Oneida Indian Nation receives 83k in Federal Stimulus Funds

WIBX950.com ^ | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 | WIBX950.com

[GinaLolaB]

Over $83,000 in federal stimulus funds will go to the Oneida Indian Nation for a project estimated to reduce energy usage. According to Media Relations Director for the Nation Mark Emery the solar lighting project at the Village of the White Pines will reduce energy usage by more than 10,000 kilowatts of power a year benefiting the entire energy grid. National Grid did not comment on how the federally funded project could benefit other consumers and taxpayers. Emery says federal stimulus money was available to governments all around the country, including states and Indian nations, for energy conservation purposes.

[GinaLolaB]

The Oneida Indians are richer than Gates, Trump, and Buffet all put together!!! They own Turning Stone Casino in Oneida, NY plus about 50 other business including golf courses, campgrounds, stores, housing projects, restaurants and they have cornered the gas station market and cigarettes because they do not pay taxes. They have taken half of the land in the area off of the tax rolls. They have sucked the life out every small business in a 50-mile radius. They are suing everyone in the county for the land that regular Americans own; they even want to take the Oriskany Battlefield in one of their lawsuits. They have caused total dissension in the area; everybody hates each other now. The main point the regular Americans that live here have to pick up the Indians tax burden while they live large off the gambling den. They have all of the politicians paid off. NO ONE here is working and the Indians are rich and they are getting stimulus money. WOW!

Recently the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Oneida Indians are not entitled to all of the land that they are claiming but it doesn't matter; they are still walking all over everyone and paying the local and state politicians off!

[Slapshot68]

The Mint just printed $83,000 while you typed all of that.

/s off

[April Lexington]

They must be Republicans! $83,000 is a pitance!

[jiggyboy]

reduce energy usage by more than 10,000 kilowatts of power a year

I assume they mean 10,000 kWh, except that would be a year's worth of electricity for as many as TWO average homes.

[Nick Danger]

The Oneida Indians are richer than Gates, Trump, and Buffet all put together!!

Not only that, they think the rest of us are illegal aliens.

[ConservativeWarrior]

They have sucked the life out every small business in a 50-mile radius.

They truly have destroyed the area. Their casino/golf course/resort/restaurants are right off the NY thruway. Land a mile in every direction from their current developed areas consists of abandoned homes and over-grown lots. It's a real eye-sore for anyone living in the surrounding area.

They have completely bought-off the local politicians. But the locals are to blame, too. They never should have bought their gas when the indians undercut the local stations by 5 cents a gallon. Now all the local competition has gone out of business, and the indians are charging a premium because they have no competition.

It was the tax-free gas sales and bingo earnings that allowed the indians to put together enough money to launch legal crusades in the courts, and to get their foot in the door with the casino property purchase. Their original reservation was in the middle of nowhere, far from the thruway. They saved their money and bought farmland from the state, right off the thruway exit. Once that happened, the other changes were rapid. They bought local property for double its value, and people jumped at the money. Once they bought a house, they either knocked it down, or let it fall into disrepair, depressing the property values for all other residents, and driving families out.

They threw a new "senior lounge" on the local highschool, complete with big-screen tvs, they've made donations to clubs and organizations, churches, etc, but it's all for show. They are sucking the life out of the area, and will continue to do so until they are stopped.

[Marysecretary]

I’m near Oneida and go there several times a week. You’re right. Everyone is angry because the claim to be a sovereign nation and want nothing to do with the rest of us until there’s a handout.

[Marysecretary]

Because Stockbridge Munnsville school wouldn’t fire a teacher they didn’t like, they withdrew I think $100,000 a year they were giving them. Don’t think that didn’t hurt. Friends of mine sold them two houses in the Town of Augusta and they are just falling apart, as you said. Nice houses at one time, too. PC you know. Hard to fight them but people are trying to. I had to sign a statement when I bought my house regarding the Nation’s claims. They would pay me what it’s worth if they took it back. Sure they would.

[Marysecretary]

Because Stockbridge Munnsville school wouldn’t fire a teacher they didn’t like, they withdrew I think $100,000 a year they were giving them. Don’t think that didn’t hurt. Friends of mine sold them two houses in the Town of Augusta and they are just falling apart, as you said. Nice houses at one time, too. PC you know. Hard to fight them but people are trying to. I had to sign a statement when I bought my house regarding the Nation’s claims. They would pay me what it’s worth if they took it back.

[Marysecretary]

They think they’re getting back at the ‘white man.’ My husband refuses to buy gas at their stations. It used to be cheaper but not any more. They even put another nation member’s gas station out of business because they don’t agree with Halbritter as the chief.

[Califreak]

>$83,000 is a pitance!<

BORN here.

‘Nuf said.

[Made In The USA]

If the Oneidas can save energy with a solar array, they will save on their utility bills. Can Obama ‘splain it to me why they need my taxpayer dollars to do this?

Will the stimulus part of the deal be the 2 guys hired to help shovel the lake effect footage off the solar panels?

[metmom]

I agree totally with what you said.

That could all come to a stop if people would simply stop going to the casino and using everything else they own.

They have no other source of income that I know of.

I’ve also noticed that the prices at their gas stations is now actually the highest I’ve seen. Even when it was lower, I wouldn’t go there and give them my business.

[metmom]

NY ping

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[Ouderkirk]

The truth be told the area has had the life sucked out of it long before the Oneida’s launched the Turning Bone Casino by the Thruway.

It started when Allied Signal, and Rockwell left Syracuse, then GM closed, while GE scaled back in Syracuse and closed Utica Facilities On Broad Street and French Road. Miller closed the brewery in Fulton and GE sold Aerospace out to Lockheed Martin. The Air Force closed Griffiss, and Carrier closed manufacturing, and now it’s looking like Magna is going to close New Process Gear. Unions and NYS Taxes killed all of these

The Indians are clearly not being good neighbors, and the money they are making from the drug dealers and hookers working the casino are certainly making Oneida a slum. The whole casino resort thing could have been a great net positive to the area, but there is no reason to go to the race track in Vernon, nor the antique amusement park at Sylvan Beach.

If the Indians had spent some of their winnings on these things it would have gone a long way toward creating a better spirit of camaraderie between the Indians and the whites.

[Marysecretary]

A young Marine named Lasher was laid to rest today in Oneida. The Patriot Riders were there and the streets were lined with people holding flags and t-shirts made to commemorate him. God bless our military men and women.