Dirty Work

Somewhat of a repost, but it’s in the news again.

Channel 2 did a story about Patricia Van Egmond, who owns a house near the Seneca Niagara casino, which has been in her family since 1937. She received a letter from the Senecas:

Van Egmond says she learned she was losing her home from an October 2003 letter the casino sent her, offering her 20% more than its appraised value plus relocation costs. But the 72-year-old works just across the street at Catholic Charities, and also relies on the income from her upstairs tenant. Not to mention the home’s sentimental value.

But here’s the thing. The Senecas don’t have the right to take anything by eminent domain. Your unbelieveably competent Albany lawmakers promised the Senecas that they’d handle all the eminent domain unpleasantries. An Albany attorney says:

“We have the state coming in who can’t run a casino,” he said. “They’re constitutionally prohibited from doing that [so they] want to transfer land to a separate, foreign, sovereign entity that can run a casino. It’s really an unholy marriage.”

When Channel 2 asked the guys who are responsible for this abomination, they pretend to be ignorant:

State Senator George Maziarz, who represents the City of Niagara Falls, was one of many lawmakers who gave the governor’s office permission to negotiate the deal that brought the casino to the falls.

Reporter: “Was it right for the state to give them that room to expand?”

Sen. Maziarz: “It was right in a general sense to try to get development in downtown Niagara Falls. It was not right for them to be able to take private homes.”

Oh, well then thanks for voting the bill in, Senator. Slick move.

But let’s not just blame the legislators. Pataki is just as clueless.

Reporter: “People in Niagara Falls are losing their homes to eminent domain. Should the state have given that much land to the Senecas?”

Pataki: “We’re going to have to look at the specifics. This is the first I’ve heard of that issue. But we’ll talk about it.”

Reporter: “It was part of the compact that you had signed with them.”

Pataki: “I’m just going to have to look at the issue. I haven’t heard that before.”

I said back when everyone was a-twitter about the Kelo v. New London SCOTUS decision that legislation could easily thwart Kelo’s holding.

Hmm. I get the feeling that our lawmakers in Albany have shunted so much responsibility for so many things to the counties that they’ve absolutely no clue what they’re doing anymore.