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Obama: U.S. must reverse course with American Indians

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Thinkin' Man | 9:04 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Yes, we need to reverse course and dismantle the welfare state imposed on native Americans.

yah. | 9:13 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Of course he did. New czar?

NMP | 9:50 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

It is past time to do for the Indian Tribes. Thank you, President Oboma.

Comments continue below

wealth | 9:56 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

"give them the wealth, give them the wealth!!!!!"

wallofvoodoo | 10:05 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

We destroyed their livelyhood. So how else should they live? Not all tribes have casinos.

Marie Devine | 10:11 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Citizens voted for Barack Obama expecting change. We have more government control programs, more debt etc.

The Bible says our enemy is not man, it is Satan; and he comes to lie, cheat, steal, kill and destroy.
Since we must always watch for deception, what can the American Indian's lose? What can change for the Indian nations?: independent status?, taxes?, requirement to buy health insurance? "White man's medicine" instead of natural herbs?

Watch carefully; this president has proved he is controlled by a deceptive spirit: secretive (hiding all identity records) and speaks with a forked tongue (says one thing, does differently.)

lost in DC | 11:00 a.m. Nov. 5, 2009

isn't there a supreme court ruling somewhere against "separate but equal"? Wasn't that Brown vs the Board of Education?

As long as the indigineous peoples try to remain separate, they will never be equal, but will continue to be, in general, saddled with poverty.

Take a good look | 12:27 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Want to see proof of what Federal Government "help" looks like? Just visit a reservation. I'm not talking about visiting a pow-wow or other cultural event, I mean really visit the res. I've lived on one and taught school on one and I can tell you that they are living monuments to government good intentions.

Anonymous | 1:20 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Obama, maybe you can force Utah to give them back the millions in their tribal trust that Utah can't account for today. Get money from big coal for the damage to the Navajo Aquifer under Black Mesa.

@ lost in DC | 1:48 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

There is a difference between forced separation (such as the legislated school segregation that was at play in Brown) and chosen separation (such as you accuse Native Americans of).

Most Native Americans have ended up on reservations because, at one point, that is where they were forced to live. Most Native Americans live in poverty because the US government lied to them and stole their land.

It is not easy for Native Americans to get off the reservation and get the education they need to survive in today's world.

Perhaps you should do yourself a favor and study US History before you go spouting off.

@anon | 3:06 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

oooops! Obama already is shutting down "big coal", (remember he promised to bankrupt the coal industry)so where is he gonna get $ to give even more to the Indians? How soon you forget. All this meddling will come back to bite even the Obama supporters someday. Sad.

native american | 4:42 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

I am as much a a native american as any other native american. I was born in this country. They were born in this country. I have seen and been on reservations and we are not doing them any favors. Just giving people money and not requiring them to work for it is a bad thing. Once the tribes see this and refuse the free money they will be on their way out of poverty.

lost in DC | 4:43 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

@lost, no one is now forcing them to live on reservations, and if you look at the way some tribal governments operate, they are almost as corrupt as many 3rd world dictatorships.

I'd love for them to be able to improve their lot in life, but if their only hope is to sit back and hope tribal elders will somehow extract justice from the federal government, that's never going to happen. Even if the tribe gets "justice," that rarely trickles down to individual members.

about 10 years ago in Washington tribal leaders took federal housing money intended for the entire tribe and bought 5,000 sf homes for themselves while most tribal members lived in 60 year old trailer and shacks.

That is the type of thing I object to. I think there is a lot of that type of abuse that occurs because of the false idea of "sovereignty" is allowed to remain. That "sovereignty" is dependent on the federal government which keeps the indigenous peoples dependent, and therefore not individually independent.

the old ways are gone and cannot come back. to hold on to that breeds despair and poverty.

Let's give Indians more... | 5:12 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

so they can become absolutely dependent on government to survive. Or we can take away all of their welfare programs so that they can learn to become self-sufficient, educated, wealthy, happy, independent, and free.

Cowboy Joe | 5:27 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Native Americans aren't the only ones that use welfare programs. How many people that post use some form of welfare: be it church, medicaid, food stamps, free or reduced lunch at school, childrens health care. Most people many considering themselves conservative republicans use welfare not just Native Americans.

indigenous man | 5:56 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

i'm not hindu but, a hindu's brother. we don't want welfare...just compensate tribes for the lands taken illegally and all we are owed. that's fair isn't it? then give each and every tribal member the payments not the tribal governments. we should be okay. and don't tell us where and how to spend it.

Lindy | 6:10 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

What is the state of education on the reservations? I assume that the quality of education is very poor, which is a shame. A good education could give the children on reservations opportunities for better lives. Much funding goes into inner city schools, with few encouraging results, just wondering if anybody knows about the situation on the reservations and do they recieve the same types of funding?

Cowboy Joe | 6:31 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Lindy the education system on reservations is set up by "white people." Native American communities have no input into educating their kids. Many feel that it is not their system. I think if schools would be built around their native culture there would be more student success.

xscribe | 7:07 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

@Native American: Except you were most likely born by a white couple and not on a reservation, or at least had a means of a way out. Except you were not in this country first, and didn't have it taken away from you, along with all your beliefs and rituals. I wonder what you'd say if we were to give this country back to the "Native Americans" and let them decide what to do with those who came after them (us) and let them run the show. I'm sure your tune would change quite dramatically.

@cowboy | 7:08 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

They are in poor educational straights. Why? because they have govt. education, just like us.

Lindy | 7:12 p.m. Nov. 5, 2009

Cowboy Joe,
Having input into the education of the children might be a positive thing for the students, teachers and parents -community involvement could contribute to success.

I remember the story of Chief Joseph who was taken so far from his beloved home in Oregon to a reservation in Oklahoma where he "died of a broken heart". Wish life on the reservations had more opportunities for the people there.

MAYHEM MIKE | 8:47 a.m. Nov. 6, 2009

Oh, give me a break! As long as you "welfare-lovers" want to keep the Indians on the dole, why not give us Mormons compensation (plus compounded interest) for the lands and homesteads various states and the federal government stole from US? (think Nauvoo, Missouri, etc.).

you pretenders! | 11:54 a.m. Nov. 27, 2009

Oh wow... I have so much to say to those of you who think you know what its like to be us, to you bible thumpers, to you other smug well off white people... lol

Ignorance is bliss... so live well in it...

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