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Tax credits for private schools are unfair

I oppose tax credits for private schools. Owning property in a county means paying property tax to support the county infrastructure. This includes funding public schools so all young people have a good education to help them become law-abiding citizens, employable and able to participate in elections. If we grant tax credits to people who don’t want to use public services such as schools, there will be no end to it. Suppose I decide to live in the woods and not own a car. Should I receive a tax credit for not using our roads and streets? Of course not. Schools are no different.

If people want children to have an alternative education, let them provide it out of their own pockets. That’s what my wife and I did for 10 years. We had a home school in our house for 15 children so we could teach them our religious beliefs along with reading, writing and arithmetic. All of those children are now successful. Two are medical doctors, three are social workers, and so on. We never charged a penny for the use of our home, and we never asked for a tax credit. The parents chipped in for expenses and the seven teachers worked for free. We did it out of love and faith. Taking money from public schools to promote private beliefs is bad for our community. —Michael Merchant, Kalispell

Thanks to Sen. Keenan for bill on water plants

I am writing in response to your article regarding Sen. Keenan’s SB 215 amendment of the Major Facility Siting Act.

I would like to thank him for his efforts in assisting Flathead residents concerned with the massive water bottling factory proposed for Creston. I agree with his assessment that this industry is indeed an “egregious” threat to our precious state-owned resource for personal profit. He is correct in noting the numerous and far-reaching detrimetal effects on so many towns and cities across this country and around the world.

The amendment, which would require water factories extracting more than 100 acre feet to meet more stringent requirements, is certainly a step in the right direction. However, that number is NOT low enough to deter the worlds largest bottler, Nestle, as evidenced by their latest conquest in Phoenix, (that desert city’s FOURTH bottling facility!). They are producing 264 million bottles annually, approximately 100 acre feet (1/6th of the local request). Nestle is leasing a 395,000 square-foot building from Phoenix, bottling city water and selling it back to the city’s residents!

So, although the intent and idea of this amendment is commendable, I feel that any corporation extracting 99 acre feet or less would consider it the “ultimate loophole” to set up shop in our pristine valley and remain exempt from stringent guidelines. We need to remain vigilant to keep this area undesirable and unprofitable for water exploiters.

The Montana Artesian Water Company’s outrageous request of 710 acre feet is currently under review with DNRC and DEQ. Please write to them and Sen. Keenan voicing any concerns you may have. —Jean Rachubka, Kalispell

America has a duty to accept refugees

It is our duty as citizens of the United States of America to accept refugees.

It is our duty as a nation that was founded by those persecuted and run from their homes to accept refugees.

It is our duty as those who Have to share the wealth that is this land with those who have never Had.

It is our duty as a beacon of hope, as a nation of refugees who have grown great, to take in refugees.

It is our duty as the descendants of refugees who became Americans to pass on the opportunity to make themselves such to refugees.

It is the forefront of our duties as Americans to honor those who have come before us and all they suffered to allow others to have the chance to do the same.

This ban, and any like it, on refugees is un-American. It is un-lawful. It is against all religions. It is against common sense, common courtesy and against all things Montana stands for, and the United States of America stands for.

We are America. We are a nation of refugees. We must honor our past by not destroying our present, and we must open our country, our homes and our hearts to the people who need us the most: refugees. —Kwen Shirle, Kalispell

Short-term rentals not fair to long-term owners

After attending the Lakeside Planning meeting on Jan. 3, it was obvious that the residents present were fed plenty of theoretical fluff from Flathead officials and representatives of the Northwest Montana Realtors.

Residents were there to ensure that their property would remain protected by R2 zoning as it exists with a minimum rental of 30 days. The concept of short-term rental is a commercial enterprise and should be left to hotels, motels, camps, and bed and breakfasts.

A HOME is a long-term major investment, a lifestyle, a sanctuary. Together, homes form a neighborhood. A friendly, quiet, safe neighborhood is a treasure to residents who have chosen and maintained their homes expecting these benefits to endure.

The value of a Lakefront home next to a short-term rental operation will likely decline. Prospective buyers turn their noses up at the idea of a stream of strangers for neighbors. Divulging neighboring short-term rental amendments to R2 zoning trickles down to Realtors too, who will end up working harder to earn less commission.

Additionally, short-term rentals place certain unneeded stresses on volunteer fire departments, the country health department and the enforcement capabilities of the county planning and zoning department. Presently there is only one employee assigned to code enforcement. By the time a complaint is filed, the issue would be long gone with another issue likely taking its place.

Flathead Planning and Zoning have had to deal with rental violations on properties on either side of me. During the cumbersome process, the fleeting seasons of two summers were greatly upset. Emails, phone conversations, picture taking, loose and barking dogs left unattended, incredibly loud music, drunken behavior, on-site visits from Flathead Planning and Zoning along with the presence of Flathead County sheriff’s deputies during several incidents were alarming and frightening.

As an eight-year resident of Lakeside, I am against allowing gains from short-term rentals on the backs of long-term residents —Kathleen Epeneter, Lakeside