Paying Down Our Debt [10.1.08]
Halito! I want to begin my column this month by sharing some very good news. I am pleased to announce that our Pearl River Resort will make a $15 million payment to retire a portion of the debt incurred to build the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino. This payment is in addition to our require payments.

Despite a slow economy and a down turn in revenues for casinos in Mississippi and across the country, the Resort management has been able to contribute significantly to reduction of our debt.

Unburdening ourselves through additional payment is critical to the financial health of our Tribe. Please see the Neshoba Democrats article on the front page. We are making progress toward the day when we can spend the money we are paying in interest to build more housing and improve education on the reservation.

Gustav [10.1.08]
On the 27th, evacuations began in Louisiana and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We are lucky that Hurricane Gustav became a tropical depression and didn't get any closer to the Reservation. Some of our neighbors were not as fortunate. I want to thank Glenn Billie for heading up efforts to assist members of the United Houma Nation who came to Mississippi seeking refuge from the storm.

It is important that we know how to react to in an emergency and I encourage you to see our Emergency Management Director Peter Steve's article in this issue on what to do in case of a tornado.

2nd Annual Economic Development Summit & Trade Show [10.1.08]
August was a very busy month. I travelled to the 2nd Annual Economic Development Summit & Trade Show held in Walker, Minnesota. It was hosted the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Red Lake Nation and the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

This conference allowed me to take a look at regional economic trends. It was an excellent opportunity to network and participate in discussions about the future of our economies with Native American business owners, economic and community development planners, educational institutions, heads of enterprises and elected officials. I spoke to them about how we diversified our economy to ensure continued economic development and highlighted one of our enterprises in particular, Applied Geo Technologies.

Not only does AGT bring much needed revenue to the Tribe, but its successes make the Tribe proud. I commend Allen Hines and all the AGT staff for their good work. Our Tribe's modern approach to economic development and industry has led us into a new generation of employment opportunities and continues to be a model for other Tribes.

The National party Convetions [10.1.08]
Last month, I had an opportunity to attend the Democratic National Committee Convention in Denver, Colorado. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois accepted the Democratic nomination for President before more than 80,000 people.

I want to encourage all Tribal members to learn about where both Presidential candidates stand on Tribal issues. You can find out where Senator Obama stands on issues like sovereignty, health care, and education at barackobama.com.

While Senator Obama's acceptance speech received the most attention, the convention provided me with an opportunity to meet with several key Democratic leaders in Congress to discuss a variety of issues of importance to our Tribe.

I met with Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota who is the Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. He played a critical role in passing the Indian Health Care improvement Act and we discussed ways to make sure that the House of Representative does the same before the end of the year.

I also had the pleasure of meeting with Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii. Both Senators are Members of the Indian Affairs Committee and, as indigenous Hawaiians; they understand the challenges faced by Native Americans. In all, I discussed our legislative and funding priorities with over twenty Senators, an opportunity that presents itself very rarely.

I also met with several important Representatives including Congressman Norm Dicks of Washington who serves as Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. This important committee is responsible for funding all of the programs under the Bureau of Indian Affairs such as our healthcare facilities, schools and roads.

Other meetings were with Congressman Dale Kildee of Michigan, Chairman of the Native American Caucus in the House, Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who is responsible for the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts whose Financial Services Committee is responsible for the housing programs.

After making sure Gustav posed no threat to the Reservation, I flew to St. Paul, Minnesota for the Republican National Convention. Tribal Council was well represented there by Sammie Clemmons, Jr., Kevin Edwards and Ann Wesley.

Senator John McCain accepted his party’s nomination for President in an arena called the Xcel Center. He gave a moving speech about his service to America and asked for people to fight with him to move the country forward. I urge you to learn about Senator McCain’s stands on issues specific to Tribal members. There is information available on his website, johnmccain.com.

I attended several meetings with Republican Party leaders including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. I also met with key members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.

Just as I did in Denver, I stressed the importance of immediately passing the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act is critical to many of our healthcare programs and programs throughout Indian Country and it must be reauthorized and funded by Congress as soon as possible.

I also met with Gregg Harper of Neshoba County, who is vying to replace Congressman Chip Pickering as the Tribe's elected representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. I was on the floor of the convention Hall with Mr. Harper when he and the other delegates from Mississippi cast their votes for Senator McCain's nomination.