Page 29 - Flathead Beacon // 7.20.16

UNCOMMON GROUND MIKE JOPEK FOG OF GROWTH
GUEST COLUMN MG PAUL VALLELY
SECURITY OF MONTANANS SHOULD TBE FIRST PRIORITY
HE RISE OF THE ISLAMIC stop the Syrian refugee resettlement, State (or ISIS) since 2014 has sur- and I commend him for that. The rst prised and shocked many across priority of the governor should be the
ISTOPPED BY MY NEIGHBOR’S house to talk with my favorite retired neurosurgeon. I went over speci - cally to ask him what I should write about today. Jim, in his tired voice, atly said that I should write about White sh and the limits of growth.
That’s an impossible topic, as our pro growth mentality is seemingly at odds with preserving a bit of that old town feel- ing for the resort community.
Yet that’s Jim’s point. If locals can’t talk about impossibly di cult topics, how will we all prosper? No one but the most entrenched federal politician is minutely happy with the current level of discourse and basic lack of civility toward our fel- low humans on almost every issue.
In Jim’s words, we are going to have to get the most fanatical and the most fer- vent talking if we want solutions. It’s easy to be entrenched. We’ll have to strive in order to succeed.
Over my lifetime in White sh I have served on multiple local boards that deal with issues like planning, housing, con- servation and recreation. I’ve served years in Helena and attended plenty of local government meetings.
I’ve often noted that the job of lob- byists, be they left or right in political persuasion, is not to compromise. They advocate their position, sometimes with hot lofty rhetoric and sometimes over thick steaks and whisky. But it’s mainly no compromise.
The job of serving in politics, to be a politician and a part of the governing, is to compromise. We see it every day as we travel through town or in news about leg- islation that became law.
Late in the ‘80s, town had a distinc- tively di erent feel. People were just as friendly, but the pace was slower. Maybe I was just younger. Maybe I was less tired, more understanding. Or, maybe I was just new to town having left that pace back on the East Coast.
Many say it’s the frantic pace to grow
that makes people feel uneasy. Yet that pace keeps many construction jobs hum- ming. It’s good work and decent pay for many.
That pace of growth is also the key to understanding why real property val- ues have skyrocketed. It’s the valuations portion of property taxes that are the underemphasized legislative issue fac- ing homeowners and downtown business owners alike.
It’s July and White sh doesn’t get much more busy. There are people every- where, enjoying our great way of life. Luckily, White sh city leaders have been proactive in keeping access to our public lands and our waterways mostly open.
Much traditional access had been lost over the decades to private development. Yet the public network of trails and thou- sands of acres of permanent conservation keep recreation open for this generation as well as the next.
White sh has been doing a lot of grow- ing up. The multi-stories popping up around town are big new additions. It’s another boom cycle for the city, with no end in sight as White sh embraces its resort town fate.
The Flathead is building hundreds of new hotel rooms to accommodate mil- lions of tourist who spend good money in our great towns. Every public service from police to parks, from roadways to waste water treatment plants must be built to maximum occupancy standards.
There are a lot of di cult decisions ahead. Mostly, we need a peaceful way forward for all.
As Jim ate a handful of raspberries, he said that society and people must do right and seek justice. That reminded me of a former legislative colleague who rou- tinely prompted me, “If you don’t believe in justice, what do you believe in?”
White sh, like all towns of the Flat- head, has much work ahead in order to keep pace with its latest fog of growth. It’ll take all of us to nd the way forward.
the globe. Even more shocking are the horri c atrocities carried out by this organization as it seeks to impose its Medieval ideology across the Middle East and the world.
Thanks to the failures of the Obama Administration and its Syrian Civil War strategy, we’ve seen jihadists gain con- trol of large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. With their homes in ruins, millions of refugees have ed the area creating a massive crisis for Western and Middle Eastern countries alike. Clearly, there needs to be a strategy for handling the refugees eeing an oppres- sive enemy.
At the same time, we must under- stand the Sunni Islamic State, its objec- tives, and what it represents for the region, vulnerable target areas across the globe, and for individual Muslims worldwide.
Many jihadists, pro-sharia groups and individuals already have made the migration to the West and live among us with the intent of “destroying [our] miserable house from within” (as stated in the Muslim Brotherhood’s 1991 report, “The Explanatory Memo- randum”). Despite this fact, President Barack Obama wants to bring thou- sands of unvetted Syrian refugees into the United States.
While many state and local o cials have rightly stood up to the Obama Administration, in Montana, Gov. Steve Bullock has wa ed on this issue. Now he is making the highly dubious argument that, as governor, he is powerless to stop the in ux. Meanwhile, the governors of 31 other states have taken a stand and said no to unvetted Syrian refugees in their states.
Greg Gianforte, on the other hand, has spoken strongly about the need to
safety and security of the people of Mon- tana. During these times, it is import- ant that we have a governor who will stand up for Montana’s interests on this issue. And we need governors across the nation who will band together and pres- ent a united front against the Obama Administration.
The president and U.S. state gover- nors should seek congressional legisla- tion that requires involvement by state and local jurisdictions in every step of the immigration and refugee resettle- ment process. Ultimately, this can’t be the decision of President Obama or Gov. Bullock alone. Local o cials and the people themselves must have their say. The Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State must begin to apply discriminatory vetting to exclude those who favor or harbor jihadist ideology or are unlikely to assimilate well into U.S. society.
Not only is Gov. Bullock attempted to punt on this issue, but he has also endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. While the Obama Administration has called for the preliminary resettlement of 10,000 refugees, Mrs. Clinton has stated that she would like to see 65,000 refugees resettled.
Finally, candidates for public o ce, congressional representatives, defense and national security o cials, and all who accept the responsibilities incum- bent on those who take the oath of o ce to “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domes- tic” must stand up for the interests of our nation and states rst. As a candi- date, Greg Gianforte appears to be tak- ing this duty seriously. Gov. Bullock, on the other hand, seems to be taking his lead from the Obama Administration.
“MANY SAY IT’S THE FRANTIC PACE TO GROWTH THAT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL UNEASY. YET THAT PACE KEEPS MANY CONSTRUCTION JOBS HUMMING. IT’S GOOD WORK AND DECENT PAY FOR MANY.”
Mike (Uncommon Ground) Jopek and Dave (Closing Range) Skinner often fall on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to political and outdoor issues. Their columns alternate each week in the Flathead Beacon.
“DURING THESE TIMES, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A GOVERNOR WHO WILL STAND UP FOR MONTANA’S INTERESTS.”
Paul E Vallely, MG, US Army (Ret) is chairman of Stand Up America and chairman of Legacy National Security Advisory Group
JULY 20, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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