Text: tribal sovereignty - the real consequences every day According to the Supreme Court, sovereignty is only supposed to be applied as it effects tribal government activities.  How would righting these wrongs effect a tribe's ability to govern it's own people?  Politicians won't fix this unless we demand it - the "status quo" is too profitable For Tribal governments and executives: theft is legal:  Non-tribal members cannot sue in state court to collect on a debt owed by the tribe employees can be treated like garbage:  anyone who exposes mistreatment is fired.  no labor laws protect them. toxic pollution is legal:  Tribes only voluntarily have to comply with environmental protection standards but no one is monitoring them and the government can't enforce any penalties federal regulations regarding tribal conduct are a joke: tribes hire their own regulators.  Whistleblowers lose their jobs.  only the tribe is watching. state courts can't be used by the people who pay for them:   tribes can use state courts to sue anyone for any reason even if their claims are false.  No one can sue back. most state and federal laws are meaningless:  tribes don't have to obey them but the rest of us do. sex offenders are protected:  they cannot be forced to report their addresses on reservations children can be repeatedly abused and their abusers protected: state departments of children and families have no jurisdiction on a reservation. politicians can be influenced by large campaign contributions: they are the only businesses who can donate as an individual.  senator mccain and others purposely excluded tribes from campaign finance reform. wealthy tribes control the media:  the industry cannot survive without advertising dollars which the tribes can withdraw if they don't like the news, just like any other wealthy business. the constitution and bill of rights are meaningless:  tribes don't have to recognize either one. non-indians must live in fear of losing their land:  tribes can claim their ancestors lived there and pay enough lawyers to outlast opposition in court. crime and other wrongdoing on reservations goes unreported: there is a widely understood "don't ask don't tell" policy.  no one asks and if anyone tells he or she loses their job and can have their first amendment rights taken away by a lawsuit or a restraining order.   tribes can pay less than they agreed to a town or state:  tribes pay a percentage of reported revenue.  if they report less, they pay less and no one will ever find out.

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