(These are national news stories that I have found and clipped
to post here for your information. Follow the "next" image thru
the archives to 11 June 1999)
South Dakota Morning News
UPI 16-JUL-99
(CUSTER) CUSTER COUNTY AUTHORITIES
ARE RELEASING MORE DETAILS OF TUESDAY'S SAVAGE ASSAULT ON A 17
YEAR OLD BOY. SHERIFF GREG FOSTER SAID HIS OFFICE WILL NOT
RELEASE THE NAME OF THE VICTIM UNTIL COURT PROCEEDINGS BEGIN BUT
DID SAY THE VICTIM KNEW HIS ASSAILANTS. THE BOY WAS, AT ONE TIME,
A ROOMMATE WITH THE TWO MEN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO KILL HIM.
JOSEPH WHITE HAT OF ST. FRANCIS AND JAMES SHAW OF CUSTER BOTH
STAND ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND AGRIVATED ASSAULT. TWO
OTHERS, BOTH JUVINILES, WERE ALSO ARRESTED. FOSTER SAID WHITE HAT
AND SHAW BEAT THE VICTIM UNCONCIOUS AND LEFT HIM FACE DOWN IN A
CREEK TO DROWN. THE TWO JUVINILES PULLED THE VICTIM FROM THE
WATER. FOSTER SAID THAT IT APPEARS THAT WHITE HAT THEN USED A
KNIFE TO SLIT THE VICTIM'S THROAT AND LEFT HIM FOR DEAD TWO MILES
OUTSIDE OF CUSTER. THE VICTIM SURVIVED AND CRAWLED TO THE CAR
WHERE DEPUTIES FOUND HIM. A DOCTOR TREATING THEVICTIM SAID THE
KNIFE WOUND CAME WITHIN TWO MILIMETERS OF THE CARATOID ARTERY, A
FATAL WOUND IN ONLY MOMENTS. THE TWO JUVINILES WE RE ARRESTED ON
ALCOHOL RELATED CHARGES AND DO NOT FACE CHARGES FROM THE ASSAULT.
FOSTER WOULD NOT SAY WHAT THE MOTIVE FOR THE CRIME WAS BUT DID
SAY ALCOHOL PLAYED A ``MAJOR ROLE.''
(RAPID CITY) A JOINT NEWS
CONFERENCE WITH HTE PENNINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND RAPID
CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL BE HELT THIS MORNIGN TO DUSCUSS THE
HIGH NUMBER OF DEATHS ALONG RAPID CREEK. SHERIFF DON HOLLOWAY AND
CHIEF TOM HENNIES WILL MEET WITH REPORTERS TO DISCUSS THE THE
PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE DEATHS OF NUMEROUS SUBJECTS
FOUND FLOATING IN RAPID CREEK IN RECENT MONTHS. BOTH OFFICES HAVE
CONDUCTED INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE DEATHS AND ARE TAKING MEASURES
TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. BOTH AGENCY HEADS WILL SPEAK ABOUT WHAT
IS BEING DONE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE.
(HURON) RURAL WATER DEVELOPMENT IN
THE STATE GOT A $3.32 MILLION DOLLAR SHOT IN THE ARM YESTERDAY.
DALLAS TONSAGER, DIRECTOR OF THE STATE USDA RURAL WATER
DEVELOPMENT SAID THE MONEY WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT FOUR PROJECTS
CRUTIAL TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT. FALL RIVER, THE CITY OF VEBLEN,
LAKOTA FUND HOUSING PROJECTS IN WANBLEE AND PINE RIDGE WILL ALL
SHARE IN THE FUNDS. THE MONEY WAS MADE AVAILABLE UNDER PRESIDENT
CLINTON'S WATER 2000 INITIATIVE, WHICH PROVIDED $210 MILLION
DOLLARS FOR PROJECTS ON A NATIONWIDE BASIS. TONSANGER SAID
PROJECTS WERE SELECTED TO TARGET RURAL COMMUNTIES PLAGUED BY SOME
OF THE NATION'S WORST WATER QUALITY AND DEPENDABILITY PROBLEMS.
DAKOTAWIRE PIERRE / UPI CALLAHAN
15-JUL-99
DENVER (Reuters) - American Indian
activist Leonard Peltier, in prison for killing two FBI agents,
has no basis for suing prison authorities for alleged improper
medical care, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. A decision
by prison authorities to deny Peltier's request to be treated at
the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "does not
represent cruel and unusual punishment" as he claimed, the
10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 3-0 decision. Peltier's
1998 lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons was dismissed
last year by a lower-court judge and the appeals court affirmed
the lower court judge's decision. Peltier is serving two
consecutive life sentences for the murder of two Federal Bureau
of Investigation agents in 1975 at the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota. In his lawsuit, Peltier claimed two
operations for complications from tetanus left him with
"constant jaw pain, headaches (and) a disfiguring
injury." Earlier this year, the European Parliament and the
widow of former French President Francois Mitterrand, herself a
human rights activist, supported Peltier's claims. Peltier has
maintained his innocence and has been supported by human rights
activists around the world, including actor-director Robert
Redford. In his lawsuit, Peltier claimed his constitutional
rights were violated because doctors at the Medical Center for
Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo. had been negligent in
performing operations on him. "At most, he states a claim
for medical malpractice," the appellate judges said.
