When I was a child, my grandma used to make me frankfurters and mashed
potatoes if I was upset or not feeling good. I miss those days dearly,
grandparents are graceful and just knew how to make it right.
She also had some great insight into how best to deal with others when they
treated you poorly: forgive people and move on. This simple act of
generosity toward others is something that politicians could greatly benefit
from.
Folks across our great Nation have started to vote. It is an honor to
participate in our civic duty to select our leaders and to move us forward.
While our system may not always be perfect, it is great compared to other
areas of the world, thanks in much part again to our grandparents who fought
for our right to be free.
In Montana we are lucky; we live in the greatest place on earth, our economy
is stronger that most in the nation, our fiscal budget is in order with
enormous surpluses, and we are blessed to still have wild and open public
lands surrounding our valley. These lands offer us solace, tranquility and
peace in turbulent times. We Montanans are a self-reliant bunch and make it
through tough times with the help of our families, our neighbors and our
faith.
I must admit that I was a bit ticked by the recent mailings from opponents
smearing our work, my family and my character. These folks attempt to
distract us with insults rather than talking about what is important to
small business, retirees and working families.
Montana is clearly on the right road. We’ve returned historic tax dollars
back to homeowners, put huge amounts into all day kindergarten while
increasing teacher pay and capping university students’ tuition. We’ve
created nearly 60,000 new jobs and done right by our elderly with Rx
programs, and funded the children’s health insurance programs.
If you’re willing, I’ll continue to work for you: to grow our economy to
provide better paying jobs, to lower fuel costs, to eliminate business
equipment taxes for Montana small businesses, to lower property taxes during reappraisal, to invest in our schools and universities, and keep public
lands in our hands.
Our job should be to help make peoples lives better and easier in turbulent
and uncertain times, to help others.
To the folks who try to smear my character or say bad things about me, I’ll
take my grandma’s sage advice: I forgive you. But please stop, as it’s
simply not true or nice.