The Sherrill Supreme Court decision has said New York Indian nations must pay taxes on their land purchases or they may face foreclosure.
There's not an automatic sovereignty attached to any claims.
Just like we thought, our land can't just be taken some hundreds of years later. So let's make them pay taxes or face foreclosure before they think of some new ways to steal our land.
After this long-awaited conclusion, neighboring counties rushed to the courts to file foreclosure suits and/or collect taxes from these tribes while Cayuga County seems to be napping. Why the hesitation?
I can't think of a single reason why our elected county representatives wouldn't be falling all over themselves to get back our land or create a new source of heavy cash flow into the county coffers.
This is almost beyond belief! Why does it have to be Cayuga County that shows such little concern for its tax-paying citizens?
Aren't these elected officials able to understand complex issues, and react with good, sound decisions in a timely fashion? They need to put the proper amount of research time into these things. This particular issue has proven otherwise.
The county's reps that are on top of things are having a real tough time because they're trying to pull their fellow co-workers along.
There's a lot of money floating around on both sides of this problem. The temptations for some must be considerable.
Look how Gov. George Pataki wanted to settle so quickly without looking into the legalities. It seems so simple: It's our land, they can't have it and now since they built on our land, they pay us.
But we keep getting the usual excuses: They're looking into things in more detail, not wanting to move too quickly, still want to dialogue with more of the players involved, working out more details, etc.
Stop dragging your feet. Let's move on it, and fast!
The rest of the state has already figured it out. When will Cayuga County realize that it's time to proceed?
Some may want more information to determine how all this will affect us:
• We get to keep the land we already own.
• Land purchased by tribes is subject to the same taxation as the rest of us.
• This same land is not sovereign, it's part of the good ol' U.S. of A.
• If you don't pay your taxes, we auction off your land, like everybody else.
We're sick of the whole scene. Some of our neighbors have been fighting and/or watching this soap opera unfold for years.
They've worried for years over whether or not they'd keep their land. No one could even sell their land during this mess.
It's time to put this behind us. No more talks with the Indians. It's our land and now they need to pay taxes just like the rest of us on American soil.
Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen. She can be reached at sacredheart6005@hotmail.com
Just like we thought, our land can't just be taken some hundreds of years later. So let's make them pay taxes or face foreclosure before they think of some new ways to steal our land.
After this long-awaited conclusion, neighboring counties rushed to the courts to file foreclosure suits and/or collect taxes from these tribes while Cayuga County seems to be napping. Why the hesitation?
I can't think of a single reason why our elected county representatives wouldn't be falling all over themselves to get back our land or create a new source of heavy cash flow into the county coffers.
This is almost beyond belief! Why does it have to be Cayuga County that shows such little concern for its tax-paying citizens?
Aren't these elected officials able to understand complex issues, and react with good, sound decisions in a timely fashion? They need to put the proper amount of research time into these things. This particular issue has proven otherwise.
The county's reps that are on top of things are having a real tough time because they're trying to pull their fellow co-workers along.
There's a lot of money floating around on both sides of this problem. The temptations for some must be considerable.
Look how Gov. George Pataki wanted to settle so quickly without looking into the legalities. It seems so simple: It's our land, they can't have it and now since they built on our land, they pay us.
But we keep getting the usual excuses: They're looking into things in more detail, not wanting to move too quickly, still want to dialogue with more of the players involved, working out more details, etc.
Stop dragging your feet. Let's move on it, and fast!
The rest of the state has already figured it out. When will Cayuga County realize that it's time to proceed?
Some may want more information to determine how all this will affect us:
• We get to keep the land we already own.
• Land purchased by tribes is subject to the same taxation as the rest of us.
• This same land is not sovereign, it's part of the good ol' U.S. of A.
• If you don't pay your taxes, we auction off your land, like everybody else.
We're sick of the whole scene. Some of our neighbors have been fighting and/or watching this soap opera unfold for years.
They've worried for years over whether or not they'd keep their land. No one could even sell their land during this mess.
It's time to put this behind us. No more talks with the Indians. It's our land and now they need to pay taxes just like the rest of us on American soil.
Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen. She can be reached at sacredheart6005@hotmail.com