"Medical malpractice does not become a constitutional
violation merely because the victim is a prisoner."
Authorities have offered him additional surgery at the
Springfield facility, but he has refused. Two months ago,
Danielle Mitterrand visited Peltier at the U.S. Penitentiary in
Leavenworth, Kan., where he is serving his sentence. The European
Parliament in February adopted a resolution calling for Peltier
to be moved to a hospital for "appropriate medical
treatment." The Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington,
D.C. said earlier that Peltier had received "appropriate
medical attention." The agency said it had been deluged
earlier this year with e-mail, faxes, letters and phone calls
from Peltier's supporters.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.
The White House: Remarks
by the President on Health Care M2 Communications
JUL 13, 1999
M2 Communications - Harbor-UCLA
Medical Center Torrance, California
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very
much. Well, good morning, and I want to thank Tecla Mickoseff for
welcoming us here to Harbor-UCLA. Thank you, Ethel, for your
powerful statement out of your personal experience. I want to
thank my old friend, Jack Lewin, for, as usual, making the case.
We're used to being in fights where the evidence is overcome by
political power. (Laughter.)
But we're determined to reverse it
in this case. I want to thank Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald; my friends, Ev Gerisloski (phonetic) and
Yvonne Burke, and the mayors and other local officials who are
here. I thank the leaders of the health care groups that are
here, both consumers and providers. Thank you, Reverend Jackson,
for coming. We're glad to see you this morning. (Applause.)
I have a couple of things I want
to say about health care and about how this patients' bill of
rights issue fits into our larger responsibilities to deal with
the health of the American people. I have just finished a trip
across our country, from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta to
the Pine Ridge Indian reservation to inner-city neighborhoods in
East St. Louis, Illinois, South Phoenix and Los Angeles. The
purpose of this was to shine a spotlight on the opportunity which
exists in areas that our prosperity has completely passed by. It
was a remarkable four days, and I came in contact with all the
health issues that you would be concerned about in the process of
pushing an economic agenda. For one thing, when we left
Washington and arrived in Appalachia, and arrived in the
Mississippi Delta, and arrived in East St. Louis, and arrived in
Phoenix, in all those places it was 100 degrees. (Laughter.)
It was cool in Dakota when we got
there at night, but the next day it was a mere 94. And I'm very
worried, I must say -- I want to say this today -- I've been very
concerned because a lot of poor people depend upon the LIHEAP
program -- the Low Income Health Assistance program, to pay for
air-conditioning or get fans in the summertime. And I have,
today, directed the appropriate people in our federal government
to expedite the analysis we're required to do about the effects
of the recent heat wave on the need for emergency assistance
under this program. We could lose a lot of people who won't even
get to the emergency room if we don't do it. So I do want you to
know that I hope the message will go across the country to the
places I visited and the other places that we know this is going
to be a problem. (Applause.)
When we went on this tour we saw
an awful lot of problems, and we saw a lot of promise -- enough
promise to convince us all that we actually can succeed in
building a bridge to the 21st century that all Americans can walk
across. When we give economic opportunity to all, we're helping
to build that bridge. When we give all of our kids a world-class
education, we're helping to build that bridge. When we're dealing
with health care challenges, we're helping to build that bridge.
Jack mentioned the Medicare proposal that I have made to
stabilize the Medicare trust fund until 2027, provide a
prescription drug benefit that we can afford, and provide much
more preventive services, which I think are very, very important.
Now, how does the patients' bill of rights fit into all of this?
I feel in a way that I have a special right, if you will, to
advocate for this bill because I have defended the role of
managed care in our health care system for years. When I became
President, health costs had been going up at three times the rate
of inflation for many years. And all of us knew it was totally
unsustainable, that eventually, if it kept going up at three
times the rate of inflation, we'd be spending all our money on
health care. We all knew that was completely unsustainable, and
that there was nothing wrong with managing a system properly so
that you could, at the lowest possible cost, achieve the
objective, which was the highest possible quality of health care.
And, yes, at the margins there will always be tough decisions,
but fundamentally, no one who both believes in the American
health care system and the professionals who provide that health
care, and who believes in proper management, believes you should
sacrifice basic quality of care to the decision made by an
accountant to make the bottom line of an HMO bigger. The purpose
of managed care is to enhance quality of care by making it as
affordable as possible, not to undermine quality of care by
making the people who provide managed care as profitable as
possible. And it's very important -- (applause.)
So, as has already been pointed
out, I ask the Congress a year and a half ago to pass a strong
enforceable patients' bill of rights, with all the things you've
heard about -- the right to see a specialist, the right to
emergency room care at the nearest emergency room, the right not
to have to change health care providers in the middle of
treatment, the right to enforce accountability for harmful
decisions. And I have used my authority as President, as you
said, not only to cover by executive order those people on
Medicare with the protections of the patients' bill of rights,
but also those people on Medicaid, those people served by the
Veterans Administration, and the people in the federal health
insurance plan, the federal employees and their families. And I
want to just tell you that we actually now have some experience
with the patients' bill of rights. You know, the HMOs say, well,
this all sounds very good, but we can't afford it, and if you --
and they always try to make you think only of yourself, your
healthy self -- if you, your healthy self -- (laughter) -- who
never gets sick, but has to pay health insurance, give these
patients' bill of rights to them, all those sick people, you,
your healthy self, will have to pay more for health insurance,
and oh, how terrible it will be. That's their argument, right?
