Urban Reserves - A Foolish Idea
Urban Reserves - a Foolish Idea
Indians in and around Regina are celebrating the establishment of an urban reserve within the City of Regina. Proponents and collaborators from the non-Indian community are no doubt joining in the celebrations. Unfortunately, it is both counter-productive and foolish to expand a system that was created to contain and control Indians and which has so many harmful and negative aspects. However, such foolishness is to be expected from the social democratic and liberal mindset of so many Canadians and from the cowards and fools that they elect to political office.
The creation of Indian reserves was Canada's version of apartheid, like the so-called "homelands" in South Africa. Those same social democrats and liberals would bridle at being called supporters of apartheid, but of course, "apartheid" is what happened elsewhere, and Canadians couldn't possibly have such vile motives.
Today, reserves are still cesspools of violence and degradation, despite the billions of dollars poured into them. They are also the political bailiwicks of a coterie of bureaucrats [the chiefs and their cronies] who do not wish to lose their control and other privileges, mainly financial.
Reserves are also roadblocks in the way of integration and modernization, of education and the creation of self-reliance and self-respect.
To perpetuate this foolishness in the creation of urban reserves doesn't do the general Indian population any favors. One of the main reasons, mostly unstated, for the establishment of urban reserves is to allow Indians to establish urban businesses, and to receive income free from taxation. While such privileges may benefit a few, they will not achieve the objective of hauling Indians up by their bootstraps into the modern economic and social world. Doing away with reserves [with sensitivity and careful planning] would help accomplish such an objective.
Isn't it about time that Indians both lived in the real world and actually contributed to it, instead of constantly being a drain on it?
June 4th, 2008
Indians in and around Regina are celebrating the establishment of an urban reserve within the City of Regina. Proponents and collaborators from the non-Indian community are no doubt joining in the celebrations. Unfortunately, it is both counter-productive and foolish to expand a system that was created to contain and control Indians and which has so many harmful and negative aspects. However, such foolishness is to be expected from the social democratic and liberal mindset of so many Canadians and from the cowards and fools that they elect to political office.
The creation of Indian reserves was Canada's version of apartheid, like the so-called "homelands" in South Africa. Those same social democrats and liberals would bridle at being called supporters of apartheid, but of course, "apartheid" is what happened elsewhere, and Canadians couldn't possibly have such vile motives.
Today, reserves are still cesspools of violence and degradation, despite the billions of dollars poured into them. They are also the political bailiwicks of a coterie of bureaucrats [the chiefs and their cronies] who do not wish to lose their control and other privileges, mainly financial.
Reserves are also roadblocks in the way of integration and modernization, of education and the creation of self-reliance and self-respect.
To perpetuate this foolishness in the creation of urban reserves doesn't do the general Indian population any favors. One of the main reasons, mostly unstated, for the establishment of urban reserves is to allow Indians to establish urban businesses, and to receive income free from taxation. While such privileges may benefit a few, they will not achieve the objective of hauling Indians up by their bootstraps into the modern economic and social world. Doing away with reserves [with sensitivity and careful planning] would help accomplish such an objective.
Isn't it about time that Indians both lived in the real world and actually contributed to it, instead of constantly being a drain on it?
June 4th, 2008
posted by politicalcommentariescanada | 10:41 AM
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