Governor Dean Issues Native American Platform

[Rose Siding]

ALBUQUERQUE--Speaking today at the National Congress of American Indians, Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D., announced a variety of policy proposals aimed at ensuring that the government treats Native American nations as governments, not special interest groups. As president, Dean said he would support tribal sovereignty and government-to-government relations between the United States and federally recognized tribes.

"Traveling across the country during this campaign, I've met so many Americans who are struggling. The truth is, the government is only working for the interests of a privileged few-and the people are being left behind. In tribal communities, it's been happening for 200 years," Dean said.

"Too many Native American communities are lagging behind and it is because the United States has not followed through on promised services. President Bush's administration has created an environment that undermines Tribal America's forward progress," Dean continued. "He has allowed the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian health services, and the Administration for Native Americans to languish for months without leadership. This has fostered challenges to the sovereign rights of tribal governments, which undercuts a tribe's ability to provide for the well-being of its people. The attack on tribal sovereignty must stop."

Governor Dean's policy proposals, which are available in full at www.deanforamerica.com, were developed with the help of his Native American Advisors Council, chaired by LaDonna Harris and Wilma Mankiller.

more...................

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10594&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1301

[molly]

1. He must be aware that they have a 3 billion budget

covering 572 federally recognized tribes. The Indian leadership wants to govern themselves and still be fully funded by the IHS.

He must think that we are ALL ill informed.

[Cha]

2. You go Dean! Get our Native Americans the justice they

Deserve!

[mzmolly]

3. Excellent!!!

:toast:

[molly]

4. How can he improve on this?

What a PLAYER YOUR BOY IS!! roflmao!!!! /b]

Don't ya just wish we got these benefits?

Here are some facts that the general public may not know:

1. Native Americans have access to free general health care

2. Catastrophic health care is provided free.

3. Regular dental services are free and things like braces and
false teeth are provided at actual lab costs.

4. Free eye exams and eye surgeries. Does not include cosmetic
surgeries like LASIK

5. Free eyeglasses for children through age 18.

6. HUD subsidized housing. Eligible for couples with children,
regardless of marriage orjust living together. One couple
with one child eligible for 2 bedroom one bath house for as
low as $ 39.00/month rent. The higher their income the more
they pay in rent. The highest house payment I have ever heard of was $ 440.00/month for a four bedroom two bath.

7. All renovations of houses are done through government grants.

8. When appliances go out i.e., refrigerator, stove, etc., they are replaced through grant money.

9. Banks will not write mortgages on Indian housing because only tribal members are allowed to own houses on the reservations. Thus, if someone defaulted on a note, the bank cannot seize the house. (That is why the Federal Govt. pays for remodeling and repairs, etc.)

10. The local tribes have federal money set aside that was given for property reimbursement years ago that is distributed to each tribal member upon their 18th birthday. The current sum is around $ 18,000 to each new adult.

11. Most tribes have Smoke Shops on their reservations where they can sell cigarettes without federal taxation. Profits from these are divided amongst the adult tribal members. In Nevada,
they get around $ 1,000 each December.

12. When a Native American dies, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
provides $ 2,500 for burial expenses. This is a little better than the $ 255 that Social Security gives.

[Cha]

5. Your "boy" doesn't even know how to

"play".

[molly]

6. Are human lives a game?

your boy obviously is a tad misinformed.

[Cha]

9. I don't have a "boy" ...we support a man who is

not only Not "misinformed" but doing his utmost to keep up with
the issues that Americans are facing today.

Your disrespectful "boy" is telling.

[molly]

10. All he has to do is to go to the IHS website

and learn the facts! He's PLAYING people!

[Cha]

13. No he's Not!

How absurd.

[molly]

15. If he's not, he needs to tell Joe Trippi to get his facts

in order before making an ass of of u and NOT me!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

18. Which facts exactly?

Both Dean and Kerry seem to have focused on the issue of strenghtening the relationship between the federal government and the NA tribes.

Here's Kerry's statement, in case you missed it (Dean's was the original post in this thread):
http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=3279

Both Dean and Kerry also alluded to Bush's track record in actually delivering promised services to the tribes.

Where's the dishonesty in what either of these candidates are suggesting?

