Letters to the editor Aug. 2

Surplus idea

What to do with the state’s $1,000,000,000 surplus?

Allot the money by county population and pay off school bonds all across Montana, giving everyone a property tax break at the same time.

— Dennis McDowell, Bigfork

Veterans' health care

Sen. Steve Daines, you should be ashamed of yourself for betraying 10% of the population of the state of Montana with your vote against veterans health care.

Fist bumping and laughing while making vets suffer.

10% of Montana population are vets, then add in their families. Hmmmm. May be expensive for your re-election.

I sincerely hope all Montanans remember your disregard for this large dedicated and honorable population of our state when they vote.

— Barb Funk, Kalispell

Extremists are emboldened

If you missed July’s ImagineIF library board of trustees meeting, as I unfortunately did, you did not get to see a cadre of proud men and boys, led by Jim Riley, performatively keeping their oaths to support the library and keep children safe by donating tens of dollars to help make up the shortfall of nearly $80,000 brought about by board mismanagement of the current board of trustees.

Finally deciding to take their moment to pay attention to the library after nearly a year of chaos and a steady chipping away of the services that the community has enjoyed, this bunch of suddenly concerned citizens didn’t even bother to stay after public comment and put in the hours of actually attending a meeting, which many citizens who really have a stake in our beloved library have done month after month, myself included. They only stayed long enough to spread hate and misinformation about the library, and trans and queer youth.

Community, I urge you to do some research on the Liberty or Lose PAC, and what the “Castle Doctrine” actually means. These far-right extremists are emboldened after the latest trustee appointment, and we need to pay attention.

It seems I have heard the term “Tip of the Spear” before….oh, yes; Elmer Steward Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, who is now currently in jail pending trial on a charge of seditious conspiracy for allegedly guiding a months-long effort to use political violence to prevent the swearing-in of President Biden, has used this terminology.

This association alone should raise some eyebrows. — Valeri McGarvey, Kalispell