Gambling With the Oneidas

New York is following California's lead by putting a series of referendums (spell check says this is right) to the state Constitution in a year where the smallest number of people will vote. One proposal is to allow for the creation of up to 7 Casinos within the state. On principle, I oppose the use of gambling for revenue since it is a regressive tax on the poor. Normally, I would support more casinos only because it would create competition between the Halbritter empire and the rest of the state. I still oppose the referendum because Andrew Cuomo would have the discretion to locate the casinos and central New York would be off limits.

Arthur Ray Halbritter got himself in some trouble this month when he decided to support his current benefactor, Barack Obama, and argue against the existence of a team called the "Redskins." Conservative news site The Daily Caller brought up the more unseemly aspects of Halbritter's career. He was appointed to a tribal leadership position by his aunt, whom he later evicted from Oneida lands. He also does not have a solid claim to being an Oneida Indian, but was reinstated by Sherwood Boehlert's request to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That's plain cronyism, regardless of culture.