Blog: Tea Party candidate vows to close Oneida Nation casino

Tuesday, October 19, 2010  

"In another example of how the Republican Party has taken over the Tea Party movement and mutilated it to stand for non-conservative values, the GOP candidate for Governor of New York, Carl Paladino, has threatened, if elected, to cut off access roads to the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY if the Oneida Indian Nation which owns it doesn’t pay more taxes to the state– thus shutting it down.

The Turning Stone Casino is located in an economically depressed region which has watched numerous jobs disappear as factories have either gone out of business or moved to other states, or overseas. Surrounded by very few other businesses, the secluded casino and hotel thrives, hosting professional boxing matches, big name comedians, singers, and even PGA golf tournaments…attracting people from all over the world.

The issue of the Oneida Indian Nation and taxes has been a controversial one in the area for years. Along with the casino, the Oneidas own a number of gas stations that local business owners say are difficult to compete with since they themselves pay high taxes while the Oneidas pay virtually none. In 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Oneidas had to pay property taxes, however a panel of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2010 that even though the tribe might owe taxes, it can’t be taken to court because it’s sovereign. That means that while the state has the right to demand the tribe pay up, it lacks the legal ability to actually take them to court in order to collect. "

Get the Story:
Andrew Steele: Supposed “Tea Party candidate” threatens to shut down Indian casino if it doesn’t pay the state more money (America 20xy 10/19)

Related Stories:
Republican candidate threatens to shut Oneida Nation's casino (10/14)