Tim Giago: Help the poorest county in America

The United States Census of 1980 moved in a different direction when it began to post a census within a census on different social conditions in the United States.

For instance, the Census of 1980 named the 10 poorest counties in America. The Pine Ridge Reservation, situated in the heart of Shannon County, South Dakota, was declared the “Poorest County in America.” It was one occasion when a people had no reason at all to stand up and shout, “Hey, we’re number one!”

To address the extreme poverty on many Indian reservations let’s, for the moment, set aside the financial boomtowns of the casino rich Indian nations. We should keep in mind that while some Indian nations have become extremely wealthy, many others, particularly those in the Northern Plains and in some portions of the Southwest, have remained the poorest of the poor in an otherwise booming Indian economy.

While most of the Pueblo Nations of New Mexico are having great success with their casinos, there are others like the Jemez Pueblo that do not have the luxury of being located on or near a major city or highway. And there are others that have decided not to open a casino, at least for the time being. While most Arizona Indian nations are booming, there are others such as the Navajo that are just now starting to make a move toward opening a casino and there is the Hopi Nation, made up of extremely traditional and religious people that are not considering building a casino at all.......




http://indianz.com/News/2007/002648.asp