Letters: Others are enjoying our Navajo trust funds

Let’s look at our trust fund from a business and investment prospective.

In November of 2017, my chei, Peterson Zah, pointed out the “wisdom of the Navajo people” in voting “no” in the “Oct. 24 referendum on the Transportation Stimulus Plan.” The vote was to take $216 million out of the Permanent Trust Fund for reservation roads. What was not pointed out was the vote was pointless as the money is not ours and will never be ours because a vote of two-thirds of the Navajo people is needed to take out any part of that money, which is practically impossible.

As a businessperson and a person of a political position, I have never seen a voter turnout of two-thirds vote even at state and federal election level. Only 19,000-plus people voted in the Nov. 24 referendum election. We have approximately 82,000 registered voters. That means more than 54,000 Navajo people must vote to dip into the trust fund. Having that many Navajo people come out to vote has never happened and is highly unlikely to ever happen.

In addition, recently over 52,000 voter names have just been purged from the election office for not voting in the Navajo elections. In reality, barring changes in the law, the billions of dollars in the Permanent Trust Fund might be long gone.

The trust fund and all its billions is not just sitting there in the bank collecting dust waiting for “our future generations.” Instead it’s being used or “invested” by RVK, Inc., one of the biggest investment-consulting firms in the United States. And remember $90 million-plus of the trust fund was lost last month when the stock market went down, meaning that money will never be recovered.

The Permanent Trust Fund money is being used outside the Navajo Nation, given out to banks who loan out “our” money (making money off the principal) to companies who build infrastructure projects like skyscrapers, highways, transportation, construction, mortgage loans, small business loans, shopping centers, auto loans, etc.

Side note: The Navajo Nation banks with Wells Fargo but, ironically, some of our funds were used by Wells Fargo who loaned money to the construction of the South Dakota Keystone Pipeline which the Navajo Nation was against. The trust fund is being used outside the Navajo Nation, while on the Navajo Nation we need basic infrastructure: paved roads, running water, powerlines and other tribal services and assistance at the chapter house level.

Not to mention basic economic development projects. For the 2019 fiscal budget year the Navajo Nation will have a shortfall of several million dollars because power plants, coal and oil company revenues will be depleted and will not put enough money into the Navajo Nation government. If we, as Navajo Nation governmental officials, were serious about the Oct. 24 referendum vote, more information should have been shared.

Real, honest, pros and cons of the Permanent Trust Fund. The Navajo people can make wiser decisions if given better education and information on how our money is being used and “invested” off the Navajo Nation.

And why we can’t use it, while companies outside the reservation are having a heyday with our money, jumping for joy that our referendum vote on Oct. 24 was defeated so they can continue using our money to benefit the development of their communities outside the Navajo Nation?

David L. John
Vice President
Mexican Water Chapter
Mexican Water, Ariz.

Youth need to heed elders’ teachings

Changing Woman looks in all directions and sees the Giants approaching. She whispers to her sons, “We must leave soon, or they will destroy us.”

I see our young people marching with hands clenched around signs: “Decolonize and revitalize ancestral lands.”

They chant, “Respect indigenous people, water, language, sovereignty” as they proudly hold their fists toward the sky without the sacred songs. Just the other day, I saw a group of unfamiliar youth in our neighborhood.

I passed them slowly. Looking back, I thought of destruction in their paths. The next day, the house spray-painted blue, broken doors, an old TV smashed against the wall, another victim with a message of disdain. I heard the youngsters’ laughter echo through the canyon mocking the relatives who lived there. I felt chills when I thought, “Is this our vision for the future?” The elder teaching understood “Goods are blessed when dwellings are clean.”

We are definitely overlooked with blessings. Our community’s abandoned homes look like a war zone, destroyed by alcohol, drugs, crime, and vandalism. The intimidators left battlefield ruins, snatched those struggling with despair, brought sickness and severed cultural value. A soft tapping of the wind on the window awakened me. I must have been dreaming about monsters again. I took cornmeal to meet the early dawn, a beautiful haze, a trail of white corn spread across the sky; the dawn people had arrived.