Well, we actually have done this now, and we have evidence -- and
sometimes evidence overcomes interest groups in Washington, so
let's talk about the evidence. Our evidence is that when we put
the patients' bill of rights into the federal employees health
plan, it raised the cost of health insurance -- by less than a
dollar a month. Now, I'm going to go over this one more time.
You've already heard -- I'm going to go over it one more time,
and I'm going to ask every American if he or she wouldn't be
willing to pay something in that range on the off-chance that
their healthy self might not always be that way, and out of a
genuine concern for our fellow citizens and an understanding that
the wealth and power and strength and quality of life of our
country depends in no small measure on the continued advances in
the health of all Americans. (Applause.)
And, yes, some states have done
some things in this area. But until Congress acts, there will be
more than 100 million Americans who won't have these full
protections. I can only give it to 85 million by executive order.
So next week, at long last, the Senate is going to take this up.
I'll say more about that in a moment, but thank goodness, the
Senate finally is going to take this up. Last year -- all year
the leaders of the Senate kept us from bringing the bill up. And
there's a good reason why they did -- they're not for it, but
they know they can't afford to be caught being against it.
(Laughter.) We have 200 -- 200 plus medical and consumer groups
are for the patients' bill of rights. The American Medical
Association has allies it has never had before. (Laughter.)
This is a very big tent. And there
is only one group on the other side, the health insurers. It's
200 to one, but the one is a big one, and so far has had enough
support in the majority party in the House and the Senate to keep
this from coming up. But if you go out in the country, I have
said this over and over and over again, if you go out in the
country, this is not a partisan issue, because Republicans get
sick just like Democrats. Even stubborn independents sometimes
get sick. (Laughter.) And when you walk into the emergency room
-- I would really like to know whether she's got a form she fills
out in the emergency room that has a check for political party.
(Laughter.) Now, before I give you this medicine, are you a
conservative or a liberal? (Laughter.)
You know, we're laughing about
this, but it makes a very important point. This is not a partisan
issue, this is not even a philosophical issue, not anywhere in
the wide world but Washington, D.C. If you explained all the
options to all the people in all the communities of this country,
I promise you over 70 percent of Republicans, Democrats, and
independents -- you know, when you got above those stratospheric
numbers, maybe there would be some partisan difference -- but
you'd have over 70 percent of all groups for this. How can it be
-- how can it be that for over a year the American people have
been deprived of even a full debate on this in the United States
Senate? Well, as I learned and Jack learned back in 1993 and '94,
these folks have a lot of clout. But let's forget about the
politics and look at the facts. I want to run through this --
look at this chart over here. I wish every American could just
have this chart at home. If I had the ability through the
Internet to send this to every American I would do it. Our plan
says, if you need to see a specialist, you can't be denied the
right to see a specialist. Their plan doesn't give you that
right. Our plan says, if you get hit driving out of this event
today, on a hot Saturday morning in Los Angeles, you ought to be
able to go to the nearest emergency room, not show up there and
be told you've got to drive 25 miles to one that your plan
covers. This is a real issue, as you know. Our plans says -- and
I was so glad to hear you mention this -- that if you're being
treated with chemotherapy or if you're six months pregnant and
your employer changes providers, you should be able to stay with
the physicians that are treating you until the treatment is
completed. Hugely important issue that most Americans are not
aware of. (Applause.)
Our plan assures HMO accountants
don't make arbitrary medical decisions. Now, let me just say,
I've listened to a lot of stories about this. I've done a lot of
research on this. A lot of times the HMO decision-making tree,
you finally get high enough to get a doctor who makes the right
decision and it's too late. And I've said this over and over
again -- I'm actually sympathetic with a lot of people at the
first line of decision-making in the HMO. Why? They're not
doctors and they're never going to get in trouble with the
company for saying no. Right? They know -- I'm sympathetic with
them. A lot of them, they're making a modest income, they're
looking forward to their Christmas bonus, they want to please
their employer like we all do. You're my employer -- I want to
please you. (Laughter.)
We're all like that. And these
young people who are working in these companies, they know they
are not going to get in trouble from saying no, because they know
if they say no, the decision can always be kicked upstairs -- and
maybe it's three levels upstairs, but eventually, somebody who
actually understands this is going to make a decision. And if
they say yes, they won't get in trouble for having said no, but,
ah, if they say yes, and somebody above them says, you should
have said no, they can get in a world of trouble. So we try to
fix that here and change the incentive so that there is no
institutional bias to deny quality care. Should the health plans
be held accountable? I think so. The framers of the Constitution
understand that a right without a remedy is not a right at all.
And should they cover all health plans? Absolutely. The other
bill leaves out 100 million folks. So that's what this is about.
