Mark Trahant is a writer, speaker and Twitter poet. He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and lives in Fort Hall, Idaho. Trahant’s recent book, “The Last Great Battle of the Indian Wars,” is the story of Sen. Henry Jackson and Forrest Gerard.
Simple-minded congress
President Barack Obama must sell a complex idea to a Congress that prides itself on simplicity. This Congress, namely the House Republicans, were elected on the premise that massive budget cuts are essential for this country’s economic survival. This line of thinking argues that these kind of program cuts will certainly cause hardship [...]
Bringing stories about sexual abuse in Alaska Native communities to light
April 12, 2011 Comments Off
ST. MICHAEL, Alaska — It’s trite to write that winter days are short this far north. And it is remarkable watching the sun skate through the sky in such a hurry to disappear. But more than the sun’s pace, it’s the angle that makes a December visit this close to the Arctic Circle so [...]
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The Idaho Legislature is considering a bill that would make it illegal to implement the Affordable Care Act in Idaho, the so-called “nullification” approach. The idea is that states can dismiss any federal law that they don’t like. And Idaho (and several other states) really don’t like health care reform. However most constitutional scholars [...]
Continue reading …Can’t touch this: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance are protected from current budget threats
January 24, 2011 Comments Off
Journalists like me have played the role of Chicken Little for many years. We have written dozens of stories about the consequences of an election, predicting what will happen after Republicans win and fulfill their promises to drastically cut government. Only very little happened. Sure, there were significant budget cuts and restructuring of programs [...]
Continue reading …The suicide rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 15 to 24 is three times the nation’s average, according to federal health officials. An Associated Press story quotes “experts” that see “poverty, alcohol abuse and domestic violence as factors in the high suicide rate. But the article adds, rather lamely, “but the problem has [...]
Continue reading …By any objective measure Barack Obama has been the most engaged and effective president on American Indian issues since at least since Richard Nixon. You could even make the case that Obama is better than Nixon because there has been so much successful legislation and Executive Branch action in less than two years. A quick [...]
Continue reading …A year goes by fast. Way too fast. Thirteen months ago I plunged into my “year-long” exploration of the Indian health system. It’s been fascinating because there has so much activity: Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and included with that bill the permanent authorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. [...]
Continue reading …A single phrase is often used to define the Indian health system: “Government-run.” Add those two words to any discussion about health care or reform and most people reach an immediate conclusion about the merits of the agency. Now it is time for the phrase to disappear because it no longer accurately describes the Indian [...]
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