Page 30 - Flathead Beacon // 2.19.14

30 | FEBRUARY 19, 2014
OPINION FLATHEADBEACON.COM

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’ Kellyn Brown
TWO THOUGHT
Something to FOR Local Topics,
Opposing Views

Cheer For
Walsh Senate Appointment

I
F YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING THE WINTER By Tim Baldwin
By Joe Carbonari
Olympics, you’ve likely seen the commercial for con-

sumer goods giant P&G. It shows children falling, his Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, recently Gov. Steve Bullock took action that he
or her mom picking them up, the children growing up, appointed Lt. Gov. John Walsh, a Democrat, knew would engender severe partisan attack.
falling some more, and ends with their mother embracing to the same Senate seat for which he is run- He did this because he considered it the right
them as their son or daughter accomplishes their lifelong ning against Steve Daines. The reason seems thing to do. It took courage. It was not simply
dream – in this case, winning an Olympic medal. The piece all too clear: to help Walsh beat Steve Daines, a partisan decision.
ends: “Thank you, mom.”
R-Mont. Polls show Daines ahead of Walsh In 2006 Jon Tester won a close election
It’s a powerful spot because it resonates with most of us. (Politico.com, 11/19/13), so Walsh needs every against incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns that

I remember my mom doing the same, over and over again. advantage in one of the nation’s most impor- was instrumental in determining the control
I was an abnormally destructive child, prone to spills well tant Senate races. Thanks to Bullock, Walsh of the Senate and the direction that the coun-
into my teens. I would get injured on the soccer ield dur- got major help.
try would take. The Walsh versus Daines con-
ing elementary school recess and then hurt myself on my Walsh admits he has little political experi- test could be similarly decisive as the balance
skateboard in my teens. And my mom was always there to ence, which makes his appointment more sus- of the Senate is again at stake.
bandage my wounds and ofer words of encouragement. All pect. Walsh states he will “ight against career Neither Steve Daines nor John Walsh ap-
the while she held down a full-time job with the school dis- politicians who have lost touch with their con- pears legitimately assailable on the basis of
trict helping special-needs students.
stituents.” This is hard to believe considering character. They are both good men, and nei-

So that commercial rings true for me, and probably for he favors Obamacare even though in 2012, 67 ther is expected to stray far from their re-
many of you. And so do the vignettes that NBC airs in be- percent of Montana voters voted to prohibit spective party’s positions on important mea-
tween events during its Olympic coverage. The majority of the federal government from mandating indi- sures. Their diferences lie largely in their
them include Olympians’ family members who provide the viduals to buy health insurance (see, LR-122/ desires to advance or to re-direct current
support and often the inancial backing for U.S. athletes. SB-418). Will Walsh abide by the will of Mon- policies.
I especially liked the piece on Nick Goepper, the 19-year- tana regarding Obamacare? No; so what will The 2012 vote on LR-122 showed what
old who earned a bronze medal in slopestyle skiing at the make Walsh diferent than the “career politi- most people, including many Democrats, felt.

Winter Olympics.
cians” he accuses of “losing touch with their We didn’t like the health insurance mandate.
His story featured his mom Linda, who would drive constituents?”
Many of us swallowed a good bit of what we
him to the 300-foot local ski hill in Indiana; a woman who The New York Times calls this appoint- didn’t like to get what we felt was the greater
Nick said “was always supportive and always let me do my ment what it is: “a move Democrats hope will good – a start on comprehensive health care
own thing.” His dad also built him a rail out of PVC pipe improve their chances of retaining the seat in reform. We swallowed hard, and we did it.
on the grass in his backyard. Nick’s neighbors helped him what is expected to be a iercely fought elec- Bullock has done what he felt was neces-
raise money to pursue his dream by paying him for a va- tion this November.” This appointment was sary to advance what he deeply feels is right.
riety of odd jobs. The support required for an American not a choice for Montana, but for Democrats.
I applaud him for it, and I hope that it works.

athlete to reach the Olympics is somewhat unique to this
country.
Many American athletes are broke because, as The
Christian Science Monitor pointed out, “Among top Olym- GUEST COLUMN | Donna Townley
pic nations, the United State is alone in providing no gov-
ernment funding.” Thus, the United State Olympic Com- The Canadian Dollar and Tourism
mittee must run itself like a business and sell its members’
stories to potential sponsors – sponsors like P&G.

