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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.

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.

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.

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.