Childhood vaccinations

When I first worked as a YKHC health aide in 1989, I worked with two ladies who were elder health aides. They really taught me and the other health aides a lot. They showed us how to take care of people and told us that childhood immunizations are important to help keep our children healthy.

During my 20 years working on-and-off as a health aide, I encouraged parents to vaccinate their children to protect them against diseases, such as meningitis, tetanus and other illnesses. When I became a mother and grandmother, I made sure all my kids got vaccinated. Now in my position as a YKHC Board Member and Tribal Council member in Mountain Village, I urge you to do the same thing—make sure your children are up to date with their routine childhood immunizations.

Immunizations have been around for a very long time. They help keep our children healthy and help them not get sick. Kids who are up to date with their vaccinations can better fight off the diseases and illnesses that are out in the world. Diseases like meningitis and tetanus can give children long-term disability. Health aides who have cared for people with these diseases know how serious these illnesses can be and want to protect kids from them.

Vaccines are safe. Sometimes after a shot, a baby may feel a little under the weather. They may get irritable or get a little fever. That’s normal. They feel sick for a little while—but then they get up again. But if a baby catches a vaccine-preventable disease, you would be scared. Those illnesses may give them a harder time and afterwards, their body might not be as strong. If you immunize your kids now, it will help them fight off big sicknesses.

We all want to let our children live healthy, happy lives. If you have children that need immunizations, call the clinic. Ask for a Well Child and immunization appointment. If there isn’t time for a full Well Child visit, just ask for immunizations. If you have questions about vaccines, ask the health aide. They have information to share. They are there to help. This was true back when I was a health aide and it is true now.

Gloria George

Mountain Village, AK

Why we need to revisit the Statehood Minings Act of 1959

I’ll give it to you in a dollar and cents version on why we need to revisit the Statehood Minings Act of 1959.

In ‘59 we barely got approved for Statehood because Congress didn’t think we could support ourselves. The State looked at mining as the ticket to quicker revenue. The mining laws were designed to encourage quick growth. Hence the 3% revenue tax on mineral. They needed fast cash to pay for State services, which the budget was in the neighborhood of $160 Million a year. Naturally the revenue needed to go to the General fund to pay for immediate needs, plus nobody had ever dreamed of so much resources money we’d have something called a Permanent Fund.

Fast forward to today. I give you Red Dog Mine. Red Dog is on Native Corporation property. The profit for Red Dog is split with all the regional Native Corporations.

Red Dog as I read a while back has produced $900 Million with $200 Million going to the Native Shareholders. According to my calculator that’s a 22.2% royalty payment on Private, not State property.

After two decades of production the ore is running out at Red Dog. Low and behold geologists have worked hard on discovery and found two more high value deposits close to hand to the already existing Red Dog Mine.

The huge difference is, the new discoveries are ON STATE PROPERTY!!, which only pays a 3% Royalty to the State. There’s a huge difference between 3% and 22%.

There’s a huge difference between putting the States Revenue in the General Fund for instant spending, versus putting it in the permanent fund for investment and then spending the 5% POMV.

I also suspect that the States up front contributions on some of these mines isn’t really paying anything more than jobs for the duration of the mines. Furthermore, each Native Corporation, such as Calista, which is subsurface owner for the controversial Donlin Mine, is rumored to only get a 7% Royalty and the State is likely to help finance a multibillion gas line to the middle of nowhere. What’s the State going to get out of this??

So far the economics don’t put a single penny away in a constitutionally protected account for monitoring and or disaster cleanup and relief, which should be paramount when a mine has a high probability for a disaster that threatens an area’s ability to produce the subsistence necessary for traditional use.

I’m not against mining, I just believe it’s time to get prepared for whatever happens with the permitting process for huge open pit mines. I need everyone to understand why Lyman Hoffman hasn’t done anything to close the door on Pebble or Donlin. He is partners in a gold mine that sits right next to Donlin. By doing nothing, he’s helping the open pit mines get permitted and when Donlin happens, his mining claim has the potential to increase in value, many many times over.

Willy Keppel

Quinhagak, AK

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