Posted on 04/02/2010 11:31:29 PM PDT by Arec Barrwin
Thursday, April 1, 2010 7:10 PM EDT
P.A.C.T. Act is signed into law
By Christopher Michel Olean Times Herald
With President Barack Obama’s approval, the U.S. Postal Service is now prohibited from shipping cigarettes - a devastating blow to the Seneca Nation of Indians’ $330 million tobacco industry.
On Wednesday afternoon, President Obama signed the Prevention of All Cigarette Trafficking Act into law, nearly two weeks after the bill received its final approval in Congress. In addition prohibiting the mailing of cigarettes, the new law provides for stricter requirements in reporting cigarette sales from tobacco merchants and increased penalties for falsely reporting cigarette sales. Additionally, both federal and state governments will have more power to investigate violations.
Calling President Obama’s action a “deliberate betrayal,” Barry E. Snyder Sr., Seneca Nation president, condemned the new law.
“The president of the United States invited Native American leaders to Washington D.C. in November and looked us in the eye as a sign of good faith in his pledge to protect federal treaties,” President Snyder said. “Now four months later, he has betrayed that promise.
“In 1779, President George Washington was referred to as Hanodagonyas, an Iroquois term meaning ‘town destroyer,’ for his attempt to quell Native American uprisings,” President Snyder continued. “I think that term should be dusted off and given to Barack Obama for the economic destruction that P.A.C.T. Act will cause.
In the weeks leading up to the bill’s passage, Seneca leaders have estimated the Nation will lose up to 65 percent of its import/export revenues, which funds Seneca social-welfare programs. In addition, Nation officials say approximately 1,000 local jobs tied to Native mail-order cigarette sales will be lost.
With the new law slated to go into effect on July 1, J.C. Seneca, a Tribal councilor, said the Nation will brace for the impact.
“This is devastating for the Seneca Nation, the businesses and all the employees, but it won’t take us down. We’ve been pushed around by the government for centuries and we keep finding ways to survive,” Mr. Seneca said. “We’ll all be looking at ways to adapt and save as many jobs as possible.”
(Contact reporter Christopher Michel at Cmichel@oleantimesherald.com)
Zero is a narcississt and a habitual liar! Is there a list of his numerous
lies and broken promises?
Who is the real Zero!
“Well I wonder what Van (give them the wealth, give them the wealth) Jones thinks of this??”
Apparently “wealth” means “shaft” in newspeak.
If this health care fiasco isn't struck down, they can open up hospitals to provide first-rate, pay-for-service medical care.
“but in some areas”, ah, do you think this includes Indian Reservations? Don’t think so.
On the one hand, what the Indians were doing was legal, so I feel bad for them. On the other hand, they trusted Soetoro, so I don’t feel bad for them.
When people vote for a baby-killer, and he turns around and stabs them in the back, as baby-killers always do, it’s their own fault. They ignored the most basic, rudimentary justice by voting him in, so they have no beef.
And Soetoro keeps puffing away.
Can’t sleep either?
Then someone else, (not sure who) used similar threatening tactics to get Fex Ex and UPS to stop accepting shipment of Tobacco products.
Now this!
Boy did they keep this one under the radar as this is the 1st I've heard of it and I would not be surprised if it was introduced by someone from NY as they loose lots of money on taxes.
Guess I'll be stocking up over the next 90 days and thereafter, will have to travel to NY to get my deep discounts.
looks like they’ll be voting differently 11/02/2010
hmmmmmmmmmmm 11/02/2010 in numerology =7
I thought that was Eliot Spitzer too.
Great Oreo Father , LOL.
IIRC, it is a violation of most states' tax laws to buy reservation cigarettes and then transport them off the NA land -- but it is enforced only in some areas. In most, possession of cigarettes without the tax seal is a violation of the law. Maybe in some locations, allowances are made for people to bring untaxed cigarettes into the state, but I don't know of any personally.
So all-in-all (even though it is a naturally predictable that 0 would betray a promise), it's not such a bad thing to stop the trafficking in cigarettes. Sure, the tribes gain a chunk of change from tax dodgers, but what has that $330 mil done for the Seneca tribe? Many NA tribes benefit from their status to run casinos and sell cigarettes and other things that people can't legally buy in their state, but most evidence I've seen indicates that a lot of that money goes into only a few pockets.
The article says U.S. Mail. Does that exclude FEDEX or UPS?
This is a Nazi Regime, with a National Socialist dictator. Just because it isn’t German doesn’t mean it isn’t Nazi.
***..the tribes can then sell the cigarettes on reservation land at much lower rates than the local stores off the reservation.***
Oklahoma has lots of Smoke Shops. Wonder if this will affect them.
More than that I think there is something about profits that he hates.
Unfortunately for the Seneca I don’t think far northern New York state is good tobacco growing country.
grow it on another reservation
Then they would have to transport it outside reservation boundaries. Interstate commerce clause.
No. I have insomnia. But only at night.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.