Byron Dorgan: “On our Indian reservations in this country, in most cases, we have conditions that reflect Third World countries. We…”

“On our Indian reservations in this country, in most cases, we have conditions that reflect Third World countries. We have four Indian reservations in my State of North Dakota. American Indians today have a life expectancy that is 6 years less than all the rest of the American people. Their rate of alcoholism is seven times the rate of the rest of the American people. Their rate of tuberculosis is over seven times the rate of the rest of the American people. Their rate of diabetes is four times the rate of the rest of the American people. For accidents, there are nearly triple the fatalities on reservations. For suicides, the rate is twice that of the rest of the American people. For homicides, the rate is more than double the rest of the American people. The fact is, we have a very serious problem on these Indian reservations. There is, in my judgment, despair and little hope. A young girl named Tamara Demaris, some years ago, was put in a foster home by a social worker who was handling 150 cases. She did not have time to investigate the home. At that home, there was a drunken party, and little Tamara was beaten severely. Her hair was pulled out at the roots. Her nose was broken.”