Post by Okwes on Feb 23, 2006 9:15:20 GMT -5
Urban Indians in Bush's sights
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Urban Indians in Bush's sights
By RALPH FORQUERA
GUEST COLUMNIST
I haven't figured out why Republican presidents like to pick on
urban Indians, but that seems to be the case
In the early 1980s, President Reagan (another cowboy president)
zeroed out urban Indian health funding in his first six budgets
submitted to Congress. Fortunately, Congress saw the fallacy of this
proposal and retained funding for these programs.
The Bush budget for 2007 proposes to eliminate the $33 million urban
Indian health program, a part of the federal Indian Health Service.
Census data shows that more than half of Indians in the United
States live in cities.
This program supports 34 private, non-profit, Indian-controlled
community organizations that offer a broad array of assistance to
urban Indians from direct medical, dental, mental health and
substance abuse care to information and referral assistance to other
community resources.
Since before the Reagan era, American Indians and Alaska Natives
have steadily moved to cities seeking jobs, education and to join
their families and friends. During the 1950s and early '60s,
Congress enacted a policy of relocation, moving more than 36,000
Indians into U.S. cities and terminating the tribal relationship
with the U.S. government for 109 different tribes. Only a few have
been reacknowledged.
The Northwest has played a role in both sides of this debate. For
example, Washington's Sen. Henry Jackson actually voted for
termination in the '50s only to recognize his error and champion
many significant pieces of Indian legislation, including the Alaska
Native Claims Act, the Menominee Restoration Act, the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act, the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act and others. Everett's U.S. Rep. Lloyd Meeds was the
House champion.
Even today, many Indians find city life extremely difficult.
Competition for rapidly diminishing programs for the disadvantaged
go against their cultural values and very nature. All too many
people unfamiliar with Indian life think all Indians are rich
because they read about casinos. For most Indian reservations, even
those with casino income, not everyone benefits and the needs in
those areas often exceed available funds.
Urban Indians do not have casinos. Urban Indians have few resources
available to them to help improve their lives. Cultural and
historical factors greatly affect how urban Indians respond to
programs designed to help the impoverished and poorly educated.
Organizations such as the Seattle Indian Health Board, one of the 34
agencies that would be affected in Washington state along with the
NATIVE Project in Spokane, if President Bush's budget cuts go
through, make every effort to understand and respect these different
cultures and this history. It is our approach to reaching out to
Indian people that has allowed us to be successful for more than 35
years.
What is even more sinister about the Bush proposal is the fact that
the administration says it is going to eliminate funding for urban
Indians and use that money to expand tribal health programs, thus
pitting one group of Indians against another. It was great to hear
the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian
Health Board, two powerful tribal voices, express their deep
opposition to the elimination of the urban Indian funding in their
testimony to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Tribes, too,
recognize that urban Indians are their tribal members, their family,
their friends.
Washington state congressional representatives are in a key position
to fight the cuts. Sen. Patty Murray sits on the Senate Interior
Appropriations subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the Indian
Health Service budget and Bremerton's Rep. Norm dicks is the ranking
minority member of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee.
I would publicly like to recognize U.S. Rep. Norm dicks for coming
forward early in this process to express his willingness to fight
for our funding and to U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott for speaking out on
our behalf. It is going to be a long year.
Ralph Forquera is executive director of the Seattle Indian Health
Board.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Urban Indians in Bush's sights
By RALPH FORQUERA
GUEST COLUMNIST
I haven't figured out why Republican presidents like to pick on
urban Indians, but that seems to be the case
In the early 1980s, President Reagan (another cowboy president)
zeroed out urban Indian health funding in his first six budgets
submitted to Congress. Fortunately, Congress saw the fallacy of this
proposal and retained funding for these programs.
The Bush budget for 2007 proposes to eliminate the $33 million urban
Indian health program, a part of the federal Indian Health Service.
Census data shows that more than half of Indians in the United
States live in cities.
This program supports 34 private, non-profit, Indian-controlled
community organizations that offer a broad array of assistance to
urban Indians from direct medical, dental, mental health and
substance abuse care to information and referral assistance to other
community resources.
Since before the Reagan era, American Indians and Alaska Natives
have steadily moved to cities seeking jobs, education and to join
their families and friends. During the 1950s and early '60s,
Congress enacted a policy of relocation, moving more than 36,000
Indians into U.S. cities and terminating the tribal relationship
with the U.S. government for 109 different tribes. Only a few have
been reacknowledged.
The Northwest has played a role in both sides of this debate. For
example, Washington's Sen. Henry Jackson actually voted for
termination in the '50s only to recognize his error and champion
many significant pieces of Indian legislation, including the Alaska
Native Claims Act, the Menominee Restoration Act, the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act, the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act and others. Everett's U.S. Rep. Lloyd Meeds was the
House champion.
Even today, many Indians find city life extremely difficult.
Competition for rapidly diminishing programs for the disadvantaged
go against their cultural values and very nature. All too many
people unfamiliar with Indian life think all Indians are rich
because they read about casinos. For most Indian reservations, even
those with casino income, not everyone benefits and the needs in
those areas often exceed available funds.
Urban Indians do not have casinos. Urban Indians have few resources
available to them to help improve their lives. Cultural and
historical factors greatly affect how urban Indians respond to
programs designed to help the impoverished and poorly educated.
Organizations such as the Seattle Indian Health Board, one of the 34
agencies that would be affected in Washington state along with the
NATIVE Project in Spokane, if President Bush's budget cuts go
through, make every effort to understand and respect these different
cultures and this history. It is our approach to reaching out to
Indian people that has allowed us to be successful for more than 35
years.
What is even more sinister about the Bush proposal is the fact that
the administration says it is going to eliminate funding for urban
Indians and use that money to expand tribal health programs, thus
pitting one group of Indians against another. It was great to hear
the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian
Health Board, two powerful tribal voices, express their deep
opposition to the elimination of the urban Indian funding in their
testimony to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Tribes, too,
recognize that urban Indians are their tribal members, their family,
their friends.
Washington state congressional representatives are in a key position
to fight the cuts. Sen. Patty Murray sits on the Senate Interior
Appropriations subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the Indian
Health Service budget and Bremerton's Rep. Norm dicks is the ranking
minority member of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee.
I would publicly like to recognize U.S. Rep. Norm dicks for coming
forward early in this process to express his willingness to fight
for our funding and to U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott for speaking out on
our behalf. It is going to be a long year.
Ralph Forquera is executive director of the Seattle Indian Health
Board.