Letters to the editor March 22
Same-day registration
Kathleen Farmer’s letter to the editor March 13 made we wonder why all parties cannot agree on basic rules for voting.
I would think the Democrats, Republicans and Independents all would want the same from their voters. Knowledge of the issues, knowledge of the candidates and the responsibility to register to vote. Same-day voter registration is nothing more than an attempt by one party to game the system. Those who are wanting to register on Election Day in my mind are being told what side of an issue to vote, who they should vote for and are totally unprepared to exercise one of the most important privileges and responsibilities they have in our republic.
Same-day registration is not in our best interest. Go get registered now!
—Cliff Kunnary, Kalispell
Edland for FEC board
I am writing in support of the candidacy of Curran Edland for Flathead Electric Cooperative trustee.
As a sixth generation Flathead Valley resident, Curran brings a deeply rooted understanding of local perspectives, balanced with passion, experience and education in energy issues. Known in the Whitefish community for his prowess on the soccer pitch, Curran went on to graduate Cum Laude with a degree in engineering from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, attending on an athletic scholarship and playing Division I soccer throughout his college years.
Curran will bring a fresh perspective to the board at FEC with his focus on promoting community priority and grid reliability with a commitment to clean energy and energy savings. I encourage members to vote for Curran Edland when mail-in ballots arrive.
—Marilyn Nelson, Whitefish
Plastic world
Plastic has been found everywhere scientists have looked, including the deepest part of the ocean, remote mountains, and in Montana streams and lakes. HB 407, scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs committee on Tuesday, March 23 at 9 a.m., prohibits any local unit of government from regulating “auxiliary containers” designed for transporting, consuming, or protecting food or beverages which includes single use plastics like Styrofoam, plastic cups, straws and bags.
Our Montana Constitution (Article lX) declares “the state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”
The after uses or disposal for “auxiliary containers” such as downcycling into new materials that will later be waste, landfill, incineration, or slow degradation into smaller and smaller toxic bits in the environment for hundreds of years all have harmful consequences. This bill prohibits citizens in their own communities, through their local unit of government, from upholding their duty to safeguard the environment for the health of the community.
I, like many of you, value the health of the environment in our state which sustains and supports our citizens, visitors, the animals, plant life, water, and soil systems and more. I urge you to ask senators on the Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs committee and your elected officials to oppose HB 407.
—Youpa Stein, Arlee
Hard workers snubbed
Senator Jon Tester does not care about many hard-working people in Montana. In the recent Covid relief bill, Tester did not support $2,800 checks for married couples earning more than $150,000. Further, if a couple in Montana earns $160,000 or more, they get nothing.
If you try hard to get ahead in Montana and earn a higher income, Senator Tester says you are likely too wealthy and deserve little or nothing from the Covid relief bill.
To add insult to injury, couples earning more than $150,000 pay a substantial amount of cash to the Internal Revenue Service each year. It is obvious that Senator Tester has no sense of fairness and responsibility when it comes to supporting Montanans.
When Tester’s current term of office expires, voters should remember how he so unfairly treated them in the Covid relief bill and reject him at the ballot box.
—John Sandy, Northport, Alabama