U.S. Seeks Looser Rules on Debt to Indians

WASHINGTON -- Government lawyers asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to throw out a judge's order that the Interior Department follow strict guidelines in accounting for billions of dollars American Indians claim they are owed, saying the requirements are too burdensome.

At issue is a September 2003 order from U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth that sets a September 2007 deadline to account for the money and forbids use of statistical technique known as "sampling." That poses a problem for the department, which has said that a more comprehensive accounting plan would take 10 years and cost billions.

"We have a good plan. Millions of dollars have been spent. Yet there was no review and the district court dismissed it out of hand," Mark Stern, a lawyer representing the Interior Department, told the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Elliott Levitas, a lawyer representing the American Indians, said the guidelines are critical to ensure an accurate accounting of the money they say is owed.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-indian-money,0,1784837.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

after year, & they still refuse to be accountable.

I think they should start throwing Interior Dept officials into prison until the govt makes it right.

This issue has been going on for years under ALL admins & it is a total disgrace.

This case is an outrage

How about reservations for greedy plutocrats and their families for about 200+ years?

It would cost us too much money to be honest.....:grr: