"There's no way to blunt the stark reality of it.

Our country's Indian reservations can be unacceptably dangerous and unhealthy places to live.

With rates of violent crime that are twice the national average, and deaths from pneumonia or flu 50 percent higher than those in the rest of the country, it's small wonder that people in Indian Country feel ignored.

In the past week, two different moves from the federal government offer some hope in these two interrelated areas.

The first was that Attorney General Eric Holder and other Justice Department officials will visit reservations across the country with an eye toward increasing federal money to pay for law enforcement.

The second was a bill proposed by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The legislation proposes a fundamental look at improving the Indian Health Service."

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Editorial: Action on two fronts stirs hope on reservations (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 8/25)