[Cha]

19. Maybe you should read Post #11 by sandnsea

"That's the promise"


"It's not what actually is done. Houses sit without repairs for years. Not enough new housing is available so families usually end up doubling up in homes. The schools aren't adequately funded and neither are reservation health facilities. If you live off the reservation, you do have Indian health insurance, but coverage is sporadic and takes a while to get approval for various treatment."

"Tribes are soverign. Countries within our country. I don't know how they make decisions about who receives monies from tribal operations, including oil and gas wells on Indian lands, but not every tribal member receives the money."

"It's as complicated an issue as Iraq."

edit~spell "sandnsea" correctly.

[molly]

21. Maybe you should read my post 20 or do some research

on your own.

[Scott Lee]

25. Maybe you should stop playing Dances With Wolves

and cop to some pretty crass politicking on your part. There is nothing that Dean is doing wrong in this area. Nothing. While your boy Kerry is busy protecting his profits from Fairpoint Communications Inc., Dean is reaching out to the most ignored and brutalized segment of our population - the Indigenous ones.

Get your boy to give up some of his tens of millions in holdings to build a tribal school. Think he'll do it?

[liberalmuse]

7. Keep it up, Kerry supporter...

I will seriously stay home if Kerry is nominated, even though I'll be at the polls for Lieberman and any other Dem candidate. Kerry supporters have been despicable on the DU board, and everywhere else. I hung up on your candidate's campaign call last night. It was a gut reaction, thanks to his supporters. I've had it. I'm utterly disgusted. Eff Kerry and all his minions.

[molly]

8. Kerry supporters have been golden compared

to Dean supporters - please remember back when you guys started it all. I will most DEFINITELY stay home if your boy is nominated, but I really don't think I will have anything to worry about.

[Cha]

12. The Unions like Dean..

http://www.msnbc.com/news/994165.asp

What keeps labor kicking—and possibly poised to grow again—is what one 19th-century essayist called “plunder from above.” President Bush’s reward-the-rich ethos is creating class consciousness among working people for the first time in years. They want health care fixed and money for college. How strong is this liberal impulse? Not clear, but leaders like Stern are trying to capitalize on it. They’re reversing age-old labor positions by championing immigration and organizing once-snubbed low-wage hospital and clerical workers—often minority women—who truly need a union, then bringing them into the Democratic Party"


"If Dick Gephardt is your father’s Oldsmobile, Howard Dean is a sporty Miata, turning heads even as it risks swerving into the Bushes. Gephardt has the older blue-collar unions; Dean the newer white-collar ones. Gephardt, ironically, has the more innovative labor proposals—including a “global minimum wage” (varying by country)—and he could better tell his old friends hard truths as president. But Dean’s outsider status appeals to unions that felt taken for granted in the Clinton era. And Dean offers the same organizational energy that fuels the SEIU. “We’re going to make our union shop stewards into precinct captains,” says Stern, who was told months ago by Dean that “you have the power to make me president.”

We truly have some Wonderful People on our side! So I'm not worried about the naysayers with agendas.

[molly]

14. Is that what the FIREFIGHTERS said?

hmmmmmm????

[RevolutionStartsNow]

16. No, it's not

The firefighters endorsed John Kerry, but I'm guessing you knew that. :)

Some UAW unions and others have endorsed Gephardt.

Dean has received the endorsement of SEIU, IUPAT, AFSCME, and CTA.

Different unions have chosen to back different candidates.

SEIU and AFSCME are seen as key because they are very politically active and alternately strong in NH and IA.

[Cha]

17. If you haven't been paying attention...there are

some other unions who are backing Dean!
http://www.msnbc.com/news/994165.asp

"First, his union, the 1.6 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), jolted the political world last week by joining with the biggest union of government workers (AFSCME) to endorse Howard Dean. (The communication workers’ and teachers’ unions will soon follow.) This may be seen in retrospect as a key moment in the Democratic contest and perhaps even the fall campaign. Second, Stern’s approach—clean, idealistic, grass-roots organizing to bring in new members and voters—may be the only hope for saving not just the Democratic Party but the American labor movement."

[sandnsea]

11. That's the promise

It's not what actually is done. Houses sit without repairs for years. Not enough new housing is available so families usually end up doubling up in homes. The schools aren't adequately funded and neither are reservation health facilities. If you live off the reservation, you do have Indian health insurance, but coverage is sporadic and takes a while to get approval for various treatment.

