Letters to the editor Feb. 6

As seen on TV

You hear a lot about qualifications and politicians. However, merit never matters when you take the Montana Dodge. That’s the hat-trick, which has been used in this state for decades by most political parties. It hides every clucker candidate they run with a simple rule of thumb: He who spends the most money on TV advertising wins.

Campaigns are not difficult. People are not complicated. In mass, they do what the television set tells them to do. Any corrupt or useless office-seeker can easily dodge the qualification issue with a lot of 30 second sound bites on television.

It is time to end this nonsense about ability and get down to something real – money! With bucks to buy TV ads, who needs to think? Certainly not the voters.

—Ed Dramer, Kalispell

Property rights

In response to Whitney Williams’ recent opinion column (Feb. 2) regarding her concerns on the private sale of private land by Weyerhaeuser, the thought of her becoming our governor scares me.

It’s always a warning sign when someone says, as Williams does, “I’m an avid believer in property rights, but...”. She immediately qualifies that right. And it’s not in regard to Southern Pines potentially doing something that lowers others’ property values or for an incompatible use. It’s because she’s afraid that the new owner will have the audacity to determine its own future.

She shows no respect or concern for private property rights. It seems that her idea of property rights means that the owner pays for the land, pays the taxes, and hands it over to people like her to use as she sees fit. It becomes de facto public property.

The different governments in Montana already own over 27 million acres, but that isn’t enough for Williams. She wants these properties as well. And if Southern Pines, with their deep pockets and lawyers, can be bullied into doing what Williams demands, then us little guys don’t stand a chance against her type.

The fact that previous owners have historically allowed public use doesn’t obligate the new owner. Sure, it would be neighborly to continue to allow recreation, hunting and access across their lands. But the thought of forcing Southern Pine Plantations to do so is no different than communism in my mind. It’s immoral.

Williams wants steering committees, conservation organizations and governments to force Southern Pines to guarantee access, timber harvesting and public access on their private lands. And she actually threatens this if she becomes governor. How will she accomplish this? Eminent domain? How is this way of thinking a Montana value, as she claims? The fact that she brags about being a 6th generation Montanan (as though she can take credit for it) doesn’t make her right. It makes her think that she can bully people into doing what suits her. She has no property rights in this matter. I urge you to tell her so at the polls this year.

­—Doug Adams, Whitefish

Voting for Greg

I’m writing in support of Greg Gianforte for the Republican nomination for governor.

His support for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation is real and stems from his family’s experiences in the public lands and wilderness. He would be the best for restraining the growth of government and keeping taxes low. He has been proven to care about the best education for every child. He has put money and time into programs that educate and train those in the state with the least advantages.

He will be a strong advocate for life and 2nd Amendment rights. His management experience makes him the best person to lead and reform the state administration.

Pease join me in voting for Greg Gianforte in the June Republican primary election and again in the fall general election.

—Tom Burnett, Bozeman

Act benefits Lake County

While no one can begrudge a local government for wanting to protect the interests of their residents, it is a different scenario entirely when they are criticizing the very legislation that will protect their constituents from years of costly litigation and uncertainty.

Contrary to claims made by the Lake County Commission, the Montana Water Rights Protection Act introduced by Sen. Daines and supported by Sen. Tester, is not only bipartisan, but has tremendous benefits for water users both in Lake County and across our state. The MWRPA protects water users and well owners in our county by defining the federally reserved water rights of the Tribes and preventing expensive legal proceedings in the Montana Water Court.

In fact, without Daines’ solution to protect water rights, water users would have started receiving notices from the Montana Water Court informing them that their water rights were being challenged by the Tribes when the stay on the Tribes claims expired on January 10th. Thankfully, because of Senator Daines’ legislation, the Water Court renewed the stay of these legal claims, extending the expiration date and saving Montanans from having to deal with the immediate enforcement of the Tribes rights.

The Lake County Commission has also made claims that the agreement expands the reservation and tribal influence, when in reality it does the exact opposite. The MWRPA ensures that existing water rights, as well as non-irrigation uses of water, are protected from Tribal call.

I would encourage our county leaders to carefully consider the tremendous benefits of the Montana Water Rights Protection Act. Instead of criticizing Daines, they should really be thanking him for introducing legislation that will protect the water rights and tax dollars of our Lake County residents.

—Jan Tusick is secretary treasurer of Mission Valley Irrigators United