Obama gifts $45 million of YOUR money for public transit on native and tribal lands

[^_^ 5,021]

The Obama Administration has listened intently over the last four years to the transportation concerns of tribal leaders, and today we've taken another big step forward.

At the White House Tribal Nations Conference yesterday, we announced that 72 American Indian and Alaska Native tribes will receive a total of $15.5 million to enhance local public transit service on tribal lands.

...

As FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff said, "Access to affordable public transit is a lifeline for millions of hard-working families. We want to ensure that every American Indian or Alaskan native who needs a ride to earn a paycheck, attend school, see a doctor, or buy groceries has that opportunity."

...

Our work doesn’t end with these grants. The new two-year surface transportation law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), double's funding for our Tribal Transit Program to $30 million for each of the next two years, making possible even greater benefits for Native Americans and Alaska Native tribes.

As we look to the future, we’ll continue taking our cues from tribal leaders. We’ll continue to work with tribal leadership to invest in the infrastructure that will best serve their communities. And we’ll continue helping build a brighter future for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/12/dot-takes-further-steps-to-enhance-transit-on-tribal-lands.html#.UMDDxINlEZk

[Teddy B 17,252]

The only beef I would have with this is that the Native American tribes have quite a few tax loopholes that they use, if they want to take advantage of tax dollars to better their quality of life, then perhaps these loopholes should be done away with.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

^ What he said.

[^_^ 5,021]

The only beef I would have with this is that the Native American tribes have quite a few tax loopholes that they use, if they want to take advantage of tax dollars to better their quality of life, then perhaps these loopholes should be done away with.

The tribes are just another element in the moocher base that elevated Obama to the presidency. This 45 million is their reward.

[Teddy B 17,252]

[quote name=' timestamp='1354811133' post='5858345]

The tribes are just another element in the moocher base that elevated Obama to the presidency. This 45 million is their reward.

Their chickens are coming home.

[SMOKE 1,426]

The only beef I would have with this is that the Native American tribes have quite a few tax loopholes that they use, if they want to take advantage of tax dollars to better their quality of life, then perhaps these loopholes should be done away with.

so agree with this. its time for the casinos to pay their fair share.

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

45 million is a drop in the bucket. If this is what tax dollars are going toward, I'm all for it.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

In the first place Tribal Casinos generate a ton of indirect tax dollars. They also directly and indirectly create jobs for Natives and Non-Natives, the latter group getting the lion share.

I am far from outraged. Tribes have suffered a lot over the years and have given or had taken far more than they've been given.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

If there's one ethnic group that got f*cked the most, it's the Indians. Anybody outraged should watch Lisa Ling's "Our America" where it covers an Indian tribe where 80% of the people are unemployed and without hope. We owe it to those Americans to give them a helping hand. $45mio is not even covering the interest of our warfare for a single hour of a single day. It's less than what we pay for upkeep of the President's plane a year.

Bill Gate's Washington home costs 3 times that amount.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Brother Hesekiel

[Neonred 3,648]

I don't know what's wrong with your Indians, but our Indians (Seminole tribe of Florida) are doing just fine. About five years ago they bought the entire Hard Rock Cafe business, and with dividends from their gambling casinos, each member of the tribe gets $120,000 a year on top of anything they make from their regular jobs. Members also have access to a discretionary account for help with special requests such as vacations, home repairs, criminal defense, etc. Did I forget to mention free education?

They don't need any handouts from a US government that is so deeply in debt.

[Darnell 8,479]

Public Transit? Bus and Train ? on the rez? Cool !

No righteous indignation from me, at all.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I could write a book on this. The Alaskan natives have it ten fold better than the natives in the lower 48 and on top of that they reap the most government dollars by far. It's nothing short of sickening. Back in 1971 the natives cut a deal with the US government, so instead of having tribes and reservations they have Alaska Native Corporations and they make mucho bucks. On top of the money they make with their government contracts they get oil money, logging money, and billions of dollars from the BIA. I live in a village that's just over 87% Yupik Eskimo according to the last census and my wife works for a Alaskan native hospital that is funded by the BIA. The waste of government dollars here knows no bounds. A person could burn hundreds of millions of US tax payer dollars out behind their house and do just as good a job fiscally as they do here.

http://www.sba.gov/content/alaskan-owned-corporations

Special Rights Under the SBA 8(a) Program. - Tribal and ANC 8(a) firms are eligible to receive sole source 8(a) contracts regardless of dollar size, with no upper limit, while all other 8(a) firms may not receive sole source contracts in excess of $3 million for services and $5 million for manufacturing.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/lawmakers_cast_a_critical_eye.html

No-Bid Contracts to Alaska Native Corporations Raise Eyebrows

By Ed O'Keefe | July 16, 2009; 4:38 PM ET

Alaska Native Corporations have scored billions of dollars in no-bid government contracts in the last decade, leading lawmakers to suggest Thursday that the firms, created to provide economic benefits to Alaska's native populations, have exploited a loophole at the expense of taxpayers nationwide.

At issue is an ANC's ability to receive contracts of any size from a federal agency as part of a Small Business Administration program for minority and disadvantaged small businesses.

Government investigations and news reports have exposed how companies take advantage of the unique benefit, often winning large contracts with the departments of Defense or Homeland Security, and sometimes creating complex business partnerships with firms that have no ties to the SBA program or Alaska.

“Nobody begrudges giving small, disadvantaged businesses a chance to win federal contracts,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), the chairwoman of a Senate subcommittee on contracting oversight. She noted that several government-backed economic development programs provide assistance to minority groups, women-owned businesses and veterans.

“But the Alaska Native Corporations have used their special preference to bust the door down.”

