Let me put on my "Tim Russert Sunday morning talking head" hat for a moment and ask you if you can identify who made the following statement.

"Tribes have had limited opportunities to invest in their own economies because often there has been no established resource base for community investment and development. Many reservations lack a developed physical infrastructure, including utilities, transportation and other public services. They also often lack the regulatory, adjudicatory and enforcement mechanisms necessary to interact with the private sector for reservation economic development.

"Development on the reservation offers potential for tribes and individual entrepreneurs in manufacturing, agribusiness, and modern technology as well as fishing, livestock, arts and crafts and other traditional livelihoods."

You may guess the remark came from somebody like, oh, Sen. Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Or perhaps you'd attribute the comment to the recent State of the Indian Nations address by Joe Garcia, president of the National Congress of American Indians.

And you would be wrong!

The observation was made by President Ronald Reagan in his Jan. 24, 1983 Statement on Indian Policy.

It's worth noting that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which was enacted... as a means of promoting tribal economic development, self sufficiency, and strong tribal governments," was signed into law on Oct. 17, 1988 by the very same President Reagan.

It looks like ole Ronnie may have known a few things after all about tribes and tribal governments!

As this issue of Indian Gaming Business/Rebuilding Tribal Communities so dramatically points out, many tribal governments have paid heed to former President Reagan's words and have used the proceeds from their gaming revenues to begin to develop and strengthen both the physical as well as the programmatic infrastructure of their tribal governments.

"Many" is a good start. But, unfortunately, it would still be in the realm of possibility in 2007 to hear committee Chairman Dorgan or NCAI President Garcia make the same observations about the internal development that must take place on reservations and within tribal government structures before meaningful interaction with the private sector can be realized.

Yes, tribal gaming has provided the economic launching pad to catapult many tribes into economic self-sufficiency and the responsibility for strengthening and improving tribal governments that come with it. As we look into the future, the process of strengthening tribal governments must be viewed as both a permanent as well as evolving cornerstone of tribal governance which can ultimately broaden the landscape for economic opportunities.

One aspect of strengthening tribal governments that has often not been discussed is the political outreach and responsibilities that must be established and nurtured.

Communication and consensus within the tribal community has traditionally been a time honored practice for tribal governments. However, as it becomes necessary for tribes and tribally owned businesses to become involved with non-Indian business and governments, so has there become a pressing need for tribal government communication and outreach. Nowhere is this more apparent and critical than in the political arena, whether it's on the state, local or federal level.

The most basic and essential message to communicate: "This is Who We Are-101."

The next lesson: "This is What We Are Doing-102."

Communication and outreach must become an ongoing, key element of the tribal governmental process.

For example, on the federal level, in the past election 54 new House members and 10 new Senators were elected to Congress. That's 64 legislators, any one of whose votes could make the difference on a key piece of legislation impacting your tribe, or all tribes.

Building a relationship with your congressional delegation is crucial.

The political relationship building doesn't stop at the federal level. Before tribal gaming, state and tribal conflicts were frequently resolved in the courts. But things have changed.

The compacting process in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has intensified the relationship between tribes and the states. Meanwhile, many tribal government enterprises have moved beyond reservation borders. As a result, tribes must have a presence in both the state capitol and the nation's capitol.

Last and probably most important of all is the need to develop relationships with local governments. Why? Because these are the folks who can and will pick up the phone and toss questions at state and federal government officials.

And then the fun begins!

So allow me one final Reagan quote.

"I've always believed," he said, "that a lot of the troubles in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other."