I live in New York. Not the city, but upstate.
We have many Indian Rservations (Or Native American, if you will). The Federal Government has made (and reneged on) many treaties over the years. The latest battle that is shaping up is over taxes not collected on tobacco sales on the reservations to non-natives. New York State has tried and failed several time to implement tax collection on these sales, though for the most part they continue to ignore most other sales made on reservation property to non-natives/non-tribal members.
I'm of 2 minds. As an ex-smoker (yeah, I'm one of them) more taxes on smokes means maybe less people will smoke-and that is a good thing (though having dinner with one of our state senators a year ago, I asked him how New York was going to fill that tax bucket once they got everyone to quit smoking-the 'bucket' allegedly goes to health care and cancer research-even if everyone quit now, the health effects would be felt for generations to some-he had no response), on the other hand, I do take issue with New York State trying to enforce laws on a Sovereign Nation, which these reservations are, by treaty-as I've said we've (Americans of mainly European descent) never hesitated to break treaties before and to do whatever we've wanted to do to them in the past.
Adding on to this is the fact that New York State crosses Reservation territory on a couple of highways, New York State and the localities make a lot of money from payouts of Native Casino operations-which might cease.
I think, possibly, our governor is opening a can of worms better left sealed. I live within a mile of the Tuscarora Nation and we are already receiving warnings to steer clear of those places where 'peaceful protests' are forming, though no one can control these things when they become the mob. My daughter goes to the school complex right across the street from one of the Gas Stations/Smoke Shops/Grocery/Rest. complexes built by the Tuscaroras.
So, what are your thoughts?
Lots more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_nation
