More than a century ago, our state confronted a difficult question: Who should government ultimately answer to, its citizens or concentrated wealth?
The influence of the Copper Kings shaped Montana politics so profoundly that generations of Montanans fought to restore a basic principle: government should remain accountable to the people. That struggle eventually led Montana to become a national leader in limiting corporate influence in elections.
Today, we find ourselves asking a version of that same question again.
America does not have a shortage of political opinions. What we increasingly lack is trust.
As a retired Army lieutenant colonel, I learned that trust is the foundation of every successful team, institution, and mission. Without trust, organizations become fragile. Communities become divided. People stop believing they belong to the same story.
Our Constitutional Republic is no different.
That is why Veterans for Montana Voters supports I-194, The Montana Plan.
The Montana Plan addresses campaign finance transparency and accountability. But its significance goes beyond campaign finance. At its core, it asks a simple but important question: how do we create a political system that citizens can trust?
Many citizens feel their voice carries less weight than special interests, party insiders, or well-funded organizations. Others feel that politics increasingly rewards conflict rather than problem-solving.
Regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum, most of us recognize a common reality: our institutions function best when citizens believe they have a meaningful voice.
The Montana Plan is based on a simple idea: people have rights; corporations have powers granted by the state. A person is born with inherent rights. A corporation is created by law and receives its powers from the state that authorizes it to operate.
If approved by voters, I-194 would make clear that the corporate power to do business in Montana does not include the power to spend corporate treasury money to influence Montana elections.
That distinction matters.
Business owners would still have voices. Employees would still have voices. Citizens would still have voices. People could still organize, advocate, donate, and speak.
But state-created corporate entities would no longer be granted the special legal power to use corporate treasury money to dominate the political process that is supposed to belong to citizens.
Unfortunately, our current political culture often encourages the opposite.
Too many incentives reward division. Too many leaders benefit from keeping citizens angry, fearful, and suspicious of one another. I refer to these actors as conflict entrepreneurs because their influence depends on preserving conflict rather than solving problems.
Montana has long represented something different.
Our state has a tradition of independence, practicality, and neighborliness. We value people who can disagree without becoming enemies. We expect leaders to solve problems rather than simply score political points.
The Montana Plan reflects those values.
Supporting greater transparency and accountability is not a partisan position. It is a citizen position.
Veterans understand this principle well. Military service brings together Americans from every political, geographic, and economic background imaginable. We succeed not because we agree on everything, but because we learn to trust one another while pursuing a common mission.
That same lesson applies to self-government.
When citizens trust the system, disagreements become manageable. When trust disappears, every disagreement becomes a crisis.
The Montana Plan will not solve every problem facing our political system. No single reform can.
But it represents a meaningful step toward restoring confidence that government remains accountable to citizens rather than those who profit from division or influence.
For Veterans for Montana Voters, that is precisely the point. Our goal has never been to advantage one party over another.
Our goal is to ensure that voters, not special interests, party insiders, or conflict entrepreneurs, have the strongest possible voice in our democracy.
That is why I support The Montana Plan.
And that is why I hope Montanans will take the time to learn more about it.
David Oclander is Task Force Leader for Veterans for Montana Voters.