Gov. David Paterson’s casino plan puzzling

Letter: Governor David Paterson’s casino plan puzzling


John N. Schneider
Verona

To The Editor:

One wonders why Governor Paterson suddenly selected the Wisconsin Stockbridge-Munsee Indian tribe to build a casino-resort in the lucrative Catskill area near New York City.

The secret negotiations, leading to this decision, do not appear to have relied on meaningful input from knowledgeable affected entities.

The selection certainly was not made to settle a Stockbridge-Munsee land claim, which was announced as the primary reason. The U.S. Supreme Court Sherrill decision, by precedence, voids all Indian land claims in New York state. This is evidenced by the subsequent dismissal of the Cayuga land claim even after a $250 million settlement had been reached and also the dismissal of the local Oneida land claim. All New York Indian land claims are a thing of the past.

Governor Paterson should be aware of the land claim dismissals. A N.Y. state attorney argued the Sherrill case at the U.S. Supreme Court along with Ira Sacks, who represented the City of Sherrill.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has ruled in the past, that Indian casinos must be within easy commuting distances from their respective reservations to provide for the intended daily employment of tribal reservation dwellers. A distant reservation, especially several states away, can not even come close to this requirement.

The governor is anxious to get a percentage of Indian casino gambling income to aid in reducing the N.Y. state budget deficit. However, he overlooked the fact that the larger amount of gross profits will aid the Wisconsin economy, not New York’s.

Selection of an out-of-state tribe can only result in numerous lawsuits from both in-state Indian tribes and affected non-Indian entities. These suits will delay or could even cancel this selection altogether. It cannot be fathomed why N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer is backing this secretly made, poor decision.

Again, one wonders what really influenced this selection.