Although I have seldom agreed with many of the positions taken by Mike Jopek in the past, I am delighted with his recent article (Dec. 15 Beacon: “Nuclear Rights Vested With the People”). In that editorial, he enthusiastically supports the right of the citizens of the state of Montana to exclusively determine whether nuclear waste should be “dumped” on federal land inside of our borders. I wholeheartedly agree.
In that respect however, I suggest these same rights should be expanded to include other areas wherein the federal government has usurped the natural and unalienable rights of Montana’s citizenry such as the Endangered Species Act, the Environmental Protection Act, The Clean Air Act and even all of the federal acts relating to education of our children.
I, like many others, am expecting our “top elected officials” to stand tall by passing legislation putting Montanans in control of these areas of concern just as Mike has endorsed in his op-ed. After all, as Mike suggests, who can better take care of Montana’s natural resources, our environment, our water and air, our wildlife and our employment opportunities, Montanans or the politicians in Washington D. C.? Given the state of our national Congress, the answer is clear and obvious. It is high time our elected officials pass legislation to put Montanans in control of our state once again. May they have the courage to do just that.
Mark Agather
Kalispell