The "yeses" and the "nos." It simple
evidence. It's about how people live. And, yes, the health
insurance association may have some of its profit margin
squeezed. And, yes, they may have to have modest increases, like
we did -- the federal employees health plan -- I'll tell you it's
less than a buck a month for a policy. That's what our experience
is. But isn't it worth it to allow the system to work? To keep
the benefits of managed care without having to shoulder these
enormous burdens, these heartbreaking burdens. I don't know how
many people I have seen -- I've seen nurses who work for doctors
in their offices who have to make the calls to the HMOs to get
told no break down and cry, telling me stories of people that
they couldn't take care of. You know, these are not just isolated
anecdotes. This is a systematic problem in American health care.
And once we fix it, all the people will be happy -- the HMOs will
do just fine and they'll be happy we did. And people will wonder
what in the wide world we were doing all those years not
providing these basic protections. Think of how you'd feel if you
were a doctor, you'd spend all those years going to medical
school, all those years in residency, you go all those years
without any sleep, and you're finally out there giving health
care and all of a sudden you're told, here's a straight-jacket
we'd like you to wear to work every day and still figure out how
to make these people well. I mean, this is a big, big, big issue.
And it should not be played out in a partisan political or
special interest atmosphere. Shouldn't we err on the side of
health? What are we afraid of? (Applause.)
I saw today an amusing article in
the paper which said that the leaders of the majority party had
decided that instead of bringing up their bill and having to deal
with 20 of our amendments, which would put people -- force them
to put their members on record being against these things, they
would bring up our bill and just beat it, in the hope that then
there would be no specific record of accountability. I thought to
myself, what kind of a weird world am I living in? If this was
just about something we had an emotional opinion about and we
were on different sides, I would think that would be a clever
thing to do and that's just politics. This is not whether you've
got an emotional thing, this is about whether some people live
and some people die. This is about whether people get well, or
they don't. This is about whether people feel at least comfort
when they're dealing with the challenges of life, or they're just
knotted in anxiety all the time. This is about all these doctors,
these nurses, these health care professionals wake up every day
happy to go to work because they think they're going to be able
to do their job, or they're waiting for the other shoe to fall
every single day because somebody is trying to strangle their
ability to make decent decisions. This is, in other words, not a
typical political decision. This is about life and the quality of
life, and the fundamental decency of our society. We should err
on the side of humanity. We should err on the side of quality
health care. We have evidence now from our own experience that we
can well afford to do this. And this is an idea whose time has
long since come. So -- and there are members of Congress in the
Republican Party, as well as the Democratic Party, who support
this, who just want a chance to vote for it and bring the
benefits of it to the American people. You know, it's like
anything else -- you can argue against anything on the grounds
that it's not perfect. Well, if we never did anything because it
wasn't perfect, we'd never do anything. And America wouldn't be
here celebrating the 21st century. We wouldn't be around after
223 years. The Constitution wasn't perfect; it had to be amended.
So it is not an argument to vote against this bill that it might
not be perfect, that there might be some unforeseen consequences
that we might have to fix -- we take our cars to mechanics to fix
things that aren't perfect, but we don't stop buying cars and go
back to walking around. (Laughter.) I mean, none of these
arguments make any sense at all. We have to put people and
principle and evidence ahead of raw political influence.
Democracy has to work -- (applause.)
So, I thank you for being here.
Remember, we're all preaching to the saved in this room today.
Reach out to other members of Congress. Send a note or an e-mail
today or Monday morning to every House member that represents
anywhere around here, and both your senators are for this bill --
that's great. Send it to senators from other states. Give people
a chance to do the right thing. Tell them what's at stake. If
people will listen to their hearts and their heads, we'll prevail
next week. Thank you and God bless you.
*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL
LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA
SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*
(C)1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
First Americans Mortgage Corporation Pushes Ahead with George K.
Baum Company Partnership PRNewswire
13-JUL-99
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., July 13
/PRNewswire/ -- Dustan R. Shepherd, president of First Americans
Mortgage Corporation (FAMC), a subsidiary of AmeriResource
Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ARET), announced today
that the company will utilize their Native American loan delivery
system to assist George K. Baum & Company in originating
their commitment announced last week by President Clinton during
his visit to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
George K. Baum & Company and Bank One Capital Markets
committed to underwriting $1.5 billion in residential loan
financing over the next five years. FAMC and Baum entered into a
strategic alliance on May 20 to deliver residential loan programs
to Native American home buyers and tribal governments. John
Urbina, Senior Vice President, George K. Baum & Company,
commented, "The President's comments last week were an
important endorsement to our efforts to bring affordable housing
to Indian Country. We will continue to work jointly with FAMC to
make the vision of home ownership a reality for Native
Americans." Shepherd said, "Baum's commitment to
issuing bonds in Indian Country is unprecedented, at no time in
the history of this country has an investment banking firm made
such a sizable pledge toward Native American housing. FAMC is
proud to be associated with a firm with such a strong financial
and social constitution." Shepherd continued, "The two
companies have already conducted a joint presentation in New
Mexico and have plans for additional presentations later this
month in North Dakota. FAMC is currently developing a section on
our website dedicated to tribal economic and housing development,
and our partnership with Baum will be the first highlighted
project. It should be noted that Baum's recently announced
commitment will focus on home ownership, however, the two
companies will also explore developing financing mechanisms for
single and multifamily rental, equity financing for tax credit
projects and construction period and infrastructure
financing." The release may contain forward-looking
statements that involve risk and uncertainties, including with
limitations, continued acceptance of the company's products and
services, increased levels of competition, new products and
technological changes, the Company's dependency on financing
third party supplies and intellectual property rights, and other
risks detailed from time- to-time in the company's federal
filings, annual reports, offering memorandums or prospectus.
