A friend on my facebook presents the link with the following statement:

Geez, why are the Natives always bitching and crying all the time??? Here’s a perfect example of why…oh yeah, in case you forgot it’s 2011…

He shared this link: Ottawa Gives Reserves 1,000 Slop Pails For Water Crisis.

The article’s title says it all. You don’t really have to read much of the article to realize what is going to be said. What is even more sad, you don’t even have to guess much on what the user provided comments are going to say.

Here is just a glimpse (The following comments were taken from one of the seven pages filled with comments):

1. I thought they wanted to be one with the land … In this case, leaves make great toilet paper. If the Natives want better services, they have two choices – move to a city or fund their own infrastructure. It’s difficult to have your cake and eat it too…
2. I thought the natives were self governing? Can’t they fend for themselves yet? It’s time for all native “mini nations” to step up and solve their own problems and take pride in doing so. Native Nations constantly looking at the Feds for money to bail them out of their difficulties, isn’t the answer. Self governing and solving their own problems internally is the answer.
3. Obviously the people who work at the Native Affairs offices should be fired. This sort of incompetence would never be tolerated in the private sector. On the other hand, Natives have been treated too well for too long. They pay no taxes, they get free education and health care and handouts at every turn of the government money spigot. The time has come to make them stand on their own. If not now, they never will be able to. Yes, hundreds of years ago some of their ancestors may have made some bad real estate deals which today we interpret as being scammed or ripped off by the “white man”. Enough is enough. It’s time they are made to stand on their own two feet. Everyone else must.

It is comments like these that make me upset. What makes me more upset is the crises that many First Nations face: no running water. I wrote a previous post on the Pikangikum water crisis, you can read about that post HERE.

I wonder what the leaders running for current elections have to say about this?

Oh and like my friend said, in case you forgot: This is 2011.