VIEW from behind the plow

Craziness, stupidity (ignorance maybe) sells. We refer, of course, to the report that Nike, a company that makes sports-oriented wearing apparel, we hear – having never bought any of it ourself, cancelled release of a sneaker bearing a Betsy Ross flag. They did this on the advice of their sales consultant, failed NFL quarterback and National Anthem kneeler Colin Kaepernick, who said the flag was racist. How utterly ignorant to suggest that anything involving Betsy Ross was racist. She was a Quaker and Quakers were leaders in calling for abolition of slavery in the U.S. By the way, former President Obama flew a Betsy Ross flag at his inauguration. Duh. You would think that Americans of all stripes would be offended by such stupidity. But, no. Columnist Ben Shapiro reports in a column entitled “Anger for Anger’s Sake,” that Nike’s stock rose after the action. He credits the stock hike on controversy and the print and air time it gets. He goes on to assert that there’s profit to be made – financially and politically – in initiating and maintaining such controversy. He adds that anger is never satiated so get ready for controversies to get stupider and stupider. The need for anger catharsis could possibly explain the attention paid to Kamala Harris, announced democrat candidate for president, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both get lots of publicity for ignorant, unproven remarks that appeal to people who have been transitioned into left-wing zombies by leftist college and university professors – remnants from the 60s radicals who never learned anything but received Ph.D.’s. It reminds us of the out-of-control spoiled brat who just has to throw his fit until he wears himself out. It doesn’t help that the national media, a contributor to the national disgrace, encourages such zaniness. It all goes back to the left’s anger that President Trump defeated its chosen successor of Barack Obama as president, Hillary Clinton. It hasn’t occurred to them the majority of Americans were fed up with the direction the nation was going.

Governor Stitt studying Casino deal

Gov. Kevin Stitt has given notice to Oklahoma tribes that he plans to renegotiate gaming (Casino gambling) contracts. In a letter sent Friday to the chiefs of 35 Oklahoma tribes, Stitt wrote he has been advised the contracts will not automatically renew and the state and the tribes must reach new agreements. But Matthew Morgan, chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, asserts the compacts will automatically renew for 15-year terms at the start of next year. The state has a 180-day period before the expiration date in which the state and tribes can renegotiate the terms of each compact, but if both sides can’t agree then the terms remain as is, he said. “The compact further states that should either party not agree, the compact automatically renews for another 15 years,” Morgan said. Each tribe has the option to renegotiate the gaming contracts that are set to expire Jan. 1, 2020. Stitt’s efforts provide an opportunity for the state to get a larger piece of the tribal casino’s gambling profits. In an op-ed in the Tulsa Daily World last week, Stitt wrote: For example, 15 years ago the tribal gaming industry in Oklahoma did not exist. To incentivize this industry from its infancy, the current agreement provides that, in exchange for “exclusive rights” to conduct gaming in Oklahoma, the tribes pay the state an “exclusivity fee” starting at 4% and topping at 6% of revenues received. This was reasonable and fair to help introduce the gaming industry in Oklahoma to the world in 2004. Today, Oklahoma’s fees are the lowest in the nation. “Today, most state-tribal compacts around the country provide for exclusivity fees to the state of 20% to 25%. In fact, in November 2018, voters in our neighboring state of Arkansas approved four new casinos in the state, two of which will be bid on by tribes from Oklahoma, according to media reports. In Arkansas, the fee will start at 13% and max out at 20%.” It appears to us that Governor Stitt is doing his due diligence as governor. It’s the reasonable thing to do.