The State of the Indian Nations

In Annual Address, Garcia Puts Focus on ChildrenIt was symbolic that as Garcia offered his address Thursday in Washington, D.C., the Senate still had not acted on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.

"Indian health care services have not been updated for 16 years, 16 years," he said, his voice rising in frustration. "That's just a shame."

Native students continue to lag behind, despite President Bush's assurance only three days before Garcia's speech that test scores for students were on the rise across the nation as a result of No Child Left Behind.

Not so, Garcia said.

Fourth- and eighth-grade Native students continue to score lower than all of their peers in reading and math, he said.

In other words, Indian students are being left behind.Comment:  This is just more bitchin' and moanin'--i.e., identifying problems that need fixing.