Lawmakers Helped Tribes Get Federal Money

[NVMojo]

the sickening deal is that if you are a tribe with no casino money to pay these feckers off, you get no Federal money or little of it. Your people remain helpless.

November 24, 2005

WASHINGTON - More than a dozen members of Congress intervened to help Indian tribes win federal school construction money while accepting political donations from the tribes, their lobbyist Jack Abramoff or his firm.

The lawmakers hailed from both parties, including House Appropriations subcommittee Chairman Charles Taylor, R-N.C., and Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record) of North Dakota, the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Abramoff.

Most wrote letters that pressed a reluctant Bush administration to renew a program that provided tribes federal money for building schools. Others worked the congressional budget process to ensure it happened, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051124/ap_on_go_co/tribes_letters___dollars

[nofurylike]

1. it is sickening, yes. to say the least. things are bad, very bad.

maybe the current cases and investigations will lay bare some facts to show people.

maybe they'll care. i haven't seen them do so, much, yet.

i'm sorry. i care. desperately.

please keep on



solidarity

[Toots]

2. Unless they can find a direct link I will withhold judgement

What is wrong with money for schools? I am surprised there are not more Democrats involved. It doesn't surprise me a Republican would have to be paid money to vote for schools but Democrats??????

[jwirr]

3. Are you saying that the North Dakota representative

should not represent the natives in his district? That does not mean that he is dishonest. As to the new schools - we just built a new white school using fed money - should we tear it down?

[annabanana]

4. The scandal is that they've been playing one tribe against

the other.. and the fundies against both of them while taking massive amounts of money from all of them and dispensing nothing but lies.

Tribes without money, like all Americans without money, are always shit-out-of-luck.