OPINION: Candidate touts business experience

I have a business. Product, service and availability are essential to the growth and client retention of my business. Why? Because my clients have choices. They can always leave for another company. I want to be part of a future where our city, county and state public institutions provide better service and availability to the citizens they are supposed to serve.

No matter what our short- and long-term issues are, local or statewide, if we don’t come to terms with the devastating drug and alcohol addictions that are rampant in our communities, nothing we do will matter. Addiction is destroying us. We must answer the call and provide solutions that will be available to all Montanans.

Diverting monies from prisons to treatment facilities is a first and obvious step.

Given the opportunity for treatment, those who fail to succeed with this second chance should be incarcerated for the full term their original crime called for. We must motivate people to succeed — conquer their addiction and return to the families who love them.

My business has over 500 clients. I talk to people every day. I can tell you with absolute certainty that no matter what your position is, people 40 years old and younger feel strongly that the $20 trillion debt that my generation left them with is despicable. They are all convinced that global warming is real and my generation’s refusal to acknowledge and deal with the issue is irresponsible.

I repeat, it doesn’t matter what the baby boomers think. Millennials know these things are true. There is no reason not to embrace cleaner, cheaper energy that frees us from the monopolies of giant energy corporations that never have our best interests at heart. We must tackle and embrace our new inevitable energy future. We can’t be diverted and held back by arguments for old, dirty, outdated energies that cannot serve our future needs.

My business requires me to be an expert problem-solver. It also requires me to be available to my clients. As a state senator, I look forward to being available and solving problems for the constituents of Senate District 6. Seventy percent of all Americans disapprove of the performance of their public institutions. I am the voice for the people.

That thundering noise you hear in the distant background is a herd of millennial voters who are disappointed with the performance and lack of results from the baby boom generation. It is time for function, it is time to solve problems, it is time to be relevant.

If this resonates with you, you might want to consider voting for Rolf Harmsen for Senate District 6.

I am pro-life. I have five kids. My daughter Emily is a 26-year-old special needs child. I have firsthand awareness of the needs of those who can’t provide for themselves.

I am aware that in the state budget wars, those who can’t stand for themselves always suffer the brunt of financial shortfalls. I will be the champion of those whose voices are rarely heard.

I am pro-business — small business, that is. Sixty percent of all jobs are created by small business. Removing current barriers to small business development is essential to full employment within our state. Out-of-state corporations historically don’t have Montana’s best interests at heart. They simply want our resources and labor — and ultimately leave.

Small business is the answer.

Harmsen, a Polson Democrat, is a candidate in Senate District 6.