Debunking the myth of 'economic damage' (we just keep screwing indians)

[The Straight Story]

Debunking the myth of 'economic damage'

Posted: June 17, 2005
by: Tom Wanamaker / Indian Country Today



Analysis

ONEIDA NATION HOMELANDS, N.Y. - Those who follow politics at any level are certainly familiar with ''spin,'' the art of twisting language in order to create a specific image, bolster a candidate or promote a point of view. In the world of spin, truth and accuracy rarely matter. Instead, ''spin doctors'' seek to create a credible myth, to paint a believable picture that can be easily understood and taken as gospel by persons too partisan, gullible or disinterested to question what they are hearing or seeing.

The creators of the ''Swift Boat'' myth successfully used spin to torpedo Sen. John Kerry's presidential aspirations in the 2004 campaign. As the Indian gaming industry has grown, so too has the degree and vehemence of anti-Indian spin. Such spin is working all too well for opponents of the Oneida Indian Nation in central New York.

With the growing popularity of its Turning Stone Resort and Casino and associated amenities, the Oneida Nation has become a powerful economic engine in a region long mired in job loss and fiscal malaise. Notwithstanding the nation's philanthropy or its creation of thousands of jobs, local politicians and the anti-Indian group Upstate Citizens for Equality (UCE) would have us believe that the presence of the Oneida Nation and its multiple business enterprises has actually damaged the region's economy. Sadly, many otherwise intelligent folks are falling - hook, line and sinker - for this illogical tripe.

In its surprising March 29 decision in City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y., the U.S. Supreme Court held that the federally recognized Oneida Nation must pay taxes on property owned within its land claim area, overturning several lower court decisions to the contrary. The decision also appears to fly in the face of the court's previous ruling that the Oneida people have a legitimate claim to some 250,000 acres of land illegally acquired from them by New York state in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

..... If that is true, then why haven't they denounced New York's Empire Zone Program (a loophole-ridden scam that gives employers generous tax breaks often for only creating a few low-paying jobs) with the same vehemence with which they attack Indian governments?

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411094

[zalinda]

1. Because now that The Turning Stone

is wildly successful, they want to get a piece of it. The Empire Zone is supposed to BRING IN new businesses for jobs. The problem is that many people are using it as a loop hole, like a dentist, which only employs 1 or 2 people.

It's about not having enough money or jobs to run the state. Tax cuts have screwed everyone down the line.

The sovereign idea has to be re-looked at when it comes to large commercial endeavors, as it does require local resources to support it, such as roads, law enforcement, emergency services and such.

zalinda

[ConservativeDemocrat]

2. And don't forget the social costs of gambling...

...which are huge. Families are quietly ruined with gambling, and increased access to casinos makes it worse, not better.

As much as I believe the various indigenous American Nations have every right to look after their own economic interests, that doesn't mean they can abdicate their responsibility as citizens of the United States.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community