GOP driving state into a ditch
The leaders of the Montana Legislature are trying to drive the state of Montana into the proverbial ditch. These leaders claim to be pro-business. They claim to be for liberty and freedom. They claim to be patriotic Americans. They are none of these. They are a fraud.
The GOP leaders are not pro-business, because good business means being fair to your customers. And the customers — the young, energetic and educated, the working class of Montana — are struggling here or forced to move elsewhere for a good paying job. About 44 percent of our children born in this state now live somewhere else. And this percentage is increasing and will continue to increase until the Legislature acts.
Some of our most educated young people are seeking jobs elsewhere, not because they want to but because their student loans are so high, they must take higher paying jobs in other states to pay them back. What has the Legislature done about this issue? Have they attempted to decrease college tuition? No. Jobs for Montanans? Another no. They deny citizens to get good paying jobs by refusing to promote infrastructure improvements to our state. Standard and Poor’s estimates thousands of new jobs would be created while doubling our economic growth. Rather, it is more important to decrease taxes on the people who don’t need it and then claim they are doing the peoples’ work. Totally bogus.
Their claim of liberty and freedom does not apply to schoolchildren’s right to a free and open education. What has the Legislature done to fund public education in general? Nothing. What they have done is continually decrease funding for public education while offering incentives to promote private education — on the taxpayer’s dime. They deny the right of liberty and freedom to the children who are sick or come from poor families who cannot get proper medical care through Medicaid expansion or adults who fall through the cracks in the present system. Liberty and freedom for all? Nope!
The reality is, the GOP are not patriotic Americans because they simply don’t care about the people of their state. Their actions do not exhibit a willingness to promote jobs nor freedom and liberty for all. Only public pressure on these folks can steer us out of the ditch. Have a say in the future of the Big Sky. Contact your local legislator. Now! —David R. James, Eureka