For every Shaun White, the snowboarder and house- The irst few weeks in 2014 have already proven trading of the Canadian dollar. On Feb. 11 the Ca-
hold name who makes loads of money from high-proile interesting. Starting the year of at 94 cents U.S., nadian federal government’s 2014 budget pledged
sponsorships that built him a private half-pipe, there is a the Canadian dollar fell to 89.85 cents on Jan. 23, a surplus by 2015. This along with Canada’s AAA
Keri Herman, who arrived in Sochi with broken ski boots the lowest in four-and-a-half years. This begs the credit rating eases pressure on the Bank of Canada
and borrowed outerwear from a teammate.
questions: Has the bottom fallen out of the high Ca- to implement measures that would be otherwise
“Sure I need a second job to support myself but I’m here nadian dollar? Has the Flathead Valley’s good luck needed to support the economy. And the next day
because I love skiing and I could not think of any other way inally run out? Then on Feb. 7, the Canadian dollar the price of crude oil, Canada’s largest export, rose

to be happier,” Herman told the Denver Post.
reversed direction and saw gains for the irst time to the highest in four months coupled with strong
And that’s just one of the reasons we love the Olympics. in 2014.
trade in many other commodities Canada trades.
We can relate to the athletes more than, say, professional It all began about Jan. 6 when the Canadian It is not just one factor that afects the Canadian
football players. When Whiteish’s Maggie Voisin made the Minister of Finance publicly announced that the dollar. The commodity currency realized steady
Olympic team, an online fundraiser helped send her family Canadian dollar had been overvalued for some time trading over 90 cents for over a week and trading is
to Sochi to watch her compete. Unfortunately, Maggie suf- and it was severely hurting the Canadian manufac- now over 91 cents U.S. World traders are betting the
fered an injury during training, but it’s another example of turing sector. The political posturing had begun. As Canadian dollar fell too hard too fast and too far. It
how communities rally around their athletes.
the Canadian dollar began to fall, the minister indi- was the worst start to a year in four decades. They

The USOC and many of its competitors must do more cated while that is favorable for the Canadian trade believe the volatility is over, and stability of the Ca-
with less. But that’s also part of the allure of cheering for balance, it still had a long way to go. This combined nadian dollar is back.
your country as an American. The athletes’ backstories are with the governor of the Bank of Canada holding What we must remember, just as in the movie
as big a part of the Olympics as the actual events and the interest rates steady, and the inlation rate in Can- Field of Dreams: Build it and they will come. Well
sponsors know that. And so does NBC.
ada only being 1.2 percent. There was no need to you have built it, the family businesses, the box
In many ways, viewers are personally invested in each cool of an already cool economy. With positive job stores, the hotels, and the events and exceptional
of the competitors. And while some scof at the pro-USA numbers coming out of the U.S. as well as other eco- hospitality and we are coming. In a few days the

coverage and the USOC’s tax-exempt status, compared to nomic indicators suggesting the U.S. economy was Montana Pond Hockey Tournament will take the
other countries that pour millions of dollars of taxpayer recovering, the U.S. dollar rose against the Canadi- ice, in September the third annual Montana Dragon
money into training Olympians, our system is surprisingly an dollar. The timing of these factors could not have Boat Festival and in between, Canadians are com-
frugal. And considering this event is so often associated been closer together and many thought the Cana- ing. Neither rain nor snow will keep the Canadians
with excess and waste, that’s something to cheer for.
dian dollar was doomed.
away – not even a dollar trading below 90 cents.
But on Feb. 7 strong positive data came out of Leave the welcome mats and Canadian lags out.
Canada and the dollar got a boost from the increase We are still coming!
in jobs and the lower unemployment rate. There is

also strong indicators of the advancement of the Donna Townley is a Canadian economist and
Keystone XL pipeline, which has caused favorable
instructor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta.