Rosendale rises to the top

Of all the elections of the primary campaign season, the race for the U.S. House of Representatives on the Republican side is one of the most important and critical contests for the state of Montana and our nation. Of the many candidates running for that office Matt Rosendale has risen to the top.

Ryan Zinke’s campaign has fallen prey to the middle-of-the-road muddle. It appears to be a cleverly manufactured, amply funded, political strategy with tactically crafted positions designed to reap a harvest of votes. Unfortunately, it lacks heart and is clearly political at its base. I find it both revealing and alarming that it is almost impossible to get any definitive idea of where he stands as he seems to try to tell anyone just what they want to hear. Without a doubt he is not a conservative.

While I like Corey Stapleton and appreciate his conservative values and stances, I believe Matt Rosendale has more ability to lead with vision that clearly shows us a path for greater economic prosperity and freedom for our state and our citizens from the over-reaching hand of the federal government. His common-sense approach to the utilization of our state’s natural resources for the creation of jobs, funding of our infrastructure needs and money for our educational community makes sense. He firmly believes Montanans can do a better job taking care of our lands and for that reason he advocates for the return of federal lands to the state of Montana as agreed to in our original Enabling Act.

The race for the Supreme Court justice position may be just as critical. In that race W. David Herbert stands out. He understands the critical nature of a Supreme Court justice. He acknowledges the past tendency of our judicial community to become “activists” and in so doing overstepping the bounds of their authority. He supports the concept of states’ rights and is firmly grounded in a philosophy that Montanans appreciate and respect.

A vote for these two candidates would be a wise decision for the future of our state.

Mark Agather is a resident of Kalispell