TO PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER OF CANADA: LET ME BE PERFECTLY CLEAR, YOUR ADMINSTRATIONS HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR AND HAVE FAILED TO ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUES OF INDIAN COUNTRY.
As a Native Advocate for the advancement of Native People and for more Human and Civil Rights for Indian Country I say this: In this day and age, unemployment has spread throughout Indian Country in Canada and the United States.
Computers and mechanization has meant that jobs have become fewer. For the workers who are educated, feel humilated if asked to do manual labor. Highly skilled jobs are few and those of intermediate education are unable to get such jobs. Lack of experience contributes to the situation. Family needs remain the same and the whole family looks towards the main adult to earn something. In this state of affairs, great stress comes to bear upon such a person.
To bear the stress and relieve the mental tension,many Native people drink and abuse drugs to forget their present situation. A few hours may escape for a little while under the influence of intoxicants but as their effects wear off, the stress aand tension of their life situation starts to return just as intensely as before, if not worse. A person will resort to drinking or taking drugs to forget their situation.
The root causes of their problems remain nevertheless. In fact, the cost of drugs and alcohol adds to the burden of family expenses! Money being tight further strangles a person by causing more mental anguish. In the throes of drug and alcohol addictions, an intoxicated person can become so depressed that they can start getting suicidal thoughts. A large number of our People in Indian Country, commit suicide under the influence of drugs and alcohol due to the anguish of their life situation.
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