SOURCE AmeriResource Technologies, Inc.
07/13/99 /CONTACT: Dustan Shepherd
or Delmar Janovec of AmeriResource Technologies, Inc.,
913-385-FAMC, or 913-341-ARET/ /Web site:
http://www.nativeamericanlender.com / (ARET) CO: AmeriResource
Technologies, Inc.; George K. Baum & Company ST: Nevada,
Kansas IN: FIN SU:
The White House: Vice
President Gore Awards More than $200 Million for Clean Rural
Water Projects
M2 Communications 13-JUL-99 JUL
13, 1999, M2 Communications - Washington, DC -- Vice President Al
Gore today awarded nearly $200 million in loans and grants for
over 100 safe drinking water projects in 40 states. The funds
bolster the Administration's New Markets initiative, designed to
help low-income communities share in the unprecedented prosperity
most parts of the country are currently enjoying. "These
grants are another example of how we can continue to grow our
economy without endangering our environment. The need for clean
water is not only a critical public health issue, it is also a
key factor in promoting rural economic development," the
Vice President said. "Without safe, reliable drinking water,
no community can attract the new businesses needed to provide
America's families with good-paying jobs." The U.S.
Department of Agriculture awards target rural communities plagued
by some of the nation's worst water quality and dependability
problems. Children and the elderly are at particular risk from
illnesses caused by unclean drinking water. The Administration's
Water 2000 Initiative, launched in August 1994, has already
invested in projects to improve drinking water for more than 2.8
million Americans. The loans and grants announced today include:
$24 million for 12 projects serving low-income, rural towns in
Appalachia; $13.7 million for seven projects in seven Empowerment
Zones or Enterprise Communities; $12.3 million for impoverished
colonias in four Southwest states; and $7.2 million for five
projects in impoverished Mississippi Delta communities. President
Clinton also announced $16 million for Water 2000 projects on
American Indian tribal lands and Alaska Native villages in 8
states, including two projects on the Pine Ridge Reservation last
week. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said, "USDA's
financial assistance will leverage more than $75 million from
local water districts, county governments, state agencies, and
other federal sources." Since 1994, USDA has invested nearly
$2 billion in Water 2000 projects in more than 1,600 rural
communities nationwide. At least 2 million rural Americans live
with critical drinking water quality and availability problems,
including an estimated 740,000 people who have no running water
in their homes. An estimated 5 million additional rural residents
are affected by less critical, but still significant,
water-related difficulties. These include undersized or poorly
protected water sources, a lack of adequate storage facilities,
and antiquated distribution systems.
*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL
LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA
SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*
(C)1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
Vice President Gore Awards
More than $200 Million for Clean Rural Water Projects
12-JUL-99
WASHINGTON, July 12 /U.S.
Newswire/ -- Vice President Gore today awarded nearly $200
million in loans and grants for over 100 safe drinking water
projects in 40 states. The funds bolster the Administration's New
Markets initiative, designed to help low-income communities share
in the unprecedented prosperity most parts of the country are
currently enjoying. "These grants are another example of how
we can continue to grow our economy without endangering our
environment. The need for clean water is not only a critical
public health issue, it is also a key factor in promoting rural
economic development," the Vice President said.
"Without safe, reliable drinking water, no community can
attract the new businesses needed to provide America's families
with good-paying jobs." The U.S. Department of Agriculture
awards target rural communities plagued by some of the nation's
worst water quality and dependability problems. Children and the
elderly are at particular risk from illnesses caused by unclean
drinking water. The Administration's Water 2000 Initiative,
launched in August 1994, has already invested in projects to
improve drinking water for more than 2.8 million Americans. The
loans and grants announced today include: -- $24 million for 12
projects serving low-income, rural towns in Appalachia; -- $13.7
million for seven projects in seven Empowerment Zones or
Enterprise Communities; -- $12.3 million for impoverished
colonias in four Southwest states; and -- $7.2 million for five
projects in impoverished Mississippi Delta communities. President
Clinton also announced $16 million for Water 2000 projects on
American Indian tribal lands and Alaska Native villages in 8
states, including two projects on the Pine Ridge Reservation last
week. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said, "USDA's
financial assistance will leverage more than $75 million from
local water districts, county governments, state agencies, and
other federal sources." Since 1994, USDA has invested nearly
$2 billion in Water 2000 projects in more than 1,600 rural
communities nationwide. At least 2 million rural Americans live
with critical drinking water quality and availability problems,
including an estimated 740,000 people who have no running water
in their homes. An estimated 5 million additional rural residents
are affected by less critical, but still significant,
water-related difficulties. These include undersized or poorly
protected water sources, a lack of adequate storage facilities,
and antiquated distribution systems.
