Is Our Rosebud Sioux Tribe Elected Officials Getting Frustrated About The Truth?

 With recent behavior and comments from a Tribal Council Representative in a Community meeting proves Tribal Elected Officials are growing frustrated with the Tribal Membership.  In a recent article, it was exposed the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council increased its 2022-2023 fiscal year budget by $313,402.  This was with making a motion for the RST Budget and Finance Committee to explore Tribal Council getting a $10,000 salary increase.  I remind you the Tribal Council cut Tribal programs by 15% for the political reasoning of balancing the budget.

I drafted a resolution for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Community President's Association (CPA) and attended a CPA meeting last month.  The content of the resolution was for the Tribal Council to rescind the motion to explore the $10,000 salary increase and rescind the motion allowing Tribal Council to receive a four month salary advance.  The resolution also contained language for Tribal Council to amend the Tribal Council 2022-2023 budget and revert back to the 2021-2022 budgeted amount.

The resolution also stated, that $191,966 General Account Tribal Council increase be ear marked for Community monthly allocation.  The point of this was based on the Casino's performance to ensure our respected communities can be ensured they can receive full monthly allocation in the event of Casino monthly shortfalls.  This will ensure Tribal Members/Community Members can still receive assistance from community allocation funds from the casino account.

Ring Thunder Community passed the resolution and the CPA agreed they would take the resolution back to the respected communities for community support.  The Ideal South Community had a very interesting meeting this past month of October.  The resolution was tabled and was going be presented at the Ideal North Community meeting.  I received several calls and text messages from Ideal Community members regarding the resolution with positive feed back.  I also received text messages from Ideal Community Members in relation to the Ideal Tribal Council Representative comments about the resolution.

In a duly called Ideal Community meeting, the Ideal Tribal Council Representative told Ideal Community Members not to listen to Hawkeye Waln because he is a criminal.  It is no secret I have a felony conviction, however, this does not prevent me from freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of press, and the freedom to petition my government in form of a resolution.  Madam Council Representative, we Tribal Members have rights and the same constitution you took an oath to uphold grants Tribal Members and me these constitutional rights.

Tribal Council wants a $10,000 increase, cut Tribal Services the people by 15%, and still have the Tribal Building locked down with Tribal Council and Committee meetings still closed to the Public.  On November 1, 2022, Tribal Council meeting a motion was made to give the Tribal Member Children $1,500.  The motion received a second, then a question that was pulled back.  Then Tribal Council went into its famous G7 classified executive session. Was the motion passed?  Was Tribal Members called greedy again off air?

Let me define potential criminal and greedy to the our elected officials.  Increasing Tribal Council budget by $313,402, receiving a $10,000 salary increase, cutting Tribal Programs, cutting Tribal services to the membership by 15%, all while debating if our children deserve another $1,500 dollars before the holidays.  Does this sound like the Trump administration greed and possible criminal acts.  It's possibly criminal to the point of it being a moral issue.  Moral issue to take all the money you can, line your pockets, cut Tribal Programs by 15% that not only effects the Tribal Membership but also affects Tribal Employees.

The people want a ARPA breakdown with every Tribal Administrative position and all Tribal Council Representatives on how much ARPA money they received based on each individual.  If don't listen Hawkeye Waln because he is a criminal is what you are doubling down on now, then be transparent and produce how much ARPA funds each of our elected officials received so far.  Show the Tribal Membership you received the $10,000 salary increase, and provide and publish the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 budgets showing out Tribal Programs, Tribal Employees, and Tribal Members took a 15% cut.  Let's not forget Tribal Council received $500.00 for medical travel when us Tribal Members received $75.00.

When Tribal Employees use gas at an average of $3.70 a gallon back and forth to work and Tribal Members traveling or hiring someone to do business, request assistance from the Tribe, or get food.  We have some Tribal Council Members who attend Tribal Council meetings and Committee meeting by zoom not using any gas money.  We have this Tribal Council Member wanting to know of they will get a quorum because they don't want to spend gas money having to travel to the meeting if, the meeting wasn't going to happen.

Don't believe Hawkeye Waln because he is a criminal?  I'm going to give you a history lesson on what a Tribal Council Representative is and was.  Tribal Council received less than $10,000 annually, they would meet until 10:00 pm and sometimes up to midnight to get the peoples business done.  If a Tribal Member passed away in the community, several, not all Tribal Council Representatives would attend the wake and they would bring food and other items to help the family to show respect and respect for the position they held.

Tribal Council Representatives would check on Tribal Members, sit at the kitchen table with Tribal Members the elders to just visit and hear concerns.  Tribal Council Representatives would be out on snow storms helping deliver wood, food, and just checking on community members out of their own pockets.  Tribal Council Representatives were approachable, took the time to hear you, helped you with a solution and if they couldn't, they would take the time to take you to the place you would get the solution.

Tribal Council Representatives attended Community meetings, they were transparent, and humble.  Tribal Council Representatives took the Community concerns to the Tribal Council Meeting and offered solutions.  These Tribal Council Representatives took time to read, understand, and apply the constitution and Tribal Laws for the best interest of the Tribal Membership.  Thats facts on history of the dedication Tribal Council Representatives gave receiving less than $10,000 annually.

Now you want $10,000 more, majority of Tribal Council Representatives do not answer our calls or text messages,  they lock us out of public meetings and the Tribal Building, don't attend community meetings and give Council Report to the people, and call the Tribal membership greedy.  Google hypocrisy and the puzzle piece will fall in place for you.  

Elected Officials, you can call me whatever you want, you can discuss me behind closed doors, hide behind executive session, or in text messages that comes along with freedom of speech and expression.  What you don't do is slander Tribal Members in a public meeting for exercising constitutional rights.  The most powerful thing Tribal Members possess is knowledge and the most powerful tools are the pen or the keyboard.

So the Tribal Memberships going to horse trade with Tribal Government.  You're taking your $10,000 salary increase and four month salary advance, next week during the regular monthly Tribal Council Meetings, the first order business shall be a motion, a second, a question, to give $1,500 to our children with a roll call vote.  School clothing orders are an annual thing, our children count on them just like you count on that $10,000 salary increase.  $1,500 per child and using the clothing order as leverage to say, well we gave clothing orders so they can get the difference of the $1,500.  

This is justified by inflation just like the $1,500 Tribal Council honorariums were justified as inflation when you received them.  Here's that word hypocrisy again.  Tribal Government can allocate themselves money whenever they want but complaint to the moon about giving our children money.  We're not going away, we're only going to get louder and more and more Tribal Members are going to start being vocal, and its already happening.  We know what's going on in that room of secrets called the Tribal Council Chambers.

A closing quote; a Politician is invested in selective group of individuals, a Leader is invested in the people.

Respectfully,

Hawkeye Waln