[Chad Fairbanks]

I am very much against the reservation system in general.

For example, any money paid to the tribes by corporations for the right to drill, mine, forest, etccc on trust land is actually paid to the feds who allegedly hold it in trust (and, in the case of the Clinton Administration, millios upon millions of trust money disappears and the tribes never see their own money...)

I think it would be interesting to have the reservations become actual states - then maybe the indians could make something of themselves, without the various states and feds stealing all their money, and then demanding even more when they implement gambling to make up for it...

And yes, it's confusing and ambiguous, and there are so many falsehoods out there that people believe, such as "indians don't pay taxes" etc...

Maybe statehood WOULD be a good idea....

[ellery]

Yeah, I read about the huge amounts the feds stole -- some things never change, eh? I didn't realize that the corporate cash went to the feds, though. That's outrageous.

I just think clarification is in order -- tribes should neither get to have it both ways (as in this article), nor get shafted from all sides. If state sovereignty has any meaning, then it can't be in name only. Yes, it would mean the end of "nation of" rhetoric, and probably of other legal areas where feds are somewhat hands off...but it should be worth it for recognition, congressional delegates, and all the other prerogatives states enjoy. It's unfair to call reservations soveriegn states but treat them differently than Pennsylvania, Montana or any other state. Otherwise, it's just a repeat of the separate but equal crap.

Has there been any push that you know of for this kind of solution? I'm sure it would be a fight, but I think with a little public discussion, most people would realize that it's the only fair way...