John McCain's shakedown operation, and Jesse Jackson's, too

Watch closely as McCain the Magnificent Maverick makes piles of cash appear in his Senate re-election campaign account.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, held a hearing Wednesday on Indian gaming, an $18.5 billion business last year, because, well, just because.

"I don't want this hearing to be viewed as some attack on Indian gaming," the senator said.

McCain said the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has not been amended since it was passed in 1988. High time for a review of the law, he explained.

If you're a tribal leader in the casino business, you can't miss the message the senator is sending: I can cost you millions with one carefully worded clause, so what's a few hundred thousand dollars in campaign contributions to make sure that doesn't happen? Or, phrased more artfully, to make sure your voice is heard and your views are well represented.

And speaking of well represented, you might want to hire a lobbyist who's close to McCain. A man doesn't get to be a United States Senator without knowing how to take care of his friends.

This despicable shakedown, presented as a vigorous effort to protect consumers from slot machines disguised as bingo devices, ought to be called by its rightful name: an abuse of power.

And speaking of despicable shakedowns, the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at Bank of America's annual shareholders meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday and complained that the bank is highly prosperous while the middle class and the poor are sinking. He's trying to pressure B of A into making loans and investments that don't meet its usual standards in the name of helping "community redevelopment."

The implication here is that Bank of America became prosperous at the expense of the middle class and the poor and therefore owes them something, a concept sometimes called "giving back to the community."

But Bank of America doesn't coerce anybody into becoming a customer. The company offers services at a price to people who freely choose to buy them. Nobody's forcing anybody to take out a home loan or a car loan or a credit card. Bank of America is not guilty of causing poverty in the neighborhoods in which it does business. Nor is it the responsibility of Bank of America's shareholders to pay anybody else's bills for them.

It's a common misconception that businesses "take" from the community. If you believe that, watch what happens to a community after businesses pack up and move, and watch how hard local officials work to lure businesses inside their city limits. Providing goods and services to people who want to buy them isn't a crime and shouldn't be treated as one.


Copyright 2005