Did you know that Native Americans are not truly represented in
the United States by the U.S. Congress? In fact they have what is known
as observer status (for Reservations only) where they are allowed to voice
their opinion, but not vote on any issues related to the Federal government and
its dealings. But what if there was a solution to this little issue.
I have an idea, so let's talk about it.
Simple Idea: In the same way that districts are
made for Congressional Representatives in the House, we can include the native
populations of these Reservations (which act almost like independent States but
on a limited scale) in Congressional Districts for purposes of representation.
This will allow for Congressional Representatives to speak on behalf of
the Native American Community as per the fact that these Native Americans will
be allowed to vote for their own Congressmen. This thus eliminates the
need for an observer for the members of the Native American tribes but at the
same time empowering them with actual voting power.
Issues: The main issue that may result from this is some
Reservations have very tiny populations. As such, placing them in the
same district as a Congressmen who represents a city, or large swath of
non-native Americans can result in the voice of these peoples being drowned
out. Therefore, there can be only one solution to this problem, ensure
that they either have their own independent representative or are paired up
with an equally small or smaller of non-native Americans in their district.
This thus solves that problem.
Issue 2: Another issue is that those Native Americans who
hold observer status may not want to give up their power or the Federal
Bureaucracy that governs over Native American land as they may see their
authority being diminished. This may not be an actual issue though as those
already electing native tribesmen to hold observer status or are appointed may
be put into the role of Congressional representative in the first place.
In addition, the bodies in government that govern Native American land
will not disappear but are more likely to be used as a power base to gain
additional advantages for the Native American communities in Reservations.
So plenty of payoffs and power brokering to go around.
Issue 3: There is one very big negative to this however.
The Native tribes may feel a loss of independence if this is done.
Fact of the matter is that once power is handed to a Congressional
Representative (where the Natives Tribesmen's Representative is outnumbered) to
represent the Native Americans it may result in a loss of independence which
they scarcely have in the first place. At current, depending on the State
or Territory that the Tribal Reservation is in, there are restrictions on if
they can build Casinos or other facilities. Therefore, in my opinion, I
believe that the States and the Federal Government may be trying to absorb the
smaller Reservations so as to gain access to the tax revenue that can be gained
from tourism, gambling and other enterprises that exist on the Reservations. So
a legitimate Congressional Representative may aid in protecting against this,
but if the Natives choose poorly, they may get a Representative that will go
along with shrinking the Reservations and their independence.
Solving Issue 3: In my opinion, the suggestion I
make for this idea can be replicated at the State legislative level. This
will inhibit any power and land grabs by State and Federal Governments as there
will be Representation in both bodies to ensure that voting mostly goes in
favor of the Native American populace. Keep in mind that States must
voluntarily give up power and territory to create and maintain these
Reservations, so having Representatives in Federal and State law making bodies
will serve well in keeping things in the best interest of the original American
populace.
Conclusion: So what do you think? Native
American will finally get legitimate representation in Congress if this idea is
carried out. Will it be beneficial, or negative to the Natives of our
country remains to be determined for we cannot predict how this change will
impact the overall American community? So for now it is just a thought
experiment. Hope you enjoyed the article.
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