standards on reservations.

The federal government recently gave the Maine Indian tribes $750,000 to regulate and manage wildlife on their land. I believe these new government programs are to appease the growing tensions among the American Indian tribes.

I think the Maine Indians should open tax-free smoke shops on their land. The profits could be used to better the standard of living for them. But they have been consistently turned down on their business ventures by state officials.

Richard A. McInnis,

Rumford