First Navajo casino will be in Arizona

WINDOW ROCK - The Navajo Nation's first casino will be off Interstate 40 in eastern Arizona.

[concern elderly lady]

mr.shirley, this is not right for our resouce come on, come up with something else, think \go into your internet do your reseach on some other ways to depend on some of the resouce use your native people source have them do some native projects like some pass down native culture or etc. to depend on some other resouce, sure you can do it, this is why we elected you, you need more ideals, ask some of our young ones they to have some other souce give them a change their out there put up some essay contest for them, and don't forget their names, these days we have to look up to them. right.

[Half Navajo Gombeda]

Now we navajos have had it rough, its no big mystery, but then again who hasn't. The tribe I belong to is opening it's first casino, hoping to bring in some much needed capitol and jobs in the Saders area, folling are Shiprock and Nahata Dziil. Now I am all for this, but it is not without it's downfalls. In most native amrican tribes the "Man" is the guy who helps out the most, the good ever helpful nieghbor who gave instead of hording. This way of thinking still exists today and the new casinos are a prime example of this. Profits that are made from these casinos are distributed to tribal members, sounds pretty f**king bad ass no?

Here's the catch-22, some tribal members believe this all they need to survive, that thier tribal givernment will take good care of them, even more so with high school kids. Thing is, there is no way in hell this is reasonable and responsible way of thinking. First off, the profits a casino makes must first be used to pay the bills, contracter's gotta be paid, loans have to be paid off, employees need thier checks and so on. Now from that the tribal gov also needs to get paid, then after that with what's left must divided and given to members. Now I am not sure if any of how much our members get and who qualifies and what is given is not a whole lot, not enough to keep a afloat.

But some of the members I talk to online believe they are well off and thus don't really give two shits about doing anthing progessive. Now I am all for this giving back to the people, because most indians I know including myself live poorly and need that extra boost to get into better schools and some descent food to eat. Eating fry bread, gravy and patatos a week sucks ass, Donkey Kong sized ass, it really f**king sucks.I hate patatos.

Then there's the ever growing meth problem, the shit is already pretty bad in the Shiprock-Farmington area. There was pretty awful killings last year, too many to recount. Kids have it bad enough with thier parents struggling for jobs, the last thing they need to worry about is getting shot from some shithead gang member for living in the wrong place and time. I fear with the opening of this new casino, the first for my tribe, will only increase this f**ked up problem.

I believe that in order to keeps things civilized is to give more of the profits to our police force and to our education. To better pay our teachers and a better scholarships for any member who wants to continue thier education, no one should be denied. Our cops need better gear and man power to keep the crime where it belongs, in the gutter. Let me not forget our medical care, dieabeties is a major problem, our well water is shitty, and so on.
These are the things we desperatly need improvment on. This is our little gov, we dont have a million+ members, this is something that can be done and done well. Peace ya'll.

[lgorman]

Well i don't know if this is a good idea or bad...But in my opinion they should legalize alcohol and tax it good, and use the profits form that to hire and train more police officers.

[Az Skin]

Yes this is a good Idea, but it isn't going to change anything over night on the rez, it is simply a step in the right direction. A casino will provide needed jobs and a steady stream of income for the tribe. The key is to insure that the monies that are made are also spent on the rez and it's businesses. Not taken to the border towns off the rez. I feel Prez Shirley will help the people, land, and economy by continuing to encourage and support Real Estate Development on the Navajo reservation. A perfect example is the Dook'o'ooslid office/retail complex in Tuba City. That beautiful complex has a lot of tribal services with now a, state of the art facility. FINALLY the type of place we Navajo people deserve, to work and do business. The retail part has a Subway now but I bet there will be a couple of other choices soon. A Staurbucks or somthing similar would be nice. Imagine that, sipping a latte as you watch the looming sandstorm on the horizon. ehhh.. The best part is that complex is owned by Navajo investors. Investing their money in the land and our people. Navajos helping Navajos. By continuing to support these type of projects on the reservation Navajos will soon be able to do all our business on the rez and help build a strong economy for our people which will in effect provide more jobs,better schools, and a higher level of services. This is the only way to preserve our identity and culture.

[Mr Fowler]

I think that it will be good in so many ways if we use what we make from it well. Looking at the other tribes that do receive money, from casinos. The people I've seen get so much but do really little with it but spend it on booze and drugs. Not everyone will do the right thing with it. But not to say that soom of us do have self control. Like mentioned before we still are a growing government, and we as people should do our best to take part in growing as a tribe, but most of all as Native Americans. We live like a third world country, and indeed we do have a land mass greater than some countries out there. Yet we look to the easiest means for survival. If this should be done then all the money should be invested in Navajo owned and operated bussiness; that supports us, keep circulating our money within the land and gather more from beyond our four sacrad mountains. This would ensure that money will keep coming from bussinesses owned by us, and money would go back to us. I don't think that we can really blame drugs, acahaul, or poor living environmets for our problems. Our Ansestors had worse but grew to be great. Those problems are the cause of some yes, but the choices that we make now, well, we now live in the consiquices of our choices-actions. So much comes from us that care, but not to much effort is given towards listening. My generation seems to have fallen so much from the Dignified Navajos that we used to be. I though will not be like so many. Knowing myself and my love for family and tribe. I say that we should really consider what to do with this, "easy money".
Ralph 21
Red Lake, AZ

[Yiska]

Is this why Oprah visited the Navajo nation recently?? Looking to invest?

[Teach for america]

sounds good to me.

[BUGZ]

I think with the casino money,it should go straight to to the members of the navajo nation. We the people have lived on this land for centuries and now that we have a casino and more to come, it seems that others (navajos) out there dont see that this land belongs to the people and the money fron the casino will only help us to survive a "little" better than what were surviving on now! As some of you know about the Tohono Oodham people have a few casinos and the way oodham people decide to use the money is Think of there own first before they think of whats to come next.
Some of us navajos want better resources and better businesses even better equuipment for our law enforcement and were not thinking of our own people FIRST!!! Why put all others first and not our own? put yourself in our ancesters shoes and think about how hard it was for them? they didnt have all the resources we have and surely didnt need it, so i say this as a navajo women DO WHATS BEST FOR OUR PEOPLE OF THE NAVAJO NATION...