News That Doesn't Suck

Today, the US Supreme court has done something with a positive impact on the Central New York Area. By a vote of 8-1 (John Paul Stevens being the lone dissenter) to end the Oneida Nation's checkerboarding of land parcels in the area surrounding the reservation. Sherrill, the smallest city in New York State, has been trying to get the nation to pay property taxes on land purchased by them. The Oneidas have claimed that since the land is part of the 300,000 acres of so-called ancestral property, that reclaimed parts of it were not taxable by the state or city governments.

This paves the way for Oneida and Madison counties to tax land grabs made by the Oneidas and their political boss, Ray Halbritter. This still does not affect land claims or sales tax issues, but adds some relief to the tax base that was primarily carried by home owners.

One of the saddest parts of this decision was the stark differences in the ways the Rome Sentinel and a downstate paper like The New York Times covered it. This attitude is indicative of how a NYC circuit court earlier chose to let Halbritter buy up family farms for more casinos. Personally, I would support a land claim on the island of Manhattan.