IRS to auction land on Indian reservation

[Chica Yeyé 41]

oh man... this is fvcked up. then again, it is not surprising.

[sara..... 371]

when i say we .........i do not mean that each of us this day in age took their land but our relatives that came from OTHER countries did take the land away from the indians they lost their way of life our ancestors destroyed a nation in the end what did they receive some poor penance of life while our ancestors went on and devolved life fully.......we have over hunted their lands......made them if u will third class citizens in a country that was theirs

just my opinion

sara

I am not going to make excuses for the USA but that was then and this is now, we have gone a long ways to right those wrongs. Theres got to come a point when you go enough is enough. I dont know how people justify a Indian being born today should receive special treatment than a white/black child just because of what our ancestors did a long time ago, time to move on if you ask me.

I dont agree with the statement you made about making them third class citizens because Indians have just as much rights and more opportunity as any other citizen, at a point you have to leave it to the individual to better themselves.

its ok that you disagree your as entitled your opinion as i am to mine

sara

[HAL 9000 96]

Just wrong. I can't believe that the judge would allow this since that Reservation Land is considered a sovereign nation...albeit limited. Somebody higher up needs to step up and prevent this travesty of justice.

i sure hope obama can do something about this once he takes office.

No other Presidents really did anything to help reverse the land grab... why should Obama be that much different in this day and age?

so no hope for change, eh?

Sure we can do that too. What do you support in that topic, Charles? Circa 2009, not 19th century treaties that were never honored.

what do you think obama should do about it?

In this day and age, FAST reparations if the tribes agree to them (more symbolic than substantive), and offer them the option of full socioeconomic enclosure within the US as everyone else OR the option to run their lands as pseudoindependent nations within our borders after reparations and a transition period was effected to ensure avoidance of a 'cut 'em off/** them' attitude many reactionaries would try to knee jerk their way into governmental action.

Again... what would you support?

[Nagishkaw 510]

What about off-reservation rights? What about public misunderstanding and ignorance of treaties, treaty rights, and tribal sovereignty?

" The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians;their land and property shall never be taken from them without their consent;and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful war authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them"

_______The Northwest Ordinance, 1787

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Though I concur Nagi, and you know that, I think they ought to work out the tax issue, pronto.

[Nagishkaw 510]

English vowels are A E I O U and sometimes Y

N8tive vowels are A...I O U...Y

[Chica Yeyé 41]

English vowels are A E I O U and sometimes Y

N8tive vowels are A...I O U...Y

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

English vowels are A E I O U and sometimes Y

N8tive vowels are A...I O U...Y

[Nagishkaw 510]

Update on this story:

IRS sells SD Indian tribe's land to settle debt

PIERRE, S.D. — The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday auctioned off a large swath of land owned by an impoverished Indian tribe to help pay off more than $3 million in back taxes, penalties and interest — a sale the tribe says is illegal under federal laws protecting Indian land.

The 7,100 acres, or 11 square miles, of Crow Creek Sioux tribal land in central South Dakota ranch sold for almost $2.6 million, less than the $4.6 million it was appraised at, said IRS spokeswoman Carrie Resch. She did not say who bought the land.

The tribe filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District court in Pierre seeking to block the sale. Judge Roberto A. Lange declined their request but promised to schedule a trial to hear the tribe's arguments.

The land in question was part of the tribe's original reservation established in an 1868 treaty, and was held by the federal government in a trust for the tribe. But it was eventually allotted to individual tribal members, who then sold it to non-Indians, putting it outside the tribe's legal jurisdiction.

The tribe bought the ranch back in 1998 but the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not put the land back into trust, which would have protected it from seizure, Tribal Secretary Tommy Thompson said.

Tribal Chairman Brandon Sazue said he hopes the tax dispute can still be resolved in a way that allows the tribe to keep the land.

"It's very disgraceful, very shameful. It's devastating to us," Sazue said after the auction. "Our land is never for sale."

Lawyers said the tribe can purchase the land back during a 180-day redemption period, and the land will not change possession during that time. A trial is tentatively set for March 29-30, which is within the redemption period.

According to the lawsuit, the IRS was auctioning the land to recover more than $3.1 million in federal employment taxes owed by the tribe. The tribe didn't pay the taxes because it was told, erroneously, by an official connected to the BIA that federally recognized tribes do not have to pay the taxes, according to the lawsuit.

The auction was unnecessary because the tribe is seeking a loan to pay off its tax bill, the lawsuit said.

The tribe contends the IRS cannot legally seize and sell the land because it is owned by Crow Creek Tribal Farms Inc., a corporation set up by the tribe that is not legally responsible for settling the tribe's tax debts.

Members of the tribe have used the land and lived on it for a long time, according to the suit. "Members died and were buried on the land. Indeed, the lands were considered so important to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe that the Tribe went into debt to acquire the land as part of its land consolidation effort to enlarge the Crow Creek Indian Reservation," it contends.

