The native American and government services

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a much closer look at the American Indian." ~ Henry Ford

That quote is really inaccurate, and I don’t know if Ford said it,  but it has the right conclusion.

First.  The native Americans did not “let” the government take care of them. They lost the war, their land and their right to govern themselves except in very local, tribal issues. Some weren’t even allowed to keep their language, culture or schools.

Second.  What replaced their former culture and rights, many of which didn’t benefit everyone in their groups, like women, slaves, minorities, etc.,  was substandard and below what other Americans would have accepted if they were free.

Third.  Many accept the substandard land, housing, healthcare and schools they have today just to be left alone and live their own lives, but also they have a power structure that suits primarily their own leaders even if others don’t benefit. In their own areas, called “reservations,” they have their own criminal justice system—laws, police, courts, jails--with the highest rate of violence against women, domestic abuse and children in need of government assistance. 

Fourth.  American Indians who leave the reservation (my deceased brother-in-law is my example) have everything any other American has—good jobs, health care, families, nice middle class lifestyle, pension, church—yet love to “go home” for family events and gossip and special commemorative holidays.

Fifth.  Those who accept what the government offers do have cradle to grave health care and are among the lowest in health care standards of any group in the nation. When statistics are compiled, those who left the reservation, or never lived there at all (like my brother in law’s daughter who is 50%) are not separated out in to a different class, so they probably actually improve the data results because they are healthier with fewer lifestyle problems like alcoholism, abuse, smoking, STDs, poverty, etc.

Sixth. The 800+ recognized tribes didn’t choose to be wards of the government, they lost the battles and the war.  So why are so many Americans willingly trading their freedoms for a promise of security and health that will never materialize? Why are they flocking to Biden/Harris who promise them more government, more taxes, more deaths for their unborn generations, more foreign wars, less local control and more separating them into little groups based on differences in color and sex to weaken their resistance? 

Got me.  I just ask the questions.  I don’t have the answers.