No-bid contracts awarded to ANCs ballooned from $508.4 million in 2000 to $5.2 billion in 2008, according to an analysis of the 19 largest ANCs prepared by McCaskill's staff. Despite the earnings, ANCs pay only roughly $615 each per year in benefits to the 130,000 Alaska Natives who are company shareholders. The report also suggests that Alaska Natives have not enjoyed enough of the revenues, since approximately 5 percent of ANC employees are Alaska Natives and most executive compensation is earned by managers who are not Alaska Natives.

The latest findings mirror a SBA inspector general report released last week and similar investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office, including a 2006 report that called the ANC loophole an “open checkbook” for the companies.

Defenders note, however, that the firms have donated millions of dollars to scholarships, internship programs and other civic organizations, providing economic assistance the native Alaskan populations might otherwise not receive.

“Here's a federal program that the government actually got right for native people. The program is making a difference,” said Sarah Lukin, executive director Native American Contractors Association.

“To cut the program that got us this far is absolutely wrong.”

Alaska's two senators, Lisa Murkowski ® and Mark Begich (D) also attended the standing-room only hearing as guests of the subcommittee. Murkowski warned colleagues that changes to the ANC program would have an adverse effect on other business operated by Indian tribes or Hawaiian natives.

“The sad truth is that there are very few business models that have provided any modicum of success for tribes and Alaska Native Corporations,” she said.

“Our Native leaders have entered into contracts, hired people, created systems, and focused all of their energies on learning this business. Now that same federal government threatens to pull the rug out from under them.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/25/AR2010112503333.html

Alaska native status gave tiny, inexperienced firm a $250 million Army contract

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Native_Claims_Settlement_Act

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Edited December 7, 2012 by Bad_Daddy

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I don't know what's wrong with your Indians, but our Indians (Seminole tribe of Florida) are doing just fine. About five years ago they bought the entire Hard Rock Cafe business, and with dividends from their gambling casinos, each member of the tribe gets $120,000 a year on top of anything they make from their regular jobs. Members also have access to a discretionary account for help with special requests such as vacations, home repairs, criminal defense, etc. Did I forget to mention free education?

They don't need any handouts from a US government that is so deeply in debt.

Do you understand how many jobs, how much tax money just the Tribe you mentioned generates?

Not all Tribes share the Seminoles location and thus good financial success. Some do well, others do better, others are in such pathetic shape it is criminal. Regardless the transportation funding will be split across Tribal lands throughout the entire US, by the way creating more jobs, and increasing transportation options for non-Natives. Quit griping!

Bad Daddy with more griping about Alaskan Natives! Shocking!

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Do you understand how many jobs, how much tax money just the Tribe you mentioned generates?

Not all Tribes share the Seminoles location and thus good financial success. Some do well, others do better, others are in such pathetic shape it is criminal. Regardless the transportation funding will be split across Tribal lands throughout the entire US, by the way creating more jobs, and increasing transportation options for non-Natives. Quit griping!

Bad Daddy with more griping about Alaskan Natives! Shocking!

Since not all of us fell of yesterday's last boxcar let's talk about Washington State tribes...seeing how that's where you live.

Other than the Puyallup Indians the rest of the casino's in Washington have outfits from Vegas run their casino's for them. Those outfits take a 40% cut off the top of the house profits. Those casino's are suppose to employee the tribal members first while spreading the wealth to the rest of the tribe. But we know how that wealth is spread don't we Ready.

There are the haves and have nots. Tribal councils are voted in with the promise of fixing the situation but greed takes over more times than naught. Location plays a big part...Muckleshoots, and Snoqaulmie has it there but then again those casino's are giving 40% of the profits back to the Vegas organizations instead of having the common sense to train their tribal members to run it themselves.

As far as me telling the truth about the waste of Federal US tax dollars up here in Alaska, I provided links and I can provide plenty more. It has nothing to do with me living in a Yupik Eskimo village atm or my wife working for at BIA funded Alaskan Native Hospital.

If you want I can go on about all the new cars that turned into junk cars because some Muckleshoot Indian didn't want to take the time to fix it so he parked it in his front yard next to the other junk cars. I had to drive by them every time I went from Enumclaw to Auburn. They parked those cars right next to their fishing nets that were hanging to dry. The same nets used to catch endangered Steelhead that were sold for a buck a pound.

Edited December 7, 2012 by Bad_Daddy

[Neonred 3,648]

Do you understand how many jobs, how much tax money just the Tribe you mentioned generates?

Not all Tribes share the Seminoles location and thus good financial success. Some do well, others do better, others are in such pathetic shape it is criminal. Regardless the transportation funding will be split across Tribal lands throughout the entire US, by the way creating more jobs, and increasing transportation options for non-Natives. Quit griping!

Bad Daddy with more griping about Alaskan Natives! Shocking!

Sure I understand. Point is they don't need any public transit out in their everglades swamp reservation. If they did they could build it themselves. They are all driving BMW's and Lexus.

This from a SunSentinal newspaper article:

BEST LEXUS CUSTOMER

A 2002 federal trial in Fort Lauderdale revealed the Seminole Tribal Council was spending tens of millions on individual members outside of programs at a time when the tribe's main source of income was its casinos. Records and court testimony revealed that David Cypress, far and away the biggest spender, went through $57 million from his discretionary allocation in the three and a half years before the trial. To get assistance from him, all it took was a Hank Williams song or a cute baby, Cypress quipped in court.

"I always say, 'Grab the little baby, come to my door and pinch the baby and make it cry,' " he said. "I will give you a ton of dollars or something for Christmas."

He bought so many Lexuses, Cadillacs, BMWs and other luxury vehicles that he didn't remember who got them.

"You think you might be the world's greatest Lexus customer?" a defense attorney asked.

"I am pretty near it, if not," Cypress replied.

When Cypress spent his budget, he got more money.