Monday, January 30, 2006
Food For Serious Thought
John J. Miller, writing in last week's OpinionJournal, suggests doing away with the Indian reservations. As I started the article, I must admit to some skepticism, but Miller was convincing.
He begins by pointing out that this would greatly stem the tide of gambling that is growing in America, a worthy goal, but that is an aside from his argument. He mostly discusses that it would end some of the greatest poverty in our nation, his argument starts with a fact I did not know.
This also helps explain why the gambling that is growing does not bring the wealth to the reservation it promises. The need for outside capital means the outsiders reap the real rewards.
I can say this, at a minimum serious reform is necessary. Indians remain the only real underclass in America. Reservations are the only place I have ever seen genuine poverty in this country. It's time to put away all the PC garbage and help these people join the plenty that is America.
Related Tags: Indians, reservations, mortgage, gambling, reform
He begins by pointing out that this would greatly stem the tide of gambling that is growing in America, a worthy goal, but that is an aside from his argument. He mostly discusses that it would end some of the greatest poverty in our nation, his argument starts with a fact I did not know.
Although Indians once were able to obtain title to specific parcels within reservations, this practice ended in 1934--an act that essentially turned the reservations into not-so-little housing projects on the prairie.In other words, Indians, despite the great tracts of land they hold, cannot leverage them, at least not individually, into cash with which to improve their lives. As Miller puts it, this effectively makes the reservations "collectivist enclaves within a capitalist society." Asolutely dooming them to poverty.
This also helps explain why the gambling that is growing does not bring the wealth to the reservation it promises. The need for outside capital means the outsiders reap the real rewards.
I can say this, at a minimum serious reform is necessary. Indians remain the only real underclass in America. Reservations are the only place I have ever seen genuine poverty in this country. It's time to put away all the PC garbage and help these people join the plenty that is America.
Related Tags: Indians, reservations, mortgage, gambling, reform
