Letters to the Editor -- Aug. 15, 2012

Dear Smoke Signals:

Regarding the per capita petitions:

The per capita petitions were mailed separately to each member of Tribal Council on July 18, 2012. All but one Tribal Council person received the petitions on July 20, 2012. One Tribal Council member refused the package and returned it back to Leroy Good.

There were 376 signatures on the per capita petitions. Three hundred and 76 signatures are about one-third of the Tribal members who actually vote and 376 signatures far exceeded our goal of 200 signatures; 376 votes have elected folks into Tribal Council.

 I have seen a few Tribal Elders speak against serving alcohol at Tribal events and Tribal Council listened to them; so if a few people speaking on a subject can move our Tribal Council to action, I can see that 376 people speaking on a subject would certainly move our Tribal Council to take the requested action on per capita also. 

Because there is no requirement in our Constitution or various ordinances that says you need two-thirds of the members to create a petition asking your Tribal Council to bring forth an action; the Tribal Council has received our petitions containing 376 signatures about two weeks ago. It is up to Tribal Council now if they will take positive action after hearing the voices of the people.

Thank you, Leroy Good, for your effort on this great project for the Grand Ronde people. Thank you, Tribal members, for your support of the fairest member benefit we receive - per capita.    

Best to all,

Rosemary Jameson

Roll #883

Dear Tribal members:

There has been a petition signed by many Tribal members asking Tribal Council to ensure that we receive a minimum of 25 percent of our revenue in per capita payments. Tribal Council has received copies of this petition, and I would like to urge them to consider the positive effects that this would have on every Tribal member, everywhere, without exception.

There are many programs, benefits and services provided by the Tribe, but every single one of them serves a small portion of the Tribe, or a small percentage of Tribal members who qualify for those benefits or services or program assistance - every single one of them except per capita payments!

Per capita is the only one that is evenly distributed to all Tribal members everywhere, regardless of where you live or your circumstances or age or health or income; this is truly an equal benefit meant to help everyone the same, and many Tribal members really rely on this Tribal supplement for paying bills, paying for child care, paying out-of-pocket medical expenses and general living expenses.

The issue of 25 percent per capita, or the issue of per capita payments in general, tends to focus on members' desire for increased "welfare assistance" or "free money," associated with greed and lack of appreciation for what they're getting. This cannot be further from the truth. This benefit, as well as all benefits we receive from our Tribe, is not given to us out of pity or generosity; all Tribal monies and all benefits are inherently ours, just as every single aspect of the Tribal government is ours.

We put our faith in Tribal Council as leaders of our Tribe to allocate those benefits judiciously and to manage our funds responsibly - but they are our benefits; they are our funds; it is our Tribe! I believe that everyone is grateful for what they receive, but they, like many throughout this country, are struggling. They're wondering where their per capita money is going, and they're frustrated because answers from Tribal Council are not forthcoming or not comprehensible or clear.

I, like many Tribal members, look at the dwindling of our per capita payments (and subsequent demand for a higher per capita percentage) as a reflection of Tribal government overspending, program administration failure and an inability to manage the Tribal budget effectively. In other words, demanding more money in per capita payments is at the same time a demand for government accountability and financial responsibility.

We are not asking for something that is impossible to give, or something that is not already ours; we are asking for more responsible management of our funds and an appropriate distribution of benefits to all Tribal members through the per capita payments.

Our Gaming Revenue Allocation Plan, written as a requirement of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to allow us to appropriate the revenue from our gaming activities, is based on Tribal Council determinations and approval by the Secretary of the Interior. This is a living document (meaning it is dynamic and changeable), and can (and should) be edited as needed to meet the changing needs of the Tribe. Currently, it states that "The Tribal Council has found that the general welfare of Tribal members is best served if a portion of the Tribe's share of the net revenue of the gaming enterprise [Spirit Mountain Casino] is distributed per capita to Tribal members at the discretion of the Tribal Council, but not to exceed 45 percent of net revenues."

This means that Tribal Council can currently use its discretion to allocate up to 45 percent of our casino revenue for our per capita payments for the general welfare of Tribal members! Of course, in order to do this and have it be meaningful, they must first look at the revenue brought in at the casino (and associated obstacles to increased revenue), the (over)spending at the government and administrative offices, and their lack of budgeting acumen and abilities.

The fact that our per capita payments are steadily declining says that Tribal Council either doesn't want to set a standard percentage or regulate that amount through the budget process or that they don't know how to do so.

My questions: Why don't they want to? Why don't they know how?

Charles G. Haller II

Roll #1032

Dear Smoke Signals:

I learned many things during my time at Adult Education. I enjoyed working there very much. I was nervous when I started because I wasn't sure if I would be able to do the jobs that were given to me. I found out that I was a little smarter than I thought! I was able to do everything pretty well and I didn't need to be too nervous.

Here are a few things that I liked: Luhui Whitebear was very helpful in answering my questions and was kind to me when I didn't know what to do about a job. This made it easier for me to go ask her when things weren't going well.

Brian Langley made many jokes, which made me laugh and he was nice to me. I didn't think he was going to be that nice. World Champion Elk Callers aren't usually that nice!!

Josh Clift was great because we shared the same great name! He helped me increase my skill at wrapping boxes and blankets!

John Harp scared me at first. No smile, just a stare! After a short time, I learned that John was very nice and caring. He also saved me from doing scholarships!

Trinity Minahan, Debbie Bachman, April Campbell and Marion Mercier were also very kind and helpful when I needed help in completing my tasks. I enjoyed working there very much.

I learned so much about filing, computers, copying, shredding and, most importantly, wrapping. I learned a lot about Microsoft Excel and video editing.

This job helped me to see that I can do things that make me a little nervous and that I can do a good job. I liked everything about this job and I hope that there is a chance I could work here in the future. I hope if I work there again, maybe next year, that there won't be any scholarship stuff to do! I am seeing scholarship things in my sleep. Just kidding!

Thank you for everything that you have done. I really liked and enjoyed my time there!

Josh Biery

Roll #4755