The tribe also argues that the seizure is illegal because the land cannot be taken without congressional approval and the IRS has not followed a federal law requiring an environmental assessment of the sale's impact.

The tribe's lawyer, Mario Gonzalez of Rapid City, said the IRS action was unusual. "This is the only instance that I know of where the IRS has levied on tribally owned land on an Indian reservation."

Resch, the IRS spokeswoman, said she could not comment on the tribe's legal arguments because the IRS does not comment on pending litigation.

Thompson said the IRS should have negotiated with the tribe, and that the tax bill could have been paid from trust money held for the tribe by the federal government.

"I'm kind of upset and kind of furious with the IRS," Thompson said.

The land is particularly valuable to the tribe because it has been designated as a site for construction of wind towers to generate electrical energy, Sazue and Thompson said.

Buffalo County, which encompasses the Crow Creek reservation, is consistently listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as one of the poorest counties in the nation. The Census Bureau reported that more than 39 percent of the county's population lived in poverty in 2005, when the annual median household income was just $16,868. The county had a 20 percent unemployment rate in October, four times higher than the state average, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...FHVZagD9CC4C3G0

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The land in question was part of the tribe's original reservation established in an 1868 treaty, and was held by the federal government in a trust for the tribe. But it was eventually allotted to individual tribal members, who then sold it to non-Indians, putting it outside the tribe's legal jurisdiction.

The tribe bought the ranch back in 1998 but the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not put the land back into trust, which would have protected it from seizure, Tribal Secretary Tommy Thompson said.

Ok, so what's the problem?

[spookyturtle 9,465]

It's Indian land. They owned the land first even before the US was born.

who owned it before then?

God.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

when i say we .........i do not mean that each of us this day in age took their land but our relatives that came from OTHER countries did take the land away from the indians they lost their way of life our ancestors destroyed a nation in the end what did they receive some poor penance of life while our ancestors went on and devolved life fully.......we have over hunted their lands......made them if u will third class citizens in a country that was theirs

just my opinion

sara

I am not going to make excuses for the USA but that was then and this is now, we have gone a long ways to right those wrongs. Theres got to come a point when you go enough is enough. I dont know how people justify a Indian being born today should receive special treatment than a white/black child just because of what our ancestors did a long time ago, time to move on if you ask me.

I dont agree with the statement you made about making them third class citizens because Indians have just as much rights and more opportunity as any other citizen, at a point you have to leave it to the individual to better themselves.

Define 'a long time ago.' Many wrongs have taken place during the lifetime of still living Indians.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

They're trying to steal Indian Reservations.

not surprising at all

Of course it is not surprising. The government giveth and the government taketh away. The problem for the Indians is they have been made dependent on the government and can be led around like cattle, getting noithing bu an occasional apology from un-relkated people looking for political brownie points to advance their own agewndas.

They have allowed themselves to be used, lked around, become depedent and then complain when they don;t get the life they want. No Inidian is required to live on a reservation, they can leave anytime they want and live anywhere they want. The best thing the government could do for Indians is sell ALL the reservatios and let the Indians learn to stand on their own like they did before. I have faith in their ability to live a good life without the "great white father" It is racist to believe otherwise.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

What about off-reservation rights? What about public misunderstanding and ignorance of treaties, treaty rights, and tribal sovereignty?

" The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians;their land and property shall never be taken from them without their consent;and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful war authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them"

_______The Northwest Ordinance, 1787

Government words. Look at the words they are feeding us now. "We will provide healthcare for all Americans" Same #######, different victims, different subject....SAME #######.

You think the Indians were the only ones the government set out to screw?

But, like I said, nothing that can't be apologized for later, no worries.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

when i say we .........i do not mean that each of us this day in age took their land but our relatives that came from OTHER countries did take the land away from the indians they lost their way of life our ancestors destroyed a nation in the end what did they receive some poor penance of life while our ancestors went on and devolved life fully.......we have over hunted their lands......made them if u will third class citizens in a country that was theirs

just my opinion

sara

I am not going to make excuses for the USA but that was then and this is now, we have gone a long ways to right those wrongs. Theres got to come a point when you go enough is enough. I dont know how people justify a Indian being born today should receive special treatment than a white/black child just because of what our ancestors did a long time ago, time to move on if you ask me.

I dont agree with the statement you made about making them third class citizens because Indians have just as much rights and more opportunity as any other citizen, at a point you have to leave it to the individual to better themselves.

Define 'a long time ago.' Many wrongs have taken place during the lifetime of still living Indians.

And they will as long as Indians continue to accept the good graces of the US government. The sooner they ditch the government, hand back all the handouts, knock down the shacks, shake of the dust and walk out and make their own way, the sooner they will make a good life for themselves. Indians are clever, capable human beings jts like anyone else and will be better off living on their own accomplishments than being tucked away where the government wants them.