Mark,

I don't mean to disparage the villages, the problem I mention is both on and off the road system and covers a small percentage of society, but they devour a large portion of social services.

The issues the villages face are complex and state and federal funding play but one of many roles that lead to their issues both positive and negative. Reduced funding will likely exacerbate existing problems, cause new ones and perhaps fix some as well. What I would like to see, and don't expect to see, is for the Native Corporations to be more proactive in dealing with the issues in the villages vs. being just another voice to ask for more government funding.

But whether or not one lives in the bush, on the road system having a portion of society not pulling it's own way is detrimental. And looking at various social programs across the country, not a one of them has fixed the problem they claimed to solve.