Responsibility

Now I understand that Indian legislators have thier own <a title="Indian legislators set goals for '05 session " href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/11/17/build/state/55-leg-goals.inc" target="_blank">agenda</a> for thier constituents. That's the whole idea of drawing district lines to ensure a minority group canadate can win an election. Those of us who have the misfourtune of being included in these districts are just left out to hang without much representing our interests. I have a question in all this. Thier agenda is:<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Items on the agenda included tribal affairs coordinator, taxation, tribal-state relations, tribal compacts, economic development, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, federal impact aid, sovereign immunity and legislative funding for Indian education.</blockquote><br />n<br />nMost of it I can understand but what always bothers me is they are always concerned about thier sovereignty from the state but yet want state funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and legislative funding for Indian education for thier constituents, and even if it isn't mentioned, includes monies for schools on the reservations that non-Indians aren't allowed to attend (Yes, some of my property taxes go to a public school my children aren't allowed to attend since they aren't Indian). <br />n<br />nSo what ever happened to mutual respect and responsibility? They want all these goodies from the State but they want to be sovereign from the State so that the State has no control over them. All other residents have responsibilities that go along with getting help from the state but these soverign entities don't. All they want is money out of the pot but don't want to contribute any in to the pot. I guess thier able to have thier cake and eat it too. I just don't get it. <br />n<br />nI am all for the tribes doing everything they can to help themselves and be part of Montana but how can they do this if they insist on being a seperate, soveriegn entity? All this does is bring disputes and divisiveness among us and doesn't help the whole State of Montana move forward into an economic powerhouse it could be.<br />n<br />n<br />n<b>Responsibility is the thing people dread most of all. Yet it is the one thing in the world that develops us, gives us manhood or womanhood fiber. Frank Crane</b><br />