"The federal government's historically inept handling of American Indian trust accounts is finally, and thankfully, on the road to repair.

That is the upshot of a proposed $3.4 billion settlement of a long-running class action lawsuit Indians filed against the federal government. The suit involved some 50,000 Indians and 100 years of mismanagement.

We hope Congress moves expeditiously to approve the settlement, and the federal courts should sign off on it as well. We also hope the compromise is a sign the federal government is committed to changing the troubled relationship with the country's Indian tribes.

Other steps that would go a long way to that end would be improving the Indian health care system, which is substandard and underfunded, and addressing reservation law-enforcement issues.

The Obama administration has made a commitment to improving conditions for and relations with the nation's American Indian tribes."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Finally, a fair deal for Indians (The Denver Post 12/10)

Relevant Documents:
Agreement | Press Release | Q&A | Audio

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