Bloomberg Alienates NY Tribes Over Tax Grab

[Chris_]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/19/seneca-nation-wants-bloomberg-cowboy-hat-shotgun-comment/?test=latestnews

A Native American tribe is calling on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to either apologize or resign after he said on a radio show that Gov. David Paterson -- who's trying to rustle up millions in cigarette taxes from the tribes -- should grab "a cowboy hat and a shotgun" and demand the money.

The mayor made the comments last week during an on-air discussion about the cigarette tax the state of New York wants to impose on Indian tribes starting Sept. 1. The hike has already touched off a court battle, but Bloomberg called for Paterson to flex some frontier justice.

"I said, you know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun. If there's ever a great video it's you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying, you know, 'Read my lips -- The law of the land is this and we're going to enforce the law,'" he said.

That didn't sit well with the New York tribes.

The tax on the tribes is part of a broader tax package aimed at filling in New York's gaping deficit. Under the plan, the state tax on cigarettes would go up $1.60 per pack -- the move is expected to raise $440 million for New York's in-the-red budget, with $150 million coming from the new tax on Native American cigarette sales.

When the state tried something similar in 1997, Native Americans in New York protested on the New York State Thruway, blocking the road and setting tires on fire -- an incident Bloomberg referenced in his remarks last week. <exerpted>

Rest at link.......

doc

[miskie]

I am sure there are a lot of taxes to be harvested -

Before laws changed making it illegal to ship tobacco through the mail, I would get a few shipping boxes a week form Salamanca, NY. - to disguise the product inside, they were shipped as coming form 'candles-n-things' or 'Sports and More' there was another name that I cant remember at the moment. Anyway.. I deliver mail to a small bedroom community, so I can just imagine how many of these boxes were going out nationwide.

So now the Democrats, true to form, are looking to screw one of their usual voting blocks, the Native Americans.

First the Dems take away tribes ability to ship tobacco, and right after that financial blow, the Dems are looking to tax the remains of the business. Typical.

[Chris_]

I am sure there are a lot of taxes to be harvested -

Before laws changed making it illegal to ship tobacco through the mail, I would get a few shipping boxes a week form Salamanca, NY. - to disguise the product inside, they were shipped as coming form 'candles-n-things' or 'Sports and More' there was another name that I cant remember at the moment. Anyway.. I deliver mail to a small bedroom community, so I can just imagine how many of these boxes were going out nationwide.

So now the Democrats, true to form, are looking to screw one of their usual voting blocks, the Native Americans.

First the Dems take away tribes ability to ship tobacco, and right after that financial blow, the Dems are looking to tax the remains of the business. Typical.

They still ship 'em.........just via FedEx ground now.........it's cheaper than the USPS anyway.......

doc

[miskie]

Thats going to change soon if it hasn't already - State Attorneys General have gotten agreements from all the major alternate shippers as well.

The only exceptions are shipping to and from distribution facilities, and for whatever reason, cigars. Cigs and smokeless tobacco are banned.

The 'official reason' is to stop kids from buying cigs via the internet. Of course the real reason is taxes.

[Chris_]

Thats going to change soon if it hasn't already - State Attorneys General have gotten agreements from all the major alternate shippers as well.

The only exceptions are shipping to and from distribution facilities, and for whatever reason, cigars. Cigs and smokeless tobacco are banned.

The 'official reason' is to stop kids from buying cigs via the internet. Of course the real reason is taxes.

I guess NY forgot that there are a lot of reservations elsewere......I get them shipped from AZ (the Zuni rez).

They are just screwing the Seneca Nation.........

doc

[true_blood]

I hope they scalp that Bloomberg dickhead!!

[miskie]

I guess NY forgot that there are a lot of reservations elsewere......I get them shipped from AZ (the Zuni rez).

They are just screwing the Seneca Nation.........

doc

Indeed - that and the military. Gone are the days of sending care packages overseas containing tobacco products. How unusual it is - Democrat administrations almost never screw over servicemen and women.. 

Though I would imagine sooner or later this administration will forcibly tag every state on shipping tobacco. for the moment its the federally controlled post office, and shippers in 'blue' states.

[Chris_]

Indeed - that and the military. Gone are the days of sending care packages overseas containing tobacco products. How unusual it is - Democrat administrations almost never screw over servicemen and women.. 

Though I would imagine sooner or later this administration will forcibly tag every state on shipping tobacco. for the moment its the federally controlled post office, and shippers in 'blue' states.

The problem that the Feds struggle with is that the reservations are legally sovereign (as in "sovereign nations), and not (technically) a part of the "states" that they reside in........they fall under the various treaties established in the distant past, when they were screwed out of their ancestral lands initially, and the feds (and some states, like NY) have not given up trying to get out of those treaty agreements since, and screw them yet again.  This NY tax grab is just another in a long list of examples of this.

It seems like everytime the poor Indians figure out a way to make a buck on the lousy lot that the government has dealt them, whether it be oil and mineral rights, casinos, or even selling some tax-free smokes, a team of slimy lawyers from some government entity swoops in and takes a shot at taking it away from them.......fortunately they have learned to hire their own K-Street lawyers and lobbyists.....

Not unlike the blacks, they have a tendancy to vote for Democrats, who are always at the head of the line to take what little they have......go figure........

doc

[Karin]

As one of the spokesmen for the Indians said here "We've got a lot more money for lawyers than the state has."  The mess is currently in court, but until the resolution is reached, they've had to suspend their shipments. 

[vesta111]

As one of the spokesmen for the Indians said here "We've got a lot more money for lawyers than the state has."  The mess is currently in court, but until the resolution is reached, they've had to suspend their shipments. 

Off the top of this old gray head of mine----Why do we still send billions of dollars to country's that attacked us in the past to rebuild their country and military.?  Why did we just not walk off and leave them to face the consequences of attacking us.?

The American Indian was conquered as was all other nations that attacked us, yet we have not spent 1% the amount of money to rebuild their nation as we have the nations that killed hundreds of thousands of our people.

Big difference between the Indians who fought invaders coming into their country and those other nations that fought us from afar.

One would think the American Tribes at this point would after all the broken treaties be ready to finally fight back.

What do we do if the Indians aligns themselves with the Muslim terrorists, give them a safe haven and what ever they need to get even for their treatment by the Government of the USA.

You know how it goes, when one is so mistreated and beaten down, along come people that hate those who have put their boot in your face for a couple hundred years, one will do what they can to help a stronger power to make their enemy suffer as they did.

They know they will never regain power that was lost or become what they were, but, they will rejoice in watching their old time enemy suffer and be taken down.