Tribes are soverign. Countries within our country. I don't know how they make decisions about who receives monies from tribal operations, including oil and gas wells on Indian lands, but not every tribal member receives the money.

It's as complicated an issue as Iraq.

[molly]

20. The tribal councils have the final say

over anything concerning government. You can't even get a divorce or sue a native American without going thru the tribal council. They also dictate how the government spending is allocated.

[Duder]

22. Facts?

Do Native Americans receive any special rights or benefits from the U.S. government?

'Contrary to popular belief, Indians do not receive payments from the federal government simply because they have Indian blood. Funds distributed to a person of Indian descent may represent mineral lease income on property that is held in trust by the United States or compensation for lands taken in connection with governmental projects. Some Indian tribes receive benefits from the federal government in fulfillment of treaty obligations or for the extraction of tribal natural resources - a percentage of which may be distributed as per capita among the tribes membership.'

http://www.narf.org/pubs/faqs.html

[molly]

23. Tribal or "Indian blood" is also dictated by the tribal councils

it is different within each tribe. In some tribes, you need only 1/500th Indian blood.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

26. The indians deserve the benefits and own sovereignty

If you know your history the way we treated Indians is despicable. We broke treaty after treaty. We took their land. Maybe you should look into the Trails of Tears. Have you no compassion? I advise you to read Dances with Wolves. Throughout out history we have persecuted the Indians. By giving them blankets infected with smallpox, relocated them forcefully, destroying their way of life. One can say that the money (if at all) they are receiveing from the Governement is compensation. The Government is still paying off their debt to the Native Americans. So in reality self sovereignty and benefits can go together

[molly]

27. What about BLACK PEOPLE?

thankyou for giving me an opening!

[ProudToBeLiberal]

28. I believe they should have reparations

thank you for the opening. But the united states didn't take land away from them. Didn't make treaties of land titles. But I believe that african americans should get reparations

[Scott Lee]

34. If Dean speaks to a Black group, I'm sure you'll attack him

How about some news for a change.

[molly]

44. Who in the hell are you to tell ME what I will or won't do?

grow up Deanie!

[Scott Lee]

24. All small potatoes considering these other facts....

1. Native Americans are some of the most likely to suffer from chronic obesity due to diseases like cardiac ailments and diabetes.

2. Native Americans suffer from some of the highest alchoholism and drug abuse rates in the nation.

3. Native Americans are the least likely out of any group to get work in a location that would allow them to leave the reservation.
(HINT: Lowest social mobility quotient)

4. Native languages and cultures are disappearing at such a rate that even the Native language most spoken (Navajo) has only a little over 100,000 documented speakers and its dwindling fast. It could be gone in one or two generations.

So lets review: Least healthy, most likely to succumb to alchoholism or drug use, least able to move up the job ladder (or be employed at all), most likely to be trapped in the armpits now known as reservations, very likely to end up in jail, culture and language disappearing. Let's add that they don't even really have a government of their own because the "Conquered Nations" statute is a farce meant to placate, not establish.

With all due respect, that makes your list look like bandaids on a gushing headwound.


Go Dean.

[molly]

29. Yeppers! Howard the DUCK-er Dean is going to fix it all

IHS took over BIA in 1955. This is my point....

ALL AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE THE BENEFITS THAT THE NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE TODAY!

Does Howie understand this?

[ProudToBeLiberal]

30. wait we do though in a way

have you heard of states rights?

[Scott Lee]

31. What's Kerry doing about it? Buying more telecom stock?

I think Howard Dean understands it quite deeply. Are you suggesting that he follow all other candidates leads and ignore the Indigenous?

How perfectly absurd. And unamerican.

[Duder]

32. Benefits?

'What would you do if someone borrowed something from you but waited so long to return it, they forgot what you lent them in the first place?

That is the predicament facing thousands of American Indians whose ancestors allowed the U.S. government to rent millions of acres of their tribal land.

Over many decades, the government lost track of who owns what land and has not consistently paid the Native American families and tribal councils what they're due.

Now the Secretary of Interior, Gale Norton, is the latest government official to anger the federal judge charged with sorting out one of the worst accounting problems in U.S. history as well as a complicated case of government negligence.'

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june02/indian_land.html

[Scott Lee]

33. B-b-b-but look at that evil Howard Dean, talking to Indians!

When he could be fighting for AMA profits instead!

