Editorial: Bush administration proposes to settle nothing
Friday, March 9, 2007
Filed Under:
Cobell
|
Opinion
Here we go again. After delaying a response for more than a year,
the Bush administration has finally offered to "settle" the Cobell
trust fund case and resolve more than a century of mismanagement
by pretending it never existed.
The March 1 letter from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is not only a bad proposal,
it's an insult. The two Cabinet members have the gall to say
the administration "is willing to invest up to $7 billion"
in Indian Country.
Excuse us, but it's not your money to "invest." It's money
that belongs to Indian people and is owed to them for the
federal government's failure to do the job properly.
Oh, did you catch that? Kempthorne and Gonzales say the
administration will invest
up to $7 billion over ten
years.
They aren't even promising an actual dollar amount! What is this, deal or no
deal? BITAM sounds like a well-thought
out plan compared to this embarrassment contained in three pages of
empty action. At least BITAM had charts.
And even without committing to a settlement figure, we have
Jim Cason, the top non-Indian in charge of Indians, taking
issue with Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), who called
the offer an "admission" of a multi-billion dollar liability.
But no, Cason says the offer isn't an admission of anything. Talk about arrogance.
The proposal is even more laughable considering that Special Trustee
Ross Swimmer loves to remind Indian Country every chance he gets
that the Cobell lawsuit is only about an accounting.
It's not about asset mismanagement, land mismanagement, rights-of-way or other
issues, he has repeatedly said.
Then why does it seek to end more than 250 tribal trust cases,
pay for trust reform, transfer all management duties to tribes
and individual Indians and eliminate the government's liability?
That's a lot of work just for an accounting.
"The Kempthorne-Gonzales letter is a license to steal from Indian people. And,
while the Interior Department has a long and notorious history of cheating,
swindling and robbing from Indian people, I in all my years have never heard of
such a brazen attempt to rob us of our livelihood," said Elouise Cobell,
the lead plaintiff in the case.
It sounds like Swimmer should stick to stuffing papers in that cave in Kansas,
which is where this waste of space should end up too. Let's hope Sen. Dorgan
and other members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee reject it
and have the courage to pay Indian people what they are rightfully owed.
Settlement Letter:
Kempthorne-Gonzales
to SCIA (March 1, 2007)
Elouise Cobell Statement:
NO THANKS, WE’LL TAKE THE ACCOUNTING, INDIAN PLAINTIFFS SAY (March 8, 2007)
Sen. Dorgan Statement:
DORGAN
SAYS BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFERS $7 BILLION TO SETTLE SUIT OVER MISMANAGEMENT OF
INDIAN TRUST FUNDS (March 6, 2007)
Other Documents:
Alberto
Gonzales Testimony (March 1, 2005) |
SCIA
Views and Estimates (March 1, 2007)
Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Kempthorne -
http://www.indiantrust.comCobell
v. Norton, Department of Justice -
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Related Stories:
Bush proposes $7B
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Jodi Rave: Cobell sees hope for case in new
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Editorial: No hope for a Cobell-only settlement
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Senate committee sends Cobell letter to Kempthorne
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Editorial: Lamberth too honest in trust fund case
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Cooler heads sought in Indian
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Lamberth removed
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Editorial:
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Cobell: Settle Indian trust fund
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Cobell to appear
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Cobell renews call for receiver as court hears case
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Cobell vows fight to resolve
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Cobell plans
big showing on day of court hearing (4/4)
Jodi Rave: Tribes alarmed at trust reform
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Cobell addresses trust
fund mismanagement (3/30)
Ross Swimmer:
Indian trust not about mismanagement (3/29)
Norton denies fraud or major problem with trust
(3/29)
GAO report warns of billions in
lost oil, gas royalties (3/29)
Witness
list for hearing on Indian Trust Reform Act (3/28)
DOI trust reform meeting set for Portland, Oregon
(3/24)
Kempthorne faces hot issues at
Interior Department (3/21)
DOI pressed
for more clarity on trust initiative (3/3)
Congress urged to settle Cobell lawsuit for
billions (03/02)
Listening Lounge: Joint
hearing on Cobell v. Norton (03/01)
Interior hits the road with new trust reform
initiative (02/08)
Jodi Rave: Garcia
calls for settlement of Cobell (2/3)
Cason slashes BIA budget and blames it on Cobell
(2/3)
Tribes discuss trust reform bill,
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Commentary:
Swimmer still not telling the truth on trust (1/26)
Opinion: Indians want $12B of 'YOUR' money
(01/10)
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