A mandate for reason in next Legislature?

Like the warm afterglow of holiday cheer, the results of the fall elections have begun to fade from memory, displaced by the anticipation of the upcoming legislative session in Helena.

As our yuletide memories will sustain us throughout the year, so too should the lessons from those elections be kept prominently in our thoughts. We as a state and a nation made a clear mandate at the ballot box for yet another change in direction. This time, I would advocate that the course be set for reason.

Now, as the legislature begins its 90-day journey, I would ask my fellow legislators and citizens to consider the view of a kid who grew up in a small town in Montana, went off to college, spent a career going to war for his country, and came back home to the place and people that he loves.

The first lesson is that jobs and the economy matter. Montanans expect the Legislature to create and maintain opportunity for hard-working families to obtain the American dream of a good job, a house and a better life for their children. Perhaps U.S. House Speaker John Boehner stated it best when he said it's about preserving the values of "economic freedom, individual liberty and personal responsibility."

The task to create job opportunity will not be easy considering dropping revenues and a government that has become accustomed to growth and overspending. We must lead in helping businesses become more competitive by reducing workers' compensation rates, eliminating or reducing the business equipment tax, and cutting government red tape so that our natural resources can be responsibly developed in a timely and prudent manner. However, improving the fundamentals of business is only part of the solution.

We must also have the courage to invest in "Made in Montana" solutions such as clean energy, value-adding our natural resources to produce electricity and finished products and cultivate forward-looking technologies. We must also understand that there can be no sustainable economy without first making the commitment to a quality education system that prepares our kids with the skills necessary to succeed in the future.

The second lesson that should be learned from the election results is that the Republican majority was not a mandate for a far-right agenda any more than the election two years previous was a mandate for the far left. As a former SEAL Commander, it was never important to me if the man fighting by my side was a Democrat or a Republican; what mattered was if he was good at what he did. Montanans, as a whole, also tend to place the merit of an issue and the quality of a candidate above political affiliation.

In fact, a recent poll placed Montana nearly dead center of the political spectrum among the 50 states when compared to the far left (California) and the far right (Wyoming). Montanans polled right of center on fiscal matters but remain firmly libertarian (next to Pennsylvania) on social issues. The fact that the majority of Montanans consider themselves to be independent-minded, resentful of intrusive government policies and federal mandates, should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever walked the land.

This is not to say that being to the left or right does not matter. While the middle "majority" may control the outcome of an election, it is the activists on both sides who provide the "checks and balances" that keep our government transparent and our constitutional right to freedom of speech intact. While one may disagree on specific issues, it is the energy and actions of organizations such as the Tea Party Movement and environmental advocacy groups that lead us to better and more informed decisions.

The point is that the majority of Montanans last fall voted for a change in direction in the belief that it will lead to greater progress on jobs, an improved economy, and a reduction in government spending. In my estimation, an overreach by any majority party outside the realm of core economics will be their surest ticket to a minority in the next election.

The third lesson, and perhaps the most important of all, is that elected officials serve at the pleasure of "We the People" and not of any party or individual. There is a difference between a candidate running for office and one that has won an election. Once in office, an elected official must represent not only the interests of those who voted for him, but also the interests of those who did not.

My grandfather used to say that it is better to build a barn with the talents of all of your neighbors rather than just the one who happens to live next door. The same is true of politics. The challenges the legislature will face this session will require the talents and commitment of everyone working together - not just those holding the majority.

Statesmanship is the ability to put aside partisan pride, a sacrifice of cooperation for the betterment of our nation under God, so we all may enjoy the liberty and justice envisioned by our forefathers. Sound reasonable?

Ryan Zinke, a Whitefish Republican, is a state senator and a retired Navy Seal commander.