LETTER: Legislator defends his record

In his op-ed on Oct. 4 titled “Very conservative evangelicals bad for GOP?” Ed Berry frequently referred to me. His disjointed ramblings made it difficult for readers to see his point. He seems to think that I am pushing an ideology on others. I am not. It is Ed that wrote the op-ed to advance his position. I simply vote my values; values that the majority of voters in HD 4 agree. His made-up labels with fabricated numbers and percentages gives the appearance of a politician that, when confronted with the truth, talks in confusing circles.

Mr. Berry spent much of his writing supporting the Confederated Salish and Kootenai water compact — a compact that I opposed. He said that he spent 200 hours studying the compact and that I didn’t review it. I did study the compact, and it didn’t take me 200 hours to realize it is not good for Montana.

I opposed it for several reasons. It gives the tribe off-reservation water rights. No other tribal water compact grants off-reservation rights. The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Fish Wildlife and Parks have done a good job managing stream flows in this state. They should maintain total control. It will cost the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. I believe those paying taxes are paying more than needed. Adding more to that burden is not justified.

I also disagreed with non-tribal land owners living inside the reservation boundaries being put under a new water court that has strong tribal control. The Montana Water Court has done a great job adjudicating water rights, and that is where disputes should be handled.

Mr. Berry is correct on one thing when he says “by their votes we shall know them.” I would hope that all legislators would strive for government that works for the people; not the other way around; and not overly burdensome with taxes. That’s a concept Ed does not comprehend. —Keith Regier, Kalispell Republican, House District 4