Letters to the editor Aug. 9
Welcome to Montana
In order to keep Montana a great place to live, raise a family and stay safe, there are a few rules you should be aware of.
The speed limit is the LIMIT.
Don’t tailgate anyone, even our longtime Montanans that tend to drive slower.
Use your turn signals.
Stay off your phone while driving; your friends will still be there when you get home.
Slow down your life, don’t be in a hurry, take a breath.
Make eye contact, smile, it’s acceptable here.
Don’t trash our state, as a matter of fact, pick up a piece of trash instead of walking by it.
Above all, realize that Montana, like everywhere else, is only as good as it’s people.
Montana is not the city you came from. I wrote this to inform newcomers that probably don’t know that in order to keep Montana a safe and pleasant place to be, it’s best if you leave your city mentality behind.
You are probably use to tailgating in order to force the vehicle in front of you to go faster, speeding where you can to get where you are going faster and get impatient when others don’t drive like you.
Montana has a whole different lifestyle of slower driving, laid back and friendly attitude and just plain nice people. We get our feathers ruffled when city people try to change our way of life. Montana is a great place because of its people.
Want to fit in? Follow these simple guidelines above and life will be better for all of us.
— Chris Zarcone, Kalispell
Insulin prices
Sen. Daines voted against an amendment to cap insulin prices at $35. It would have only taken three more Republicans to make this a reality.
Unfortunately, Sen. Daines chose the drug industry over the people of Montana who happen to have diabetes. Shame on you for again not standing up for the people of Montana.
— Fred Frost, Whitefish
The Forward Party
In this divisive era, the American people have lost faith that our government can make meaningful change. We’ve crammed a diverse, mosaic of national ideas and innovations into two political parties that force ideological purity and hyper partisanship. This extremism just might ruin our country.
One problem is in the incentives. Winning elections is not linked to finding solutions. 90% of incumbents in Congress win reelection despite a 21% approval rating because 88% of those seats are gerrymandered to be noncompetitive: either one party or the other wins... Every. Single. Time.
If you’re a congressman, all you have to do is appeal to the 10% who vote in your partisan primary. Keep the extreme wing of your party satisfied, and you’re safe. Frustrate them? You’re gone.
The Forward Party is launching a brand-new movement of American citizens who believe it’s time to allow the mosaic of American ideas to flourish. Through community nonpartisan communication and election reforms like Ranked-Choice Voting and Open Primaries we can shift the focus from the radical followers to the 90%.
More than that, the Forward Party is fostering a movement of citizens who want a culture full of a diverse array of ideas to solve problems for the good of ALL people. We are doing just that.
Not left. Not right. Forward!
— Elaine Fraticelli, Missoula