LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
There was a comment made in the
last newsletter by Lisa L. Brown regard
ing our Tribal Council members who
are also employed by the tribe. In re
sponse to her “opposition,” I would like
to point out that the Tribal Council
members who are employed full time
for the tribe are not out of the office
any more than any other regular full-
time employee.
Being a fellow employee, I can state
factually that all staff take occasional
time off from their jobs as well as some
of them normally work outside the of
fice in the field, with other agencies,
transporting, and providing services.
Why should we deprive any mem
ber from gainful employment to sup
port themselves and their families?
How many tribal members could work
for $ 10 an hour and take care of them
selves and their family?
We as the membership had the op
portunity to vote and pay Tribal Coun-
cil a decent wage, and the majority
voted against it. Tribal Council gets no
benefits, including Social Security and
retirement, so that when they do reach
retirement age, they have no benefits
to draw off of from the tribe
If these Tribal Council members
were employed by another organiza
tion. would there still be opposition to
them taking time off from their employ
ment? If Lisa Brown is elected to Tribal
Council, is she going to close her busi
ness when she has to attend to Tribal
Council duties?
Also in response to the letters regard
ing the proposed elders stipend, I would
like to say thank you to the tribal gov
ernment for even considering such a ben
efit to our tribal elders even if at age 70+.
I believe our tribal government is
not selecting individuals to receive the
stipend; they tire just utilizing the funds
that are available. It’s unfortunate that
we cannot provide this stipend to all el-
ders or even all tribal members, but we
are restricted on the amount of funds
that are available for these benefits.
Our casino is doing very well and
our tribal government is venturing into
additional businesses. Unfortunately, we
cannot meet every tribal member's needs
or desires because of laws and restric
tions placed upon us as a sovereign na
tion funded primarily by the federal gov
ernment. Federal funds are decreasing
annually, which means we have to use our
revenues to fund services and programs.
I understand it's frustrating for
tribal members who live out of the
tribes service area, but the majority of
tribal members do reside within the 11
counties and I feel that the tribal gov
ernment is doing a fine job at making
sure those services are available and
provided. We should all be thankful for
what the tribe can provide.
Thank you,
Kelley Ellis
To the editor:
I'd like Tribal Council to vote on
whether tribal members who need di
alysis, chemotherapy, any serious dis
ease can be transported on holidays.
In 2004, 1 had coronary artery dis
ease and infection in the sternum. In
2005, I had myocardial infarction,
congestive heart failure, renal dysfunc
tion, respiratory failure, and kidney
failure; now, kidney disease.
Kidney failure needs dialysis.
When you can't get rid of the fluids in
your body, it causes swelling in your
face, hands, feet, and lungs, making
breathing very difficult.
I had surgery for dialysis. One
needle with a tube is inserted in my arm,
draws out blood and puts it through a
filter, cleaned and then flows back into
my arm with another needle and tube.
The filter removes the toxins and
waste products from my body and bal
ances the chemicals in my blood so
they don't reach dangerous levels.
I sit there for four and half hours,
three times a week, I asked the doctors
how long I’ll need dialysis, they told
me, “Rest of my life.”
I have no transportation; my mom
cannot drive that far so 1 depend on tribal
transporting. I had trouble getting a ride
on Memorial Day, a Monday. The clinic
said “no” when asked for transportation.
Dialysis isn’t an office visit. It
should be taken seriously and 1 hope
Tribal Council votes on this.
Another issue is dogs. I take my little
niece to the park with my electric wheel
chair; she likes the one by the mailboxes.
1 always face the park to watch her.
As I was sitting there, three dogs
surrounded me, one on each side and
one behind me. The ones on the sides
were very close to biting and attack
ing me. They were a white/grey one, a
black one, and a dark one.
They did this for a few minutes,
then left. Then they came back and did
it again. My nephew who lives across
the park saw them and rode his bike
over to me and the dogs left.
I asked him who the dogs belonged
to. He said his neighbors.
There are policies for dogs. They
need to be kept in a fenced yard, tied up
with a leash, or kept inside their house.
Tribal Council should raise the fee
for dogs. It's only $100 and should be
raised to $1,000 to cover for lawsuits.
Had those dogs attacked me, I would
file a lawsuit for more than $100.
Since that happened, I bought pep
per spray and 1 keep it in my hands
when at the park.
I’d also like people in Siletz to keep
an eye out for me, I’m missing a red
beaded watchband; three beaded medal
lions -green, black and silver, and red
and white. I’m also missing an eagle fan
with long fringe, a gold and garnet ring,
a digital camera, and a beaded wallet.
We just lost our last full-blooded
tribal member. We’ll never have another
full-blood enrolled again. This is sad.
With respect.
William S Strong
To the editor:
As a tribal member, I was very
shocked and saddened that we lost a
very valuable pharmacist.
Melanie Liddell has always shown
a great respect and caring for our tribal
members who needed medication.
Whatever happened, I feel there was
great injustice done and it is going to
be hard to replace her.
Joella Strong
To the editor:
Dear Siletz Tribal members,
I’m Edward G. Collins and I am
writing today to the tribal paper for the
first time.
Respect goes both ways, from the
top of an organization to the bottom.
If you want your employees to have
respect, you have to show respect.
As a people we honor both the
Eagle and the Raven. There is an Eagle
on display at the casino that has not
been respected. It is faded and filthy.
Elders from other tribes come to
the Oregon Coast and our casino. They
not only see a poorly maintained build
ing, but also see a tired and disrespected
symbol of our people. Take the Eagle
down; it is far better to not have it on
display than to disrespect it.
I have many other thoughts on the
issues of respect/disrespect. Start with
the Eagle, removing it would be one
less thing at the casino that reflects
poorly on the Siletz people. It would
be a start, although there is still more
that needs to be done. Let us start with
one of our honored symbols.
I am open to discussion on the is
sue of respect. I now live in Lincoln
City at The Dorchester House. My
phone number is 541-994-9810. Call
me if you want to talk about what could
be done to improve the respect within
the casino, the tribe, and for our people.
Edward G. Collins
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Siletz News
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
Assistant: Laurel Johnson
August 2006
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