Opinion: Oneida Nation casino grows without state interference

Oppressive government regulations and taxes beating down Upstate New Yorkers have assaulted the region for years, leaving cities like Binghamton on the path to Detroit-level devastation. However, all is not lost. The hope of prosperity is evidenced in the success of less regulated and prosperous Native American tribe businesses in the state.

The Upstate cities of Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Binghamton have experienced poverty levels upwards of 30 percent in 2013, all having increased from 2010 levels, according to U.S. Census data. Detroit sits at a 39.3 percent poverty rate with Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester right behind at levels of 34.6 percent, 33.3 percent, and 32.9 percent respectively.

Detroit edges out the others in home ownership, with 52 percent homeowner-occupied housing between 2009 and 2013, whereas the New York cities mentioned host rates as low as 39 percent. Each city had a similar population density to Detroit.

Jobs, income, and residents in the former agriculture and manufacturing-leading Upstate New York regions have been experiencing the pain of government overreach for over 50 years, argues a Deseret News article.

Turning Stone resort is cited as an example of the potential for success in New York. Just 20 miles from increasingly poverty-depressed Syracuse, the Oneida are employing 4,500 people despite being a tribe of only 1,000 members.

Freedom from volumes of state laws and taxes has encouraged the prosperity of the tribe’s businesses. Manhattan Institute scholar Fred Siegel’s encouraging words close out the Deseret News piece with the counsel, “There is a huge entrepreneurial spirit in this state. We just have to find a way to unleash it.”