[dennisw]

Tax the bums same as other Americans are. Booze, gasoline and ciggies should be taxed the same on reservations as they are on the outside.

[dr_who_2]

Reservations and the treaties that created them are a dumb idea. Taxes on cigarettes and alcohol are a dumb idea. New York State is probably revenue starved due to runaway spending and is being particularly dumb about the latter. Treaties with the indian "nations" is just one of those crumby things in the Constitution that will take a while longer to pare away (like slaves being 3/5ths of a person, the postal service, patents, the district of columbia, etc) Until then, if NY'ers are loading up on cheap Indian cigs and firewater, big friggin deal.

[July 4th]

If the tribes want to have their "sovereign" status, why not do things this way: If someone goes onto a reservation to buy cigarettes, on the way out, have a state "customs" checkpoint and charge them the import tax.