Rmic Initiates Financial
Management Curriculum at Pine Ridge
12-JUL-99
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 12
/PRNewswire/ -- Republic Mortgage Insurance Company (RMIC) has
committed funds and support to a Financial Management Curriculum
for ninth grade and community college students at the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation. The program is part of President Clinton''s
"New Markets Initiative," which is intended to
challenge corporate America to leverage resources to help
underserved communities. RMIC's announcement was made at the
recently concluded Shared Visions Native American Homeownership
and Economic Development Summit, sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development and held at the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation, Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The event featured
a visit and speech on homeownership and economic development by
President Clinton. "As part of the mortgage finance
industry, we at RMIC realize financial education is the
foundation for success of individuals, companies and
society," said Bill Simpson, president and CEO of RMIC.
"This foundation must be developed at a young age, not just
when customers fill out their first loan application. Today's
students are tomorrow's home buyers and young people need sound
credit education and experience when they buy a home. Teaching
high school students to manage their personal finances will give
them a strong foundation as homebuyers and as successful
adults." RMIC will donate textbooks and provide instructor
training to establish the curriculum for 1,000 students a year at
the ninth grade level. RMIC will also establish and support the
program for 1,000 students a year in the Tribal Community
Colleges for the next five years, to accommodate students who
will not have the chance to participate in the ninth grade
program. The curriculum is based on the textbook How Chuck Taylor
Got What He Wanted (and how you can, too!). The Chuck Taylor
textbook was written by William F. Staats, Professor of Banking
and Finance at Louisiana State University, and E.D. Sledge,
president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The book chronicles the financial
adventures -- and occasional misadventures -- of fictional
teenager Chuck Taylor, his family and his friends. Using Chuck's
story as a narrative that begins and ends each chapter, the
textbook explores money management fundamentals including free
enterprise, establishing realistic financial goals, buying and
financing "big ticket" items such as a home or a car,
using credit cards and learning the value of insurance. Based on
success of the Pine Ridge program, RMIC plans to expand the
program to Reservations nationally and will seek local
co-sponsors. To date, RMIC has funded the donation of more than
15,000 books into schools in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North
Carolina, Texas and Virginia to help establish basic financial
instruction at the high school level. RMIC is a national private
mortgage insurer based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. RMIC
offers mortgage lenders an array of innovative products including
ZIP(R) Monthlies, OASIS(R) Contract Underwriting, Secondary
Marketing, Professional Training, Quality Control, and Affordable
Housing Programs.
For more information on RMIC,
contact Pam Curtis at (800) 999-RMIC (7642), write RMIC, 190 Oak
Plaza Blvd., Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27105 or visit RMIC's
Internet site at www.rmic.com . SOURCE Republic Mortgage
Insurance Company -0- 7/12/99 /CONTACT: Pam Curtis of Republic
Mortgage Insurance Company, 800-999-RMIC -7642, or email,
pam_curtis@rmic.com . /Web site: http://www.rmic.com / CO:
Republic Mortgage Insurance Company ST: North Carolina IN: INS
FIN EDU RLT SU:
The White House: Remarks
by the President to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Community
JUL 12, 1999
M2 Communications - Pine Ridge,
South Dakota
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very
much. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to all
of you here from Pine Ridge and all the other tribal leaders who
are here for HUD's Shared Vision Conference. I am profoundly
honored to be in Pine Ridge and in the Lakota Nation. In fact, to
try to demonstrate my appreciation and respect, I would like to
try -- to try to say something in Lakota. (Applause.)
Mitakuye Oyas'in. (Applause.)
My neighbors, my friends, we are
all related. (Applause.)
Consider those who have come here
today to join hands with you, along with Secretary Cuomo,
Secretary Glickman, your great congressional delegation, our
Democratic leader, Tom Daschle in the United States Senate and
Senator Johnson, Congressman Thune. You don't know this, but we
have members of Congress from all over America who have come here
to express their support and their commitment to join you in
building a better tomorrow. Congressman Ed Pastor from Arizona;
Congressman Dale Kildee, from the state of Michigan; Congressman
Jim Clyburn, from South Carolina; and Congressman Paul Kanjorski,
from Pennsylvania, he has come all the way from Pennsylvania to
be here. (Applause.)
I want to thank the other people
from the administration, especially Assistant Secretary of the
Interior, Kevin Gover and Lynn Cutler, in the White House, who
work with all of our Native American leaders around America, for
what they do. (Applause.)
I want to thank the CEO of Fannie
Mae, Frank Raines; the CEO of Northwest, Mark Omen; the PMI
President, Roger Horton; Mortgage Bankers Association President
Don Lang; Champion Homes CEO Walter Young -- for all the work
that they are prepared to do in building a better future and
they're here today. (Applause.)
I want to thank my good friend,
Jesse Jackson, for never letting us forget our common
obligations. (Applause.)
I thank the other members of our
delegation today -- Bart Harvey, from Enterprise; Al From, from
the Democratic Leadership Council. I'd like to thank the young
AmeriCorps volunteers who are here today for all the work they
do. (Applause.)
