I am grateful to live in a country that offers a high level of freedom, peace, and prosperity to its citizens. Make no mistake. But it seems to me that there are people in this country (Indians) who enjoy an even greater degree of rights and freedoms than I do, and are not particularly grateful at all.
It will ALWAYS be up to the majority to make decisions, not the minority. If 34 million Canadians say that it's time to eliminate the Indian Act and Treaty Act, then it will happen, regardless of whether the 600,000 Indians across the country want it to, or not. That's just the way it goes in a democracy.
Okay, now for the increase in the Standard of Living. Now I know that this doesn't apply to all reservations, nor all Indian people, but I have had plenty of exposure to various reservations, and the current situation is that many of those people receive payments each month, do not work, and because they do not work they have developed slothful habits. They do not do much if any cleaning or maintenance of their homes or vehicles, they don't do much cooking so chips and pop are a mainstay, and they are bored and unhappy a lot, so they resort to drugs and alcohol. I've seen this first-hand. Homes with all the windows smashed out and plywood covering the holes, 5 non-functioning cars sitting out back, with a new truck in the driveway, and garbage strewn across the land and stuck in the fences like stars strewn across the night sky. There are terrible things that go on in some of these places that is certainly correlated with the lifestyle that many of these people lead.
Now again, don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that all Indians on reserves live this way, but I've seen many that do. To be offered training and education which will enable many to become employable, help to purchase a home near a reasonably-sized economic center, and assisted in seeing the value of hard work and a healthy diet would most assuredly be a step up in Standard of Living.
Now the perspective of the other side, I believe that much of tax-paying Canada shares this sentiment: I didn't rob you or steal your land. In fact, I don't even have any land to call my own. I didn't wrong you or your people in any way. Neither did my father or grandfather. So why am I paying to support you and your people, when I have little hungry mouths of my own to feed, which I can barely do, as it is? The majority of Canadians are being over-taxed, and having an entire "nation" that is living off of our backs only aggravates the situation. See the definition of "parasite", above.
The difference between us, 673, is that I want what I believe to be best for you and me, your people and my people, so that they all become "our people". No more "you" vs. "us", etc. While you want only what is best for you and those like you, regardless of the cost to others all around you.
