 unleashes his trademark caustic wit on Reuters. But I always thought it rhymed with hooters, rooters, as in ‘little pigs.’
Hmm. Yes, although their tactics were reprehensible and despicable, the donkeys did save us from Bob Bork.
Tipper should be committed as a public service.
Yep. Lure all the tourists in so they’ll spend their money. That’s a great way to build your economy. and your kids will be able to get good jobs at those resorts. Making beds, waiting, tables, and cleaning the pool.
Yes, but. Those governments don’t want their people partaking of the fruits of the 21st century. Socialism, communism, reactionary Islam, and tyranny are all defunct strategies in the 21st century. They don’t want to go there.
Some hopeful noises are finally being made on the Indian Trust issue
In response to questions posed by lawmakers who expressed skepticism that the broken system could ever be fixed, senior officials said Indian Country probably won't accept an effective termination of the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust. "I don't personally think that the individual Indian allottees would think that is the right idea," said Deputy [Interior] Secretary J. Steven Griles. ..
Why, of course not. Who would want to be let alone to manage their own affairs?
"But that doesn't mean it isn't the right idea," he quickly added. ..
.. Griles and Swimmer told members of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee that certain problems could be avoided if Congress stepped in. If the land remained free of local and state taxation, stayed within reservation boundaries and was kept out of non-Indian hands, they said eliminating the IIM trust might work.
"I think there obviously is some value . . . if there were a way to having less than a full trust duty to those properties," said Swimmer.
Made during an oversight hearing on trust reform, yesterday's remarks were the first concrete admission that the Bush administration would accept some sort of dismantling of the individual system. The issue was raised briefly last month by Associate Deputy Secretary Jim Cason, who told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee the idea was rejected in favor of reorganization of trust duties.
Yep. Gonna have to pry their sticky fingers off that money one at a time. But perhaps it can be done.
Incidentally, check out the Lalo Alcaraz ‘your visa is denied’ cartoon at Indianz.com. Your tax dollars at work, indeed. Check out the rest of the site too. A very different perspective and concerns with a lot of other issues you won’t hear about every day.
Finally someone asked a key question in the Indian Trust case
"The Department of the Interior has not placed a dollar value on the amount of the problems that have come from the mismanagement," [Interior Secretary Gale Norton] said in response to a caller who wanted to know where the money has gone.
Say what? The question: “Where did the money go?” Gets the answer: “We don’t know how much money has been lost.” Sounds like some boot-scootin’ side-stepping going on down in DC. A lot of fiddlin’ too.
Secretary Norton goes on to say that "most" of the payments to Indian beneficiaries have been made. "We've had to make some estimated payments for some types of those transactions because we didn't have the complete computer system going," she said.
Norton made her comments during a half-hour appearance on the C-SPAN program "Washington Journal." She was asked two questions about the Indian trust debacle.
Over a month has gone by. Another month. And still some people are waiting.
Says Elouise Cobell, plaintiff in Cobell v Norton: "I see Native people dying every day because they can't afford health insurance .. one woman I know has seven oil wells on her property, and she gets about $1,000 a year."
Yes, and that’s when she gets it. How would you like to have gone without a check of any sort since early December? This is the only income some of these folks have. $1000 a year. In the heart of the USA.
Hey! It hasn't been 12 months yet. Where did that ad come from? Of course, I'd gladly pay $12 a month. This has been very enterta