printer friendly version
Ross Swimmer: Indian trust not about mismanagement
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
"The Register-Guard's editorial said that the past two administrations have frustrated efforts to resolve this case. If the editors look at public court records, they will understand that this lawsuit is not about mismanagement, or even reparations.
It was filed simply to find out how the funds that came into the trust were disbursed to the beneficiaries, and to provide those beneficiaries with statements of their accounts. Reports to the court, available online, will show that for a number of years we have been working on this accounting. It is a massive process and simply cannot be done quickly.
History, and the federal government, have not been kind to the American Indian. Today, poverty, disease, crime and subpar education exist throughout Indian Country. All of these issues need more attention from the people, Congress and tribal, state and federal governments.
But it is not appropriate to lump the Indian trust situation into those. It turns out that the good people who worked in the Bureau of Indian Affairs - the majority of whom were American Indian - did their best to distribute funds to individual Indian account holders, and did, in good faith, retain records."
Get the Story:
Ross Swimmer: Indian trust difficulties overstated
(The Eugene Register-Guard 3/28)
Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton -
http://www.indiantrust.comCobell
v. Norton, Department of Justice -
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Related Stories:
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)
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,
Cobell settlement (1/31)
Commentary:
Swimmer still not telling the truth on trust (1/26)
Opinion: Indians want $12B of 'YOUR' money
(01/10)
Cobell: Appeals court ruling a
favorable one (12/21)
Cobell team
awarded fees for lengthy court fight (12/21)
Ross Swimmer: No 'lump sum' settlement for Cobell
(12/19)
Attorney: Interior still not
living up to trust duties (12/19)
Report: Cason says termination of trust on the
table (12/16)
Still no agreement on
settlement to Cobell (12/9)
Audio: House
Resources hearing on Cobell (12/8)
House
Resources to hold hearing on Cobell (12/5)
Elouise Cobell: Lamberth frustrated with DOI
(11/28)
Judge Lamberth, the cowboy,
sides with Indians (11/28)
Editorial:
Settle Cobell trust fund lawsuit (11/25)
Cobell to press Interior on accounting mess
(11/22)
Cobell says government not off
the hook on trust fund (11/21)
Broad
accounting of Indian trust fund blocked (11/16)
Battle over Cobell trust fund case heats up
(10/24)
Interior ordered to protect
Indian trust fund systems(10/21)
Lamberth
issues new IT shutdown injunction (10/20)
Interior warned of computer security risks
again (09/30)
Bush calls for new judge
in Cobell v. Norton case (08/16)
BLM CIO
threatened with demotion in Cobell case (08/02)
Appeals court stays Lamberth order on notices
(7/29)
DOI mum on settlement figure for
Cobell v. Norton (7/27)
Indian leaders
to pledge support on trust reform (7/26)
Listening Lounge: Senate hearing on Cobell
(7/26)
Cobell calls trust reform bill a
win for Interior (7/22)
McCain and
Dorgan introduce trust reform legislation (7/22)
Opinion: Keep open mind on Cobell settlement
(7/19)
McCain plans hearing on Cobell
settlement, reform (7/14)
Judge blasts
Interior on handling of trust (7/13)
Elouise Cobell: Principles put trust back into
trust fund (07/07)
Cobell and Cason to
appear on C-SPAN program (7/6)
Cobell
calls for settlement of trust fund lawsuit (7/5)
Editorial: Resolution of trust fund debacle needed
(7/5)
Editorial: Abramoff scandal can't
compare to trust (6/30)
Opinion:
Downfall of Indians traced to Army, BIA (6/28)
Pombo supports settlement of Cobell trust fund case
(6/27)
Harjo: Tribes lobby to fleece
their own people (6/24)
Editorial:
Congress should settle trust fund (6/24)
Editorial: Trust fund a 'national embarassment'
(6/22)
Indian Country united on trust
reform solutions (6/21)
Trust workgroup
to outline Cobell settlement goals (6/17)
Trust reform costs put at $3B, thanks to Bush
(6/13)
Echohawk optimistic on settlement of
Cobell case (06/03)
Final trust reform
meeting held in North Dakota (6/3)
UTTC
hosts meeting on trust reform legislation (6/1)
House panel acts to restore Bush budget cuts
(05/05) NCAI and ITMA hold second trust
reform meeting (05/04)
Bush
administration won't give up fight on Cobell (03/18)
McCain weighs GAO probe of Indian trust debacle
(03/10)
McCain lays out Indian agenda for
109th Congress (3/7)
Norton won't testify
on trust fund retaliation (2/28)
Bush
official won't accept claims of trust mismanagement (02/17)
Appeals court won't hold back Lamberth on trust
reform (12/13)
Appeals court supports
Lamberth's authority on IT (12/06)
Lamberth critical of Norton's 'bad faith' on trust
fund (10/25)
Interior denies attempt to
halt trust fund payments (10/05)
Bush
administration challenges trust fund ruling (09/16)
Appeals court takes on Cobell trust fund case
(9/15)
Lamberth exchanges harsh words
with Cobell critic (08/02)
Bush
administration calls for end to Cobell case (04/09)
Cobell trust fund suit mediators announced
(4/6)
DOI's Internet connection shut
down for third time (03/16)
Lamberth
defends special master against attack (03/16)
Anderson praises Cobell suit in NCAI speech
(2/25)
Tribes still frustrated on
trust reform (11/20)
Bush officials
blasted by tribal leaders (11/19)
Cobell plaintiffs disputing trust fund rider
(11/17)
Daschle criticizes
'shameful' rider in DOI budget bill (11/04)
Norton welcomes time-out in Cobell trust fund
case (11/4)
Bush official
balks at large settlement for Cobell (7/10)
Copyright © 2000-2006 Indianz.Com