[molly]

35. You Deanies are amusing

you jump right in and think you can fix something that has been "broken" for a very long time. This is just a politcal move and the Indian people are the sacrifical lambs. They are, as we speak - and have been trying for a very long time - to be self governing - to just get their 3+ billion a year and run their own programs. The truly unfortunate thing is that they are very naiive about costs. You think Howard the Duck-er can do better?

BET ME!

[Duder]

36. Whatever...

"I am the only candidate with a comprehensive agenda for Native Americans," he told the convention. He said he would bring health care to everyone, reduce overcrowded housing, increase economic development and small business loans and build new Indian schools." - John Kerry

[molly]

37. Tell us about Howard the Duck-er's plan

quit defending him at every turn - tell us his positive points.

[Duder]

38. Dean announced that, as president, he would:

* Rebuild the trust relationship between the federal government and Native Americans.

* Pursue innovative strategies to help Native American communities achieve self-sufficiency, as well as build partnerships with USDA, HUD, Fannie Mae, and others to meet the dire housing needs of Indian country and to improve basic infrastructure for housing development, including water, sewer, and utilities.

* Provide affordable quality health care for all Americans, and provide incentives for students and mid-career health professionals to serve as primary care providers on reservations and urban Native American health clinics.

* Improve the educational opportunities for all Native Americans, including fully funding the continuation of the Indian Head Start programs and supporting bilingual and multicultural programs that involve parents, tribal leaders, and other community members.

* Preserve Native American lands while developing sustainable energy resources, through programs aimed to increase energy efficiency and promote sustainable energy sources.

Governor Dean also promised to improve and solidify Native American governmental posts, by reforming and strengthening the Bureau of Indian Affairs and rectifying the mismanagement of the Indian Trust Funds. He also said he would appoint a Native American to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to coordinate tribal/federal relations throughout the Administration.

"Diversity is one of America's great strengths. My values and the values of my campaign are the same as those of Native Americans--advancing the cause of youth, caring for our elders, ensuring equal opportunity, providing quality health care, and creating jobs by building basic infrastructure and planning for future generations," he continued.

"I believe in honoring the communities that American Indian and Alaskan Natives have maintained for hundreds of years. As President, I will work to restore the trust between our government and our country's Native American communities. My administration will focus on policies that promote the strength, integrity, and resiliency in Indian Country," he said.

[molly]

43. People that have grown up learning how to succeed by

writing grants are going to take major re-programming.

[Duder]

45. Not Wilma Mankiller...

'In 1985 Mankiller, now 57, became the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, the 220,000-member Native American tribe based in Tahlequah, Okla., to which she belongs. She did it not only by overcoming the usual barriers set against Native Americans, but also by vaulting the chauvinistic hurdles imposed by her fellow Cherokees, who had never been led by a woman.

Once chief, Mankiller took the traditional "women's issues" of education and health care and made them tribal priorities. She raised $20 million to build a much-needed infrastructure for schools and other projects, including an $8 million job-training center. The largest Cherokee health clinic was started under her tenure in Stilwell, Okla., and is now named in her honor. Mankiller also sought to reunite the Eastern Cherokee, a group based in North Carolina, with the larger Western division.

She ruled with grace and humor -- she often teased patronizing Anglos by telling them her surname was due to her reputation; in fact, "Mankiller" is a Cherokee military term for a village protector --'

[Scott Lee]

39. OK, so keep ignoring them, huh? Business as usual?

Pssssst: Thats why the Kerry/Statist camp is losing power ;)

[molly]

41. You are STILL amusing - you need to take a reality break

[RevolutionStartsNow]

40. What the heck is your point? Kerry said essentially the same thing!

Should Dean NOT try to fix something that is broken?

Is Kerry wrong too? Your point on this thread doesn't make sense -- he shouldn't try to help because ALL Americans deserve rights, or because black people have also been persecuted? What?

Did you even read Kerry's statement? He said essentially the same as Dean.

[molly]

42. Please inform your other Deanie posters....

[RevolutionStartsNow]

46. Not my job, but...

I have posted Kerry's words on here and referred to them in more than one post.

So what is it? Are Kerry and Dean BOTH wrong? Or just Dean because you don't like him? And if Kerry is wrong, how so?