I don’t want to sound cynical, but I usually don’t think that politicians make decisions based on what’s best for the people. I think they make decisions based on what’s best for them, which includes covering their butts when they make a mistake. Such may be the case here.

Though I stated it before, it’s worth reiterating that Crist is fighting for money he’s already spent. You see, governors have control over the budget of their state and they allocated funds for each department within the state based on revenue from many sources, mostly taxes. In this year’s education budget for the state of Florida, $433 million comes from revenue brought in by the deal with the Seminole tribe over their blackjack tables. Since earlier this month the House voted down that deal for the second time, that $433 million doesn’t exist.

Folks, if it’s bad financial strategy for an individual to spend money they don’t have, it’s equally bad (or worse) for a state to do that. In fact, many of America’s problems stem from the fact that the federal government is doing exactly that. Now it seems that Charlie Crist, the Florida governor who wants to represent the state in the Senate, has done that as well.

To save face, Crist needs to get a deal done so he doesn’t have to explain why he had to cut $433 million from the education budget. Considering he’s already trailing Marco Rubio in the polls for the Republican primary, that would be a mistake from which it would be nearly impossible to recover. And that’s why Crist is fighting so hard for a deal.

In a separate vote, the House gambling committee voted 15-2 to give extra help to the tribe’s main competitors, allowing pari-mutuels unlimited poker limits, expanded hours of operation and a lower tax rate. So it seems that they’re willing to help anyone but those “red-skinned savages.” Maybe they’re still holding a grudge because the Seminoles have still yet to surrender to the United States.

In another vote, the House decided to invade Seminole territory, burn down their casinos, and steal all of their money… Okay, I made that up. The Seminole tribe has also taken another route in their request for table games, pointing out that some pari-mutuel facilities in Broward County are offering virtual blackjack games. At the tribe’s request, pencil-pushing bureaucrats from the National Indian Gaming Commission took a trip to south Florida yesterday to check out those machines.

Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Indian tribes are allowed to offer any game on their reservation that is allowed elsewhere within the state in which the reservation is located. Therefore, if a racetrack in Florida is allowed to offer blackjack, the Seminoles have the right to offer it as well. Dan Adkins, who operates one of the virtual blackjack games in question, says that the game is more like slots and isn’t really blackjack at all.

This is a legal battle that is likely to rage on and it will be interesting to see how things play out. I doubt that the government will send feds into the reservation to shut down the tribe’s blackjack tables, since the Seminoles don’t take kindly to government men telling them what to do. Whatever happens, one this is for sure. The government doesn’t have the best interest of the Seminole, blackjack players or taxpayers in mind. They have their own agenda, whatever it may be, and are looking out for themselves.