10 JUNE 1,2009
Smoke Signals
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Dear Tribal members and Tribal Council:
I am replying to the last letter in the Smoke Signals. This casino was not
built just for the members to receive health benefits, education and these
wasted programs that everybody have no use for. It was built for all the
members to have a better way of life and not just the few that are benefit
ing. The federal government gave money every year for our health and educa
tion and some of these programs they got going.
Even before they restored the Tribe in 1984, many of the members never
knew that it was even there for their use. Only certain ones knew and they
drained it dry.
It is the same today. The members don't even know what is going on and
where all the money is going. If they only knew half of what is going on, they
might have an uprising and get rid of this council that's in there now. These
trips that the council members are going on to represent the Tribe, they are
getting paid extra and it is quite a bit. The council are getting paid $80,000
to more then $100,000 a year. My question is why are they receiving extra
for these trips to represent the Tribe? Isn't this part of their job? Because
when they don't use it all they put the rest in their own pockets.
Plus there are some doing other jobs for the Tribe and getting paid with
their other salary. So who is benefiting from all this? It sure is not the
members.
Some of the members can't even get a job at the casino and if they do they
only get paid $8 to $12 an hour. Why is this?
Plus there is so much fighting going on between the council members that
business is not even being taken care of.
The members wanted a change a few years back and they got it, but they
don't realize it was because of them that we lost all our money in the market.
They were the ones that gave permission for the chief financial officer (he is
no longer there) to put the Elders Pension Fund and the Children's Trust
Fund out in the market. (It is not the ones that have the vote now).
The Elders Pension Fund used to be fully funded, but it's not no more. The
Children's Trust Fund was in a safe place but it's not now and it's because
they lost a lot of it in the market. The ones that turned 21 last year and
this year are receiving the principal and that is less than half from what
some of them got a couple of years back.
We need a Tribal Council that will be a voice for all members, not just
for themselves and their own families. How many times are we going to
sit back and watch our Children's Trust Fund and Elders Pension Fund be
invested and lost.
Everybody needs to watch who they are voting for and make sure that
they are for all members and not just for their own financial gain. Promises
are made to be broken. If they start promising you that they will open the
enrollment or have bigger per capita "RED FLAG" watch out because this
will never happen. The ones that promised this the last time had never
brought it up in the meetings or talked about.
We all need to wake up and hold our Tribal Council accountable for what
they are doing and for allowing all this to happen. Or one day the member
ship is going to be told you are no longer going to get any per capita and all
these programs, education and health benefits are no more. Because the
cow was milked dry.
Delores J. Knight
Roll 340
(Editor' 8 Note: Mrs. Knight's letter contains some factual inac
curacies, including the Tribe's Restoration year; Tribal Council
members are not paid "extra" for meetings they travel to; and that
the Children's Trust Fund is not in a "safe place.")
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' R-9r7l Arcs: 1S-12
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participants per tzzzn
$200 registration fee per team
Contact Chris Labonte 503-879-1369 or
800-242-0232 for more information
Dear Tribal members:
This is in response to the letter written by Mar go Mercier in the May 15,
2009, Smoke Signals.
Margo, in my opinion, has an inspiring Cinderella story to tell us, but
as I read through it I felt compelled to respond to some of the issues she
raised. I am one member who looks forward to and counts on the per-capita
checks, not only for myself but for my family members who live outside
of the six-county area. A member of my family is addicted to prescription
pain medication. We would desperately love for her to go through the drug
treatment program that Margo was fortunate to participate in, but it is not
available to us since we don't live within the six-county area. The cost here
in Spokane, Wash., is far too expensive to pay out-of-pocket. Insurance pays
80 percent, but the 20 percent participation still leaves it out of reach. All
five of my children hold full-time jobs and often put in more than 50 hours
per week. One of the many uses of the per-capita checks for us is to catch
up from a long winter of excessive heat bills. At one point it reached $600
for one month in my home.
No, the Restoration effort was never intended as a means to fully support
Tribal members. However, our casino efforts were intended to help our Tribe
become more self-sufficient. Margo stated that she is self-sufficient through
her own efforts. Margo must not realize that her Tribal job and the living
and home that she provides for her family are directly funded by revenue
generated by our casino.
She stated that programs were developed to provide health care, raise
housing standards and education opportunities. I think this is not true.
These programs were designed to supplement and enhance those programs
already promised by federal treaties that she spoke of earlier and are not
always available to all Tribal members. I find it appalling that anyone would
consider per capita as greed. Per capita is the one benefit distributed to all
Tribal members without discrimination. And per capita is not an option but
a requirement through our contract with the state.
Margo also said the Tribe should offer a choice between Tribal services and
cash. This is a bias proposition. She stated how much she has received from
different services. Unfortunately, these services are not always available
to all of the Tribal membership. Wouldn't that be discriminatory? I highly
respect Margo Mercier and this is in no way meant as a personal attack.
Jean Turman
Roll 837
Native Youth Leadership
and Athletic Academy
June 29-July 2, 2009
Eligible: CTGR youth ages 12-18 who want to develop their
leadership and athletic skills.
Contact Shannon Simi at 503-879-1471 or shannon.simigran
dronde.org for an application.
Ad created by George Vaktoi
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Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Tribal Chairwoman Charyla A. Kannady, laft. Tribal Council mambars
Chrlt Marclar, i acond from laft, and Juna Sall-Sharar, right, and Tribal
Sacratary Jack Giff an Jr not picturad, pratantad Dallas Emch with
Tribal logo Pandlaton blankat during tha Willamatta National Forast
mamorandum of undart landing annual mooting at tha Govamanco
Cantar on Wadnasday, May, 20. Emch, forai t uparvisor for tha
Willamatta National Foratt, It ratiring from tha U.S. Forait Sarvlca
on May 29 aftar mora than SO yaart. Ha hat work ad with tha Triba
through hit position.