Henry Ford had his faults, but he’s right on this one. Of course, there’s always the possibility that he never said it. But someone did, and it’s the truth: “Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.”

Read more: “America Has Reservation Fever.”

There’s also this:

The reservation Indian is becoming less self-sufficient and more dependent upon what he calls “the Great White Father in Washington.” Instead of freedom, the Indian has government-guaranteed “security.” Instead of individual responsibility, he has a government bureau to handle his personal affairs. There are special laws governing his right to own land and to spend tribal money. Under that system of bondage it would surprise no one to find that many thousands of Indians have remained uneducated, hungry, diseased, and mismanaged.

— From Wards of the Government

Read more: “Indian Reservations and the Rotten Fruit of Liberalism.”