Monumental decisions should be put to vote
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Editor,
This letter is to Salish and Kootenai Tribal Members.
Under our current tribal constitution, council can make decisions, but they don’t have sole authority; this would be a dictatorship. Our tribal constitution was never written to be tricky, to deceive the membership, yet certain tribal leaders are way outside the tribal Constitution. We the people have to reign them back in.
We are tired of empty campaign promises: “We will take care of the elders, our children are our most precious resource,” while council takes the Salazar Settlement from the people who need it most, because programs can spend it more wisely (most of us don’t get help from tribal programs). Many tribal families clothed and housed their children and could have done more with all $20,000. They want to force us to purchase Kerr Dam, yet their plans are secret. Tribal attorneys scared the simple-minded to vote against the recall amendment. We were not defeated, we were cheated because every type of gerrymandering was used to steal the power from the Salish, Pend d’Oreille People. All because just a few who make the most money (and they’re not even tribal members), need to cover up the missing Kerr Recapture funds. Why should we give them another $70 million to squander? Some of us refuse to just hand it over, we won’t be taken for another ride by smooth operators who can manipulate tribal leaders, just like taking candy from a baby. We need to get angry and put monumental decisions to the vote of the people. If we’re going down let it be all our decision; and if we’re going up, let be our decision.
All citizens have the right to criticize any government, to support changes in the administration. The US Supreme Court has stated: “A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.
Shelley Hendrickson
Arlee
