If you think that Native Americans have control and destiny over their own lands, when the Federal Government OWNS them, you are sorely mistaken. This is why President Trump wants to give the states and Native Americans REAL control over their own tribal lands. What do the Democrats want to do? Give them free tents and a parking lot for a homeless camp in Minneapolis. PANDERING FOR VOTES to keep Native Americans FOREVER on the reservation plantation.
The economic devastation in American Indian communities is a DIRECT result of the federal government’s past policies, and particularly its restrictions on Natives’ property rights.
Indians can’t own land, so they can’t build equity. Reservation land is held “in trust” for Indians by the Federal Government. The goal of this policy was originally to keep Indians contained to certain lands - in other words, keep them on the reservation plantations. Now, the political narrative has shifted to "preserving these lands" for indigenous peoples. Right. The effect is the same. Indians can’t own land, so they can’t build equity. This prevents American Indians from reaping numerous benefits and keeps them in poverty.
Instead, Washington continues to send them checks and micromanage these communities for them, like children. In recent years, payments from Washington have increased and the size of the Bureau of Indian Affairs has ballooned. But, the problems seem to only get worse. Almost no one on reservations can afford to build a home, because no one can get a mortgage. And no one can get a mortgage because the property on the reservation is held in trust by the federal government; most of it also is “owned” communally by the tribe. No bank could ever foreclose on a property, because the bank can’t own reservation land. The Bureau of Indian Affairs can determine what is “fair market value” for a piece of property and prevent one party from selling land to another. Native Americans are the highest regulated race in the world.
Indian reservations contain almost 30 percent of the nation’s coal reserves west of the Mississippi, 50 percent of potential uranium reserves, and 20 percent of known oil and gas reserves”—resources worth nearly $1.5 trillion, or $290,000 per tribal member.
Tragically, 86 percent of Indian lands with energy or mineral potential remain undeveloped because of federal control of reservations that keeps Indians from fully capitalizing on their natural resources if they desire. In other words, Native Americans don't own any land, can't develop any land and can't profit from any resources on their land. It's all fake news. Time to change that, huh?
