OH, HAPPY DAY

OH, HAPPY DAY

Governor Paterson, the best governor of New York State, he went so far as to convince your elected leaders that not only will we accept his tax agreement to tax non-native from buying cigarettes from our local stores but that they will also increase (whose taxes are these?) the locally made cigarettes for all customers that walk into these same stores. With the last taxes mentioned who will benefit from these taxes and how will they benefit? You see, we are now extinct peoples when your own elected leaders refuse to recognize Native Americans who are exempt from paying the higher prices regarding the taxes for New York State or whomever. It will only be the retailers who will receive rebates on the State taxes paid for these cigarettes should the coupon program be applied. It does not matter that the monies that New York State received and is misappropriated from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino as long as we comply with New York State. If you read the local newspapers you would know that New York State is under investigation by the surrounding towns for $500,000 dollars they find themselves short from the casino’s contribution to NYS. We are allowing a casino to operate on our territory (I forgot we are no more) under the guise of it being an Indian casino when we receive no per-capita payments that the outsiders are of the impression that we are getting monthly checks as the other casino do. There are no Indians here any longer; the proof is the fact that there are no per-capita payments being made to any of them because they do not exist. You get it??? New York State should be investigated for operating an Indian casino illegally since there are no Indians here. The only steps missing here are your Franklin County and School Taxes on the properties you make claim to. Oh yeah…, that will be next so hang onto your seats folks and keep biting your tongues because you are just as much at fault for the lack of interest and participating in these Tribal meetings by not keeping yourselves informed with our situations in this community maybe we could have prevented this most recent state of affairs, perhaps if they wore skates and cleats the interest would be higher?

How can your elected official continue to destroy us when they are legally put into limbo through the court systems that they themselves have approached and should be abiding by? Has the Federal Government assisted these individuals to continue to delay these actions on purpose to completely eradicate us? If so it appears to be working quite well. The only recognition they should be allowed is to receive the federal funding that the government proclaims to require.

But then WHO CARES?

Agnes Terrance