Economy/Sovereignty

We must continue to step up our efforts to break free from the culture of dependence that has plagued our people. But we can’t ask our people to be more independent, if we as tribal leaders have not set the example. As a tribal leader, I believe is one of my responsibilities to explore creative avenues for generating our own economy, rather than continue to seek handouts from the federal government, the very government that has consistently failed to meet the treaty obligations of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other Indian nations. As your Vice-Chairman I want to blaze the trail for our tribe by exploring alternative and supplemental resources for this community, such as government to government business. As a sovereign nation it is within our power to develop relations with other states and countries. Sovereignty means much more than being called a nation, it means more than protection from law suits. It means we have the ability to act independently for the benefit of our people.