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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1995)
Page 2 Editorial and Opinion Smoke Signals January 1995 Chairman's By Mark Mercier You are no doubt aware of the results of the November 8th National Election, with a majority of Republicans assuming control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. How will this affect Indian Tribes? Here's an excerpt from the Republican Budget Initiative document which was produced by the House Committee on the Budget Republican Caucus. Major Program Reforms "The Republican budget initiative calls for a variety of reforms designed to improve program efficiency and effectiveness and reduce aggregate r . ... i miwiiiiim -i Former Congressman Les Aucoin, left, came to Oregon in November and explained some of the changes in Washington D.C. to Tribal Council and some staff members. Editorial Policy Letters From Our Readers Smoke Signals is a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. We have recently adopted an Editorial Policy that encourages input from readers about stories printed in Smoke Signals as well as other tribal issues. However, all letters from readers must be received at the Newsletter Office no later than the 20th of each month, with the author's signature, address, and phone number in order to be considered for publication. Letters must be printed or typed, and cannot exceed 300 words. Smoke Signals reserves the right to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of a letter that may contain libelous statements or personal attacks. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Smoke Signals, tribal employees, or Tribal Council. Mail letters to: SMOKE SIGNALS, 961 5 Grand Ronde Rd., Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 ATTN: Tracy Olson Report costs." The following portion pertains to the Bureau of Indian Affairs: "This proposal would accelerate the trend toward self-determination for Native Americans. It transfers the direct management of tribal commodities to the tribes themselves, and phases out government financial assistance from management costs. The reinvented BIA will provide block grants as is already beingdone under the experimental "self-governance" program (sic) rather than engaging in the direct provision of services or the direct supervision of tribal activities. This proposal also assumes that V1 iir i m m it'll the number of area offices will be reduced from twelve nationwide to four, and federal subsidies will be eliminated to tribes which are economically self-sufficient." Tribes nationwide may want to closely monitor the new Congress regarding issues pertain ing to Indian Country. Many of the newly elected members of Congress ran on the "reducing the deficit" platform. When attempting to balance the federal budget, social programs are usually targeted. In the past, Indian tribes throughout the nation relied on Congress to keep program monies intact. In the future, this will only become more difficult, especially when members of Congress know that some tribes are earning large amounts of money through gam ing and other ventures. It will be very important for tribes to wisely use funding especially from gaming to strengthen health, education, housing and other programs currently funded by the Federal Government. One may believe that through treaties negotiated between tribes and the U.S. Government, the U.S. is "obligated" to provide funding for tribes. However, the reality is that many people ran for Congress on the platform of a balanced budget in the last election. Tribes throughout the nation cannot afford to continue to rely on the Federal government for program money. Tribes need to become self-sufficient. Council's crime busting action a good deal Paying for community police work appears to be a good investment for the Grand Ronde Tribe. The Tribe and Polk County are in a law enforcement partnership. The Tribe is providing $45,000 to have a full time deputy assigned to the Grand Ronde community. The first report Mail to: , Newsletter I 9615 Grand Ronde Rd. I Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 OLD ADDRESS Tribal growth prompts changes in newsletter By Tracy Olson Tribal members will remember 1994 as a key year in tribal history because of the many accomplishments and successes the Tribe hashadthisyear. Somemajor accomplishments include: The Tribe's casino is under construction, and employment plans are being made. Tribal Council formally adopted the Strategic Plan this month, laying the groundwork for a vision of success for the Tribe's future. Tribal leaders and managers successfully negotiated with the Bureau of Land Management for 240 acres of land as compensation for a survey error that mistakenly eliminated 84 acres of timberland from the tribal reservation. In addition to all these successes, the Tribe continues to grow in every division. More and more tribal members are opting to attend college or take vocational training classes to help better their lives; business people and entrepreneurs are taking advantage of Small Business Development's classes and services; and the Tribe has realized the necessity for a bigger health care facility that will adequately accommodate the needs of a growing tribal population and their families. Moreover, Tribal members are voicingtheir concerns and opinions regarding Tribal Council decisions, to the Tribal Council from the Polk County Sheriff shows that there has been a lot of activity in August, September and October. There promises to be more in the next report, because that will reflect burglaries and robberies that take place during the holiday season. Moving? Let us know! the need for housing, Tribal Court procedures, and hunting and fishing rights, to name a few. And there promises to be as much change and growth in 1995 as there was in 1994. Possibly more. The newsletter department has realized that it will have to change, too. Here are some of the changes you will see in Smoke Signals in 1995: The newsletter will be published two times per month in order to relay information in a timelier manner. It is estimated that this process will begin in the first few weeks of the year. This change will allow tribal members to read more current news, updated job announcements, and current activities the Tribe will be hosting. It will also allow for more news of interest and feature stories related to Native America today. The newsletter will hire a part time assistant to help pub! ish Smoke Signals twice permonth. The Tribe is growing, the newsletter staff should . too. As the Newsletter Coordinator, I hope everyone continues to read and enjoy Smoke Signals in 1995. There will be several changes and transitions during the next couple of months, and your patience is greatly appreciated. If you have questions regarding the newsletter, please call me at 1-800-422-0232. Because of the number of calls the Sheriffs office is handling from the Grand Ronde area, it looks like the Tribe made a wise decision in working with Polk County law enforcement agencies. For a related story on law enforcement, please see page 4. I NEW ADDRESS 1
