LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
My name was mentioned in Ms. Duncan’s letter in last month’s paper. Since
I am a candidate for Tribal Council again, I will respond to her comments.
I have faithfully carried out the duties of a council member. Parts of those
duties include business travel and looking out for the best interests of all of our
tribal members.
The gaming and tribal government budgets are published for comment. I
have never seen a proposal from Ms. Duncan regarding elders or the line item for
Tribal Council travel. Ms. Duncan has helped put those budgets together in the
past. She had the ability and duty to implement changes if the budget didn’t look
out for all tribal members.
Those of you who know me know that traveling for me is not a “junket.” I
hate to fly and it takes all of my inner strength to board an airplane. My job as a
Tribal Council member requires travel to further the goals of the tribe. So, my
personal desires are secondary to the needs of the tribe.
Our committee assignments also affect the need to travel. I am not going to
Hawaii, although I am the Housing alternate. Our chairman has graciously agreed
to go in my place because of the importance of housing for our tribe. Her status as
tribal chairman will promote our programs’ goals at this meeting.
The only other council people going to Hawaii are Reggie and Lillie Butler.
Does that mean they are going on a “junket”? I don’t think so! Reggie is the Housing
representative and is doing his job. I didn’t ask Lillie why she was traveling with
Reggie. She has gone to other housing meetings in Albuquerque.
All tribal members have needs. When Reggie and Lillie voted to give the
membership $500 each, the council had not even started getting input from the
community meetings or asking tribal members outside of the service area what
their needs were. I felt we should wait and build up our investment category and
take care of the economic development needs of tribal government. After the
community planning, another vote was taken. Lillie voted no on the final budget.
Not only this generation of tribal members but future generations need to
benefit from our tribe’s resources.
I have been an elder for three years and bought my own elders jacket so
another tribal elder would have one. I saw Ms. Duncan’s name on the sign-in
sheet for the last elders meeting.
I conclude with a quote from Eduard Douwer Dekker, “Two left-handed gloves
don’t make a pair. Two half-truths don’t make a truth.”
Rosemary Breon Landis
P.O. Box 44
Brightwood, OR 97011
rblandis@ctsi.nsn.us
To the editor:
According to our Constitution, the purposes in establishing our tribal
government include “(4) Help our members achieve their highest potentials in
education, physical and mental health, and economic development.” The Oregonian
just published that the unemployment rate in Oregon is at its highest in four years.
We in Oregon also know that there will be at least a 30 percent increase in our
electric bills. What measures are being taken to “help our members” who are
unemployed or otherwise on a limited fixed income, such as our elders?
While the Tribal Council has given themselves a 40 percent increase in wages
and travel alone for FY2001, what programs have they established or enhanced to
help our members in need? (As I recall, the budget ordinance limited the Tribal
Council budget to a 2.5 percent increase yearly.) And, what benefits have our
members received by their spending over $2 million a year?
When Denise Peterson and I served on the Tribal Council (shortly before the
infamous recall), we met with Indian Health Service self-governance representatives
and were told that funds “right off the top” could be used for an elders program.
According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, gaming revenues for tribal
government also could be used for an elders program.
Why then do our elders have to wait weeks for their prescriptions to be delivered
from Connecticut? Why then do our elders have to work to supplement their
Social Security income? How will our elders pay for the 30 percent increase in
their electric bills? If the majority of the Tribal Council put the members’ needs
before their wants, these questions wouldn’t have to be asked.
And, why is there a three-month delay in sending out the $516 payment? Now
I hear that checks won’t be sent out until late December. It would have been nice
for parents with school-age children to use it for school clothes and supplies.
Again, no explanation from the Tribal Council.
What about the interest earned on the $1,833,660 to be distributed to the
membership? Will the membership benefit, or will it go into the general fund for
Tribal Council to spend? Tribal Council says we need to put money away for a
“rainy day,” yet their uncontrolled increased spending tells me, “Do what I say,
not do what I do.”
After many community meetings, the General Council had proposed a
constitutional amendment for General Council to approve budgets by vote. Of
course, the Tribal Council ignored this recommendation. Would you have voted
to increase their wages and travel by 40 percent? With responsible management
of our tribal dollars, all our members could benefit now and on that “rainy day.”
Sincerely,
Pat Duncan
LETTERS, DEADLINES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
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October 2001
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