Page 28 - Flathead Beacon // 12.16.15

LIKE I WAS SAYING 30 TWO FOR THOUGHT 30 DRAWING BOARD 31 Viewpoints
LETTERS
Rail Industry Committed to Track Safety
The recent Associated Press article, “Railroads Beat Back New Safety Rules After Derailments,” lacks a complete pic- ture of the freight rail industry’s com- mitment to track safety and the com- prehensive regulatory environment that each railroad must follow.
The freight rail industry fully sup- ports a comprehensive approach to track safety and has demonstrated their full support, in research and in money, to drive down rail defect-related occur- rences. But regulations must be based on the best available data and science, not on the notion merely adding a new regu- lation will enhance safety.
Under strict federal regulations, freight railroads have taken an aggres- sive approach to identifying and remov- ing defective rail as part of an extensive monitoring and replacement process. They are steadfast compliant, going beyond what is required by often per- forming more track inspections than required by regulators.
Federal statistics show rail safety has been dramatically improving over the last several decades, by more than 40 percent since 2000. It is the com- mitment of America’s freight railroads to continue to take aggressive actions to advance the safety of the nation’s 140,000-mile rail network, even further.
Patricia Reilly, senior vice president Association of American Railroads
History Repeats Itself
It is said that those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. We saw a good example of this recently in the words of Don- ald Trump when he referred to closing all American doors to Muslims. Think back to the 1930’s when Hitler came to power in Germany. His hatemonger- ing speeches set the stage for one of the greatest atrocities in human history and those speeches sound a lot like the things we are hearing now. Hitler dehuman- ized Jews and implied that any actions against them were correct and defensi- ble. Donald Trump and some of his bud- dies are saying the same thing right now about Muslims. If Germany had refused the fear and hatred that was being seeded into their world, we could have avoided the murder of 6 million people, the huge casualties that World War gave us, and the total destruction of much of Europe. Will we learn from this chapter of world history and refuse to be seduced by fear and self righteousness? Let us all learn to listen to the better angels of our nature and welcome in the true refugees from
the wars in the Middle East. Let us act as Americans were meant to act.
Maria Arrington Bigfork
Guide Justice by Love
There is a wide gulf between the spirit of radical love and the spirit of the times. It helps me to span that gulf with love when I remember that we are all one. Per- haps the simplest insight of the big bang theory is that everything that exists is connected by virtue of origin, time, and matter. That is why the evil and violence of the recent terrorist attacks around the world tear our hearts apart. Literally. A part of our heart dies in each heinous act of terror. And in our response, it seems to make sense to retaliate, to kill, to hate, to close borders, to fear. We profess our Christian identity from mountaintops and y ags of empire in our churches. However, if we want to transform the world, maybe it is time to try something di erent and ask ourselves if the home- less teacher wandering the hills of Pal- estine 2,000 ago was serious when he said that we shouldn’t respond to hatred with hatred and to violence with more violence? Was he naive, or worse, when he said that we should love our enemies? Maybe one reason we reject radical love as too ethereal is that we think it negates justice. Justice is important and neces- sary in ordering a world that is safe for the coexistence of diversity. But justice guided by radical love does not enter into an alliance with a speci c race, religion, or country. Instead, it stands in solidar- ity with the commonality and sacred- ness of all life.
Bob Muth Sr. Kalispell
SNAP is Crucial this Holiday Season
It can be hard to imagine that thou- sands of our neighbors and community members struggle with hunger, yet that is the reality for the 144,000 Montan- ans living in food insecure households. Seniors, families with children, veter- ans, and even working Montanans aren’t always able to put food on the table, a reality that is especially troubling during the holidays.
Fortunately, Montana has a strong network of emergency food providers working to minimize the impacts of hunger in our state. More than 200 agen- cies of the Montana Food Bank Network served nearly 120,600 individuals in 2014. But the emergency food system is just one line of defense against hunger, and we can’t do it alone. Truly meeting the need in our state also requires strong public food programs.
Our nation’s most important tool to combat hunger is the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps). In the weak economy resulting from the recent recession, SNAP helped ensure that 58,000 Montana households had access to the food and nutrition needed to stay healthy, a number that has decreased as the economy has improved. The over- whelming majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors, or people with dis- abilities. SNAP also serves a huge num- ber of households, including 22,000 in Montana, with a working adult whose job just doesn’t pay enough for them to make ends meet. SNAP lls in the cracks for low-wage workers, making sure they aren’t forced to choose between feeding their families and paying the rent. The bene ts SNAP provides are very modest, averaging less than $1.40 per person per meal in Montana, yet SNAP lifted more than 10 million Americans out of poverty in 2012, including 5 million children.
That’s why we are concerned by con- tinual attempts to weaken SNAP, at both the state and federal levels. SNAP helps thousands of Montana households put healthy food on the table every day. The program grew to meet the need during the economic recession and now partic- ipation is slowly and steadily declining as our economy improves. Attempts to fur- ther restrict the program are unneces- sary and shortsighted. Denying individ- uals access to food assistance would have long terms costs on our nation’s health and productivity that are far greater than any immediate budget savings.
Fundamentally, SNAP is about giving families, children, and individuals the opportunities they deserve. For parents working in low-wage jobs, SNAP allows them to focus on things beyond where their next meal will come from. For kids, SNAP means going to school with a full stomach so that they can focus and suc- ceed in the classroom. For seniors, SNAP ensures they can ll their prescriptions and still buy enough groceries to remain healthy and independent. And for adults struggling through an unexpected job loss, illness, or other tragedy, SNAP pro- vides an important stepping stone, help- ing them get through a hard time. Last but not least, SNAP supports our grocery stores, farmers markets, and state econ- omy by bringing our federal tax dollars back to Montana.
Emergency food providers like us rep- resent only one front in the battle against hunger. This holiday season, please let our lawmakers know that SNAP is qui- etly providing dignity and opportunity for millions of Americans when they need it most.
Gayle Gi ord, CEO Montana Food Bank Network
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DECEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
LETTERS
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