There is some opposition to the idea of expanding the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's casino and with that expansion the addition of a hotel, one that would be owned and managed and operated by us - the Tribe and its membership. All profits from the expansion and the new hotel would go to us in the form of benefits and services.

The bulk of the argument goes like this; the Tribe (you and I) should not be in direct competition with private business interests. Mostly the Tarbell Management Group and their allies on Council are fielding this argument.

I would like to remind everyone that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the legislation that made tribally owned gaming possible, was created for one reason, to lift tribal communities out from poverty - not to make individuals or non-Indians rich.

From what I see there is plenty of room at Akwesasne for private and communally owned businesses, especially in the hotel industry. And what good is our casino if the only ones to benefit are only the wealthiest of us at Akwesasne? The very few who can afford to undertake the massive investments needed to expand or create the infrastructure of a new business?

The last time I checked this was still the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the casino and its ancillary businesses are to benefit Tribal members not the few wealthy families that live here and have undertaken the paradigm of American capitalism. The problem with American capitalism is that it requires an American form of government to succeed and the last time I checked, the American paradigm is still something to not trust. And there are many examples of how that paradigm has even failed American citizens, The Madoff, the Wall St. and Abramoff scandals being the most recent among them.

This is not the Tarbell Management Tribe; this is the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. And as always, this is just one man’s opinion.

Raymond Wahnihtiio Cook is a Mohawk Nation citizen, Marine Corps vet 75-77. He is a co-founder of the Native American Journalist Association, former typesetter and layout producer for Akwesasne Notes, co-founder of the Indian Time newspaper, founder of Akwesasne Freedom Radio, co-founder of the Associated Indigenous Communications. He serves as an audio producer for Indigenous People’s Network, associate editor of the Northeast Indian Quarterly, and op-ed editor for Indian Country Today Media Network.