Letters to the editor Aug. 11

Democratic rampage

Amy Weeks’ letter Aug. 7 (Voting for veterans) was the last straw of misinformation as far as I’m concerned. No more sitting on the sidelines saying nothing.

She slammed Sen. Steve Daines for voting against the Pact Act, leaving out the reason for the no vote.

An old Washington trick is to write a bill for veterans’ aid and then add a huge amount of non-related spending in the last days. That is exactly what the Democrats did by switching some $390 billion in veteran health funds from discretionary to mandatory accounts. That would enable the sneaky Dems to spend more on their pet pork projects.

Far from Republicans not caring for the people of this country as Weeks opined. Republicans are the only dampers on Democrats’ rampage of tax increases and spending which will soon break the country.

Since when is an unprotected southern border watching out for U.S. citizens? It’s not Republicans attacking pregnancy centers that provide free ultrasounds and support to pregnant women and free diapers, baby clothes, and support contacts for new mothers.

Republicans didn’t riot in major cities over the unjustified death of one man; They did, and do, peacefully protest and remind this country of the carnage of almost 50 years of legal abortions of 60,000,000 babies. After, and even before, the Supreme Court corrected the unconstitutional federal ban on abortions, liberals went nuts that their federal misconstrued right to murder children ended.

Even more disconcerting is the mindset of our Democrat president whose apparent No. 1 objective is to try to insure that the carnage continues unabated. Wow. We’re really in trouble.

— Gary Goers, Kalispell

Daines and Big Pharma

Sen. Steve Daines has once again showed that he is against working Montanans and has no regard for human life.

Daines was one of the 43 Republicans who voted against capping insulin prices to $35. If you read the studies, insulin costs approximately $10 to manufacture. Around the world insulin costs are between $9 and $15 on average. In the U.S. the average price for insulin is $100. That is outrageous.

Daines should be working for the people and not the big pharmacy companies. Clearly his allegiance is to billionaires and big pharma and not the working Montanans or even working Americans. Clearly he supports outrageous profits over lives.

— James Goudy, Kalispell

It’s your money

Every time an elected official talks about cutting taxes or protecting the taxpayer, most people just gloss over because they have spent a lifetime hearing that exhausted punchline.

However, for the first time in the lives of many of us, we have the chance to give taxpayers their money back. That is why I am joining some of my colleagues and asking Gov. Greg Gianforte to call a special session to refund nearly $2 billion in over collected taxes. Specifically, this money needs to go to those who have paid taxes. It is not a stimulus or printing money like we see Biden and the Democrats doing at the federal level — it’s a true returning of funds.

This $1.8 billion represents the reason why so many in our state, and in our country, call taxation theft. I am sure professional politicians and Helena insiders could think of 1.8 billion reasons to spend this money elsewhere but, the fact is, it is yours.

It also can help force the hand of the Legislature to finally rewrite our tax system we currently have in place which is hurting our citizens and businesses. Things worth doing are hard, and voters expect us to serve them, so I’m calling on my fellow legislators to support a special session.

No longer can politicians make up excuses or lack the courage to take uncomfortable votes to do the right thing. $1.8 billion is nothing to bat an eye at and voters need to hold us accountable in this next legislative session.

I ask my fellow Montanans to call Gov. Gianforte‘s office and ask him to call a special session to return your money.

— Braxton Mitchell, Columbia Falls

Supports Repke for PSC

Montana’s Public Service Commission is an embarrassment. These five highly paid ($112,000 per year) elected officials appear to have little time for actual “service” and less for the “public.”

The Legislative Auditor went so far as to “disclaim” financial audits of the agency because the audit staff could not rely on the information provided by agency. The “scandal prone” (Helena Independent Record 6/14/22) PSC just paid out over $175,000 of taxpayer dollars to satisfy a suit for wrongful firing.

We have an opportunity to elect a different sort of Public Service Commissioner in 2022. John Repke has 40 years’ experience in private sector finance, strategic planning, and management. He would bring honesty, professionalism and transparency to an agency in desperate need of those attributes.

His opponent, a physician, assures her patients she will maintain her medical practice in Kalispell and spend just a couple days per week in Helena at the PSC Offices.

Please support John Repke for the PSC district that includes Lewis and Clark, Lake, Teton and Flathead counties. Montanans cannot afford to leave that important agency in the hands of part-time amateurs.

— Sheena Wilson, Helena