4 thoughts on “Social Media Connections”

  1. your “insight” on indian reservations is way out of left field and indicate to me that you know absolutely nothing about our reservations other than what your right win ideology has taught you. i have spent most of my life living on my reservation and lworking on other reservations. you should research, talk to people, spend some time on a reservation. it just isn’t right to spread so much misinformation. george wilson.

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  2. I agree with the George. I’m a Native American currently living on a reservation. We have our own Government, public works, education and social programs, etc. etc. The fact is what you are suggesting is at least a century too late. My tribe has adapted to the situation the US government put my relatives in and from my point of view you are arguing that the US should simply dissolve our sovereign nation we’ve spent decades building because you read some government spending statistics and seemingly feel bad about the social implications of segregation. You are basically saying, i know my government put natives on reservations but i don’t like how much government money is spent on these reservations so now decades after the fact we should just take their homes and communities away… again… because of “social injustice”. WELL TOO LATE PAL. i don’t want to be “absorbed” into my surronding state. Im proud of what my tribe has become and what we’ve built on this reservation.

    You know why the government hasn’t attempted integration of reservations? Because there are hundreds of tribes with totally different situations, and backgrounds. There isn’t a conventional solution to suit everyone of us. I mean come on man. The US literally gave us small parcels of land to build our lives on and took the rest for themselves. Now you want to take this land away too and indoctrinate us all?

    Look i can see why you think you’re points make sense and would promote equality but i don’t think you understand the situation here. Not all of us are willing to just take a check from the government and forget about our communities. If what you are suggesting were to happen it would drastically change my life for the worse and id lose the only community i have ever been truly a part of. you are essentially talking about absorbing my cultural identity. It took me awhile to convey all this to you and i hope you understand where I’m coming from. I don’t think you are a bad person for suggesting the things you have. I just don’t think you know what its like actually being on a reservation which has a stable tribal government.

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    • Matt, your response is consistent with a lot of guys who are proud of their reservations, and deservedly so. My concern is based on the numbers which indicate Natives fare far worse than most Americans with regard to incomes, health care, education, equity, mobility, and most other measures of “well being”. You can’t measure happiness, so we tend to look at the other things.

      I understand the concern about losing the culture, but it’s a shame so many Natives have to live below the line to preserve it. Is there a way to keep the culture AND put ownership of reservation and tribe property into the hands and control of the Natives, where it rightfully belongs?

      So many of your counterparts are saying “the government has screwed us” and their solution is “more government”. I’m looking for an alternative. I want as little government intrusion into my life as possible, and would assume the same would hold true for everybody.

      Thanks for your comment.

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