I would like to finally say a word
of appreciation to all the people who live here on this
reservation, who welcomed me into their homes, who talked to me
today as I walked down their streets. I thank especially
Geraldine Bluebird, who Secretary Cuomo mentioned -- she let me
sit on her porch and she told me how she tries to make ends meet
for the 28 people that share her small home and the house trailer
adjoining. I thank the children who stopped their playing and
shook hands with me and listened to me while I encouraged them to
stay in school and to go onto college and to live out their
dreams. (Applause.)
I want to bring you greetings from
two people who are not here -- first, from Vice President Gore,
who has headed our empowerment zone effort that Pine Ridge became
a part of today. (Applause.)
And, second, just a little over an
hour ago, I talked to the First Lady, and Hillary has spent more
time in Indian Country than any First Lady in history. She is
intensely committed to this effort, and she asked me to say hello
to you. (Applause.)
President Saulway said today I was
the only President ever to come to an Indian reservation for a
nation to nation business meeting. I remember back in 1994, I
invited all the tribal leaders in America to the White House, and
it was the first such gathering since the presidency of James
Monroe in the 1820s. Now, I know that Calvin Coolidge came to
Pine Ridge in the 1920s, and that President Roosevelt visited
another Native American reservation, but no American President
has been anywhere in Indian Country since Franklin Roosevelt was
President. That is wrong, and we're trying to fix it today.
(Applause.)
I was profoundly moved by the pipe
ceremony, just as I was when your congressional delegation took
me last night not only to Mount Rushmore, but to the Crazy Horse
Memorial, and to the museum that is there with it. But I ask you
today, even as we remember the past, to think more about the
future. We know well what the failings of the present and the
past are. We know well the imperfect relationship that the United
States and its government has enjoyed with the tribal nations.
But I have seen today not only poverty, but promise. And I have
seen enormous courage. I came here today for three reasons. First
of all, to celebrate the empowerment zone and the housing
projects that are going on here now. Second, to talk about my New
Markets Initiative and what else we can do. But, third, with the
business leaders who are here -- and I've already introduced
them, but I'd like to ask the business leaders I just mentioned
to stand up. We want to send a message to America that this is a
good place to invest. Good people live here. Good people live in
Indian country, they deserve a chance to go to work. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
You've already heard President
Saulway and Secretary Cuomo recite the statistics. It's a hot day
out here and I know you're suffering in the sun. But I want to
send a message to America. So I just want to say a few things,
and I want you to think about this. Think about the irony of
this. We are in the longest period of economic growth in
peacetime in our history. (Applause.)
We have in America almost 19
million new jobs. We have the lowest unemployment rate ever
recorded for African Americans and Hispanics. For over two years
our country has had an unemployment rate below 5 percent. But
here on this reservation, the unemployment rate is nearly 75
percent. That is wrong, and we have to do something to change it,
and do it now. (Applause.)
When we are on the verge of a new
century and a new millennium where people are celebrating the
miracles of technology, and the world growing closer and closer
together, and our ability to learn from and with each other and
make business partnerships with each other all across our globe,
and there are still reservations with few phones and no banks,
when still three or four families are forced to share two simple
rooms, where communities where Native Americans live have deadly
disease and infant mortality rates at many times the national
rate, when these things still persist, we cannot rest until we do
better. And trying is not enough; we have to have results. We can
do better. (Applause.)
Our nation will never have a
better chance. When will we ever have this kind of opportunity
where unemployment is low, inflation is low, there's a lot of
money in our country, the value of our stock market has tripled
and then some. Business people are looking for new places to
invest, and people who have done well feel a moral obligation to
try to help those who are less fortunate, who have not fully
participated. And we see it from Appalachia to the Mississippi
Delta to the inner cities of our country, to the Native American
communities. If we can't do this now, we will never get around to
doing it. So let us give ourselves a gift for the 21st century --
an America where no one is left behind and everyone has a chance.
(Applause.)
We will do our part. You have
suffered from neglect, and you know that doesn't work. You have
also suffered from the tyranny of patronizing inadequately funded
government programs, and you know that doesn't work. We have
tried to have a more respectful, more proper relationship with
the tribal governments of this country to promote more genuine
independence, but also to give more genuine support. And the
empowerment zone program, as the Vice President and I designed it
six years ago, is designed to treat all communities that way.
We're not coming from Washington to tell you exactly what to do
and how to do it, we're coming from Washington to ask you what
you want to do, and tell you we will give you the tools and the
support to get done what you want to do for your children and
their future. (Applause.)
President Saulway and a number of
tribal leaders came to me at the White House a couple of months
ago. You may have heard in the national press that I repeatedly
referred to this profoundly emotional meeting. I have given a
great deal of thought to what was said then and what I heard now.
We can do better. I would like to mention just a few specific
things, for you have all heard years of pretty words. There is no
more crucial building block for a strong community and a
promising future than a solid home. Today, I want to talk about a
number of things the government and the private sector are going
to do to increase homeownership. Our whole team visited those new
homes that are being built not far from here. We talked to the
families that are moving into those homes. I had a little boy
take me through every room in the home, tell me exactly where
every closet was, tell me what his sister's room had that he
didn't have, and why it was all right, because she was older and
she needed such things. This is important. So what are we going
to do? Private lenders, like Bank of America, Northwest, Bank
One, Washington Mutual, are going to work with the Mortgage
Bankers Association and HUD, to more than double the number of
government-insured or guaranteed home mortgages in Indian country
in each of the next three years. (Applause.)
