Page 28 - Flathead Beacon // 9.28.16

LIKE I WAS SAYING 30 AMERICAN RURAL 30 DRAWING BOARD 31 Viewpoints
LETTERS
Infrastructure Failures Fall Squarely on Governor Bullock
“Darned Poor Judgment” is the rat- ing I give Gov. Steve Bullock for infra- structure performance during the past four years!
Clear back in 2013 the governor’s bad judgment became obvious. That year the Legislature passed a x for oil boom infrastructure by a heavy margin, only to have the governor kill it with a veto. In 2015 I chaired the Appropri- ations Subcommittee for Long Range Planning. That gave me a close up look at the governor’s one-way thought pro- cess. Take it or leave it. No changes. No discussion. It’s the exact opposite of how leaders should behave.
In the 2015 Legislature, the gover- nor demanded a bloated infrastructure bill based on $205 million of debt to be repaid by our children and grandchil- dren. I called it the “Bubba Burger Bill: too big to bite, too big to chew and a sure thing gut bomb belly ache.”
The bulk of his proposal was for a museum in Helena and several univer- sity buildings. The governor might call this “infrastructure,” but I wouldn’t. It was a far cry from what is needed to meet the demands on our roads, bridges, and water systems resulting from the oil boom. He wanted us to borrow money for schools, bridges and many projects, even while he bragged about a surplus of $300 to $400 million in the bank.
Besides that, the governor’s o ce crafted the Bubba Burger Bill so it required a 75 percent “yes” vote. The governor refused to work with any- one, and the Bubba Burger Bill died in committee.
Rep. David Hagstrom and I carried traditional bills with funds dedicated to infrastructure. The governor’s bud- get director threatened to kill our bills, and he stopped talking to me early in the session. For the rst time ever, state employees were ordered to stay away from appropriation committee meet- ings when we presented these bills. Ordinarily, they would appear with information on how these funds would be distributed.
I discovered that the account for school district projects was already over spent, in part because it was used to repay earlier bonding debt. The gov- ernor’s answer was to rack up more debt for the state. He refused to use available cash. Sad story, but in the end nothing happened for school repair and maintenance.
My bills passed. Millions of dollars for true infrastructure went all over the state for water projects, sewage systems,
bridges, reclamation projects and more. Meanwhile, the governor refused to dis- cuss cash infrastructure funding for oil patch country with Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen.
SB 416, which I supported, was still heavy to bonds for buildings. It failed. I o ered changes, but the budget director said no way.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The governor has had one term, two legislative sessions, to show his stu . He came up with too lit- tle too late, thanks to Darned Poor Judg- ment. Montana deserves a new governor with common sense and good judgment who will work with the legislature for the betterment of Montana. We need a business executive like Greg Gianforte as governor.
Mike Cu e Representative, Lincoln County
Stand Up for Property Rights
I commend Molly Priddy and the Beacon for the report on the Flathead County Commission meeting on the Egan Slough zoning matter. It was top quality, well-balanced reporting.
Especially interesting was the com- ment by a farmer: “I don’t like to see all that land sacri ced on the altar of prop- erty rights.”
I nd this statement to be unbeliev- able! The sanctity of property rights was so important to the Founding Fathers that they dedicated the Fourth Amend- ment to it.
I guess that our farmer doesn’t lis- ten to the news or he would have heard Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and Hil- lary Clinton advocate the redistribution of wealth in America, with their sup- porters demanding it as well.
Well, I’ve got a hard truth for the farmer ... land is wealth. After the liq- uid assets have been redistributed, then comes the tangible assets, land. It has happened a dozen times, in a dozen countries around the world, in out lifetime. What would make any clear-thinking person think it can’t hap- pen in America?
Another hard truth, Mr. Farmer, you have a choice. You can nd the moral courage to stand against tyranny today or you can do nothing your grandchil- dren will ght tyranny 50 to 60 years from now.
James Lester Kalispell
Education Tied to Strong Economy
Kalispell is going great places and we need to make sure we have what it takes as a community for that to con- tinue. There are many things we can do to build our community. We need infra- structure, economic development, and a well-paid workforce.
How do we decide on priorities? Is there a single area we can invest in to help us get there? Would you consider for a moment that investing in our chil- dren is a move toward a healthy econ- omy and strong community? Research does show that education is closely tied to a strong economy.
In fact, there is a good possibility that voting in favor of the bond measures for School District 5 is an e ective short- term and long-term strategy to ensure our community continues to thrive.
People considering jobs in our com- munity routinely look to see what kind of education we can provide for their children. They want to know that their children are getting the tools they need to succeed in the future. We know that children who are engaged in their edu- cation and extra-curricular activities are more likely to stay in school and make positive choices. These children are more likely to pursue higher edu- cation and obtain higher paying jobs, becoming future community members who can contribute more and not drain public resources.
Our schools are su ering from over- crowding and need our support to con- tinue providing an excellent education for our children. It is important for our teachers and schools to have the tools they need to provide this excellent edu- cation. Supporting our schools is both patriotic and smart.
Jesse Mahugh Kalispell
We Need Fern’s Leadership
Dave Fern is uniquely quali ed to be our State House District 5 representa- tive. In 24 years on the White sh School Board, including chairmanship, serv- ing as president of the Montana School Board Association, and seven years as the director of the Montana High School Association, Dave has shown the ability to get things done. We need his leader- ship to address the many problems fac- ing Montana.
Dianne Grove White sh
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SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
LETTERS
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