Living in Poverty?

[NVMojo]

MAy 11, 2006

(NOTE: the following prose article is of my own writing, opinion and view, it should not be accepted as truth or factual, is not meant to distort your personal views or opinions, nor is it meant to offend or insult anyone, I am soley responsible for the contents in this prose article. If you wish to forward or repost this article to another list for further discussion or debate, please do so, but please leave intact.Thank you.)

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Living in Poverty?

Indian Country has some of poorest American Indian Reservations in these United States, and for the last five years the living conditions have not improved as numerous reports indicate, and with some of the recent proposed Government Budget Cuts, it is unlikely that the conditions will change anytime soon, but does it really matter?

The Working and Middle Class Americans are only now beginning to understand what it may mean to live in Poverty, only they haven’t felt the full effect just yet, but a huge majority of these people are being pinched in the pocket book severely and they are finding out that two jobs in a household is not going to provide the comfort they were use to, but maybe three or four jobs will have to be accomplished in order to pay the high cost of utilities, groceries and fuel.

How can life be so cruel? Simple, just stop and take a look at the type of people that have been elected to the House of Congress and the U.S. Senate. Watch the C-Span networks sometime and listen to these elected officials crying for more Corporate Dollars, then you’ll come to understand why everything in life is on the rise.

Corporate America needs more servants, no question about that, but to make matter’s worse, because Corporate America knows there is nothing you can do about it, they are going to increase everything so that you the Consumer can not and will not ever get out of debt, that way you will never break the bondage that Corporate America is keeping you in.

And just because you love Corporate America so well, your Congress and Senate are going to give them a real huge Tax Break and make sure that you the Consumer, that your Taxes are Increased a 100 percent.

If you believe that Indian Tribes are so Wealthy and Rich, think again, and yes, some of the Gaming Tribes are doing very well, but the price of wealth sometimes comes with Corruption and Tyranny.

If you live in an urban setting such as I do, because the Elko Indian Colony is basically semi-urban, that is, the Colony is situated right almost in the city limits, so most business’s are let’s say in walking distance, very much in driving distance, there’ probably no real big threat to poverty conditions being evident, that’s a fact.

On larger reservations in rural America, Tribal Business’s are located not only far from urban cities, but far for some tribal members to get to and most of these reservations have people living in Third World Poverty Conditions, barely surviving day to day.

Our Indian people though are Survivors, they have always been the greatest human beings, they often don’t care about what they don’t have and most often will give what they have if someone needs it more than they do.

Indian Country will live, our people will survive and if the American Voter knows it must survive as well, then let us hope that this next National Election will find New Congressional Representatives and New U.S. Senators.

Written and Posted by: Larry Kibby


Larry Kibby is a Human Being of the Sovereign Nations of the Wiyots of Northern California.
He has resided on the Elko Indian Colony for 24 years. Nevada has been his home state for 31 years.


Wiyot Nation of California

Wiyot Tribe of California - http://www.wiyot.com
Wiyot language - http://www.native-languages.org/wiyot.htm
Kids Facts - Wiyot - http://www.geocities.com/bigorrin/wiyot_kids.htm

[Erika]

1. W & his enablers have allowed the concept

"I owe my soul to the company store". They have even tried to give that concept dignity. There is none.

The shame I feel about what white European greed did to the Indian nations is equalled only by what we did to the Japanese civilian population centers of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is a shame I live with. No rationalization has convinced me otherwise.

[NVMojo]

5. and its right up there with what we have done in Iraq ...

I appreciate your comments, Erika.

[Sammy Pepys]

2. I've got to be frank...

If the tribal nations want to change their station, they've got to clean up their own house as well. They have some of the most convoluted local government I've ever seen.

[Warpy]

3. I don't begin to understand the Pueblos and their government

and every Pueblo is a little different in how they choose it. Some have adopted the democratic model while others are sort of quasi theocracies, a combination of elders and religious leaders, while others are elders, only, with advice from religious leaders. It's not my job to understand them, though, only to tolerate them.

As for the poverty, until my pop died, I was living very much the way they do in the poorest sections of the Pueblos. My truck was nearly old enough to vote and barely hanging together. I haven't had health insurance since 1987, something the local tribes do have, although a very primitive form of it via the Indian Health Service. My diet was lousy and an enforced vegetarianism. My whole entertainment budget was my ISP. Forget CDs and DVDs, going out to dinner, buying new clothes, or anything else. I dropped over half my prescriptions and my health deteriorated and there was nothing I could do about it.

And yes, I am deeply angry that this is allowed to go on in this country. It is a rich country, but the riches have been stolen by the few, depriving the many. We need a revolution to restore balance. I only hope it can be a peaceful one.

[NVMojo]

4. As one who works for a tribal government, I agree, but we gave it to them

It's a constant state of chaos, just like what we are giving another sovereign nation we invaded with the White Way.

[Monk06]

6. Until all tribal nations have control over their lands there will be no

peace. In Canada the Nunavut, after ten years are
still having to deal with their land claims being
stalled by the Federal Government. It was bad under
Martin, it is even worse under Harper.

The Federal Ministry, overseeing treaty arrangements
between First Nations, (the PC term) and Natives (the
preferred term by the rank and file); is DIAND, an
acronym for the Dept of Indian and Northern Development.

I kid you not, this Cabinet position still exists based on the
notion that INDIANS NEED TO BE DEVELOPED. Like they were
some sort of primitive and undeveloped resource.

Conservatives seem to be constitutionally incapable of
taking natives seriously until roads are blockaded and
people are shot at.

[dcfirefighter]

8. I want my ancestral lands in the southern UK.

Land belongs to no one and to everyone. All such 'ownership' implies excluding others from nature, and SHOULD include compensation for such. The native american's tragedy is more recent, but all land ownership is based on original theft.

[NVMojo]

9. good points, Gary!

[Warpy]

7. POVERTY is the world's worst and most effective WMD

and is being weilded more and more effectively by a handful of families worldwide.

Until we all realize this and vow to end it, we'll continue to see desperate people all over the world use the last bit of their strength doing terrible things to other desperate people.