Right here in Pine Ridge, Fannie
Mae, under Frank Raines' leadership, has set aside millions of
dollars to help you buy those homes at below-market rates. And
they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars all across this
country to help people just like you become homeowners for the
first time. (Applause.)
And Secretary Cuomo's Partnership
for Housing is giving financial incentives and counseling to help
families figure out how to actually get this done, how to buy
their own homes and pay for them. But, as I heard over and over
today, even if we went in and tried to repair or rebuild or build
new homes for every family here, and in every Indian community
throughout the United States, we must have jobs if we want these
communities to work. (Applause.)
Adults need to have something to
look forward to every morning when they get up. And if they want
their kids to stay in school, and stay out of trouble, and look
to tomorrow, their lives have to be evidence that looking to
tomorrow pays off. It is appalling that we have the highest
growth rate in peacetime in our history; that we have an
unemployment rate below 5 percent for two years, and the
unemployment rate on this hallowed reservation is almost 75
percent. That is appalling, and we can do better. (Applause.)
No community in America, can grow,
however, without basic blocks. No community in America should be
without safe running water and sewer systems. So the Department
of Agriculture will put nearly $16 million in water projects
throughout Indian country, including two right here in Pine
Ridge, that will also help you get jobs, as well as improve the
quality of life. (Applause.)
As you can see, in this Big Sky
country, it is rather warm and it gets windy from time to time,
as the Natives will attest. The Department of Energy will help
you harness the power and profits of wind and solar energy, to
save money and make money. (Applause.)
Owens Corning and North American
Steel Framing Alliance will provide skills training and the
promise of quality jobs. And Citibank and Gateway Computer
Company will work with Oglala Lakota College and other schools to
help Native American students get the computer skills that will
allow them to get 21st century jobs. (Applause.)
And our Federal Communications
Commission will work with you to improve telephone service
throughout Indian Country, an absolute prerequisite for getting
any new business in here. Let me just say that one of the things
that we have learned is that the computer and the Internet make
it possible for many people to do many kinds of work in any
community, anywhere in the United States; indeed, increasingly,
anywhere in the world. The fact that this reservation is a long
way from an urban center would have been an absolute prohibitive
barrier to a lot of economic development just 10 or 15 years ago.
The explosion of computer technology and the Internet, if you
know how to use it and you know how to deliver for others with
it, has literally made the distance barrier almost insignificant
for many kinds of economic activity. So I want to implore you to
use your tribal college and work with these companies and make
the most of the skills they are offering, and we can get the jobs
to come here once you can do them. (Applause.)
Finally, we must seize the vast
potential of tourism right here in Pine Ridge by building a
Lakota Sioux heritage cultural center. Every year, millions of
families travel long, long distances to see Mt. Rushmore -- 2.7
million last year. The Crazy Horse Memorial, about a million and
a half, even though only the head has been finished. The Crazy
Horse Memorial last year had 1.5 million visitors; only the head
has been finished. I went there late last night. And the Badlands
National Park. Now, if you look at that, you have to ask
yourself: How can you have -- how many people, if you did
everything right down here, if we built this cultural center, of
all the people that go to see Crazy Horse, of all the people that
go to see Mt. Rushmore, of all the people that go to Badlands
National Park, how many would come here. I'll tell you -- a whole
lot. An enormous percentage, if you give them something to come
and see. That is nothing more than the simple, profound, powerful
story of your eloquent past and your present, of your skills and
your heritage and your culture and your faith. These commitments
that we are making today are just the beginning. Thirty-one years
ago this spring, Senator Robert Kennedy came to Pine Ridge. Many
of you probably still remember that visit. Senator Kennedy,
seeking medical care for his child, lying sick in the back of an
abandoned car, refusing to sit and begin an important meeting
until all of the tribal leaders had their proper seats. You may
remember his message of hope. Let me say that all across America,
people were watching that. I have to say, on a purely personal
note, one of the most touching things about this day for me is
that the wife of our HUD Secretary is Robert Kennedy's daughter,
and she is here today and this is a proud day. I'd like to ask
her to stand. Kerry, please stand. Thank you. (Applause.)
We lost all those years. There
were a lot of reasons, and a lot of things are better than they
were 30 years ago. But this is the first time since the early
1960s when we had this kind of strong American economy, and we
have no excuse for walking away from our responsibilities to the
new markets of America. I have asked the members of Congress to
go back and pass legislation that will give major tax breaks and
government-guaranteed loans to people who will put their money in
Indian Country, to lower the risk of taking this chance.
(Applause.)
We are going to do everything we
can to make your empowerment zone work. But remember -- there is
nothing that we can do except to help you to realize your own
dreams. So I say to every tribal leader here: The name of the
conference you are attending is Shared Visions. We must share the
vision, and it must be, fundamentally, yours -- for your children
and their future. If you will give us that vision and work with
us, we will achieve it. Thank you, and God bless you. (Applause.)
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