I whispered, “I am your grandchild,” to the Air People, “thank you for taking another breath.” I filled my lungs with life, the gentle wind touched my feet and caressed my face.

The sacred water danced around my eyes as I spoke of my beautiful grandchild and her future. The water plummeted touching mother earth creating a loud thunder awakening the sacred that guides our people. I ended my pleas with “hozho na’has’gli,” let there be beauty all around.

Our lives with the environment matter. Earth is our mother where life begins, sacred fire, water, animals, plants and life ends. It starts with consciousness to live healthy and in harmony.

Grace Tracy
Fort Defiance, Ariz.

Tribe should encourage private enterprise

I am responding to “Chamber suing over law favoring NECA” printed March 29, 2018, in the Navajo Times on page A10.

It is very clear that the Navajo Nation government and our leaders continue to attack anybody that is promoting privately owned Navajo business to succeed inside this poverty-stricken Navajo Reservation. America has a great economy because local and state governments always team up with local chambers of commerce wherever they exist to help remove obstacles to improve business climate.

They work on streamlining and simplifying regulations in zoning, codes and government process to keep up with the fast-changing technologies and innovations in the private sector. This kind of mindset creates small businesses that create jobs and bring in revenues for the government to support public infrastructure such as public safety, libraries, family parks, recreation, etc.

It doesn’t only improve economy and living standards, it also eliminates a big percentage of the social problems. NECA, NDOT, Navajo Nation president and the Navajo Council, what they are doing is a scheme, to make sure private Navajo businesses and future children don’t succeed because tribal politicians are scared to lose control of the federal funds — $50 million federal funds that funds NDOT and $15 million of Navajo Nation fuel taxes that is collected throughout the rez.

They already have control of all other federal funds that goes to Indian Health Service and many more. Every tribal enterprise has a board of directors that acts like lobbyists to Navajo Nation Council subcommittees to change laws in their favor or funnel these federal funds to tribal enterprises — more like money laundering operations.

Majority of these members are former or current politicians, recycled tribal managers, directors, attorneys and tribal CEOs that have no future vision for the children.

NDOT, Navajo Nation Council and president made it clear that only tribal enterprises have capabilities to do big BIA projects, which is not true. NECA is inexperienced to do four-lane highways like Highway 491, build a coal dragline, decommission a power plant or retrofit a power plant, and build a refinery.

All these are billion-dollar businesses but NECA doesn’t see these opportunities. NECA is only after federally funded projects inside the Navajo Reservation that any small Navajo company can do. Politicians also pointed out NECA was established 46 years ago and if Dineh Chamber of Commerce wins this legal challenge it would put NECA’s business operation and financial viability in jeopardy and frustrate and undermine the purposes for which the Navajo Tribal Council created NECA in 1972.

I understand this as a failed economic development policy that never worked in 46 years. NECA only created 254 jobs in 46 years and claims to have paid $17 million to tribal scholarships, but that’s not true, according to Navajo Nation Scholarship financial reports. NECA also claims $1.3 billion in revenue since 1972 but never contributed one penny into tribal treasury or paid anything back to the Navajo people, which are the owners.

What did they do with that $1.3 billion dollars? Navajo Nation leaders have clearly refused to invest in their people, but rather invest in projects that they can’t operate like flour mill, Navajo Mine, gas station, casinos, Shiprock Biochemical, egg farm and like Navajo Oil and Gas Company that also needs a $40 million bailout when all oil companies are making record-breaking profits inside the Navajo Nation like in Aneth oilfields.

Division of Economic Development has completely failed to provide assistance and enforce Navajo Nation laws that were enacted to bring economic development and provide business financing to Navajo individuals and businesses that do not have access to conventional financing.

Lester Begay
Crownpoint, N.M.

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