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Seneca Indians: Bloomberg's Remarks Were Off The Reservation
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
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Last week, Bloomberg suggested that Governor Paterson get tough with Indian reservations who continue to sell cigarettes tax-free, saying, “I said to David Paterson, I said, ‘You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun.' " As you might imagine, the Seneca Indian Nation is now on the warpath.
The Nation told the Daily News they want Bloomberg to quit over his "inflammatory and racially insensitive" speech. But they also said they'd accept a written apology. Bloomberg isn't even their main target; the tribe filed a suit against the Paterson administration yesterday to block the enforcement of their plan to collect taxes on sales of cigarettes bought on Indian reservations.
Collection is set to go into effect on September 1st, but the tribe wants them to delay it until the court case is over. If Paterson and Andrew Cuomo don't agree to do so by tomorrow, the Seneca Indians plan on taking further legal action. President Barry Snyder said, "We are asking the governor and attorney general to stand down and allow the court to handle this. We are trying to avoid needless tension and chaos that is likely to ensue if the state attempts to start collections on Sept. 1."
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