Letters to the editor Oct. 24

Border crisis hits home

While Montana may be thousands of miles away from the southern border with Mexico, the policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats have turned every state, including Montana, into a state of chaos.

As a candidate, Biden invited illegal immigration with promises of easy entry, and benefits galore. Yet this left our country woefully unprepared for the flood of migrants, drugs, disease, human trafficking and violent crime. This blithe administration has refused to acknowledge that there even is a crisis. The effects have been disastrous.

Many entering this country illegally have proven their disregard for our laws, much less the laws of where they came from. It is no surprise that our Montana communities are now dealing with human trafficking, violent thugs and the spreading of diseases long ago eradicated from America. Deadly drugs such as fentanyl, manufactured and trafficked from China, are killing at a rate more than any other cause of death for the age group 18-49, just last year alone.

Since the Biden administration and the Democrats won't act on behalf of the American people, it is imperative to make a course correction this November, and now Montana has an opportunity. Ryan Zinke will vote for a strong, secure border, and a safer American way of life. Monica Tranel will not! She will vote in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic political machine.

— James Finley, Eureka

Mitchell works for Essex

There is a conservative alliance in Essex. We are 90 strong and voting.

Every time we turn on the TV we see Democrats in Congress and Biden fighting for open borders, Ukraine and out-of-touch radical policies. But when we go to the grocery store, eat at a local restaurant and talk with parents at our schools, that is not what impacts our local communities every day.

The news and advertisements tell us there’s nothing more important than our congressional race. But I know that our local races are so much more consequential when we go about our everyday lives in our community. One of the most important votes we cast is for our state representative. I know there is no one who understands our lives and issues better than local leaders like state Rep. Braxton Mitchell. His work for us is why he was named a “Business Champion” by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.

The White House and Congress are all fighting about power and how to justify raising our taxes rather than working for our local communities. That’s why we need to re-elect Rep. Mitchell. He has a consistent voting record that proves he works to strengthen our local economy and lower taxes. Unlike other “higher level” elected officials, we can call Braxton Mitchell up, meet with him in person, and expect him to work on our issues with the state government. He doesn’t make us talk to a scheduler, fight for his attention, or send us form letters when we write to him. That is what a strong, proven local leader like him does.

I hope you will join us and vote to re-elect our born and raised local leader, Rep. Braxton Mitchell.

— Bob Mastrandrea, Essex

Waterman a proven leader

It is time to really listen to our local candidates running for office on Nov. 8. Are they spouting party line platitudes or are they providing solutions for the needs of our citizens? A month from now we get to choose our future!

Kyle Waterman has a track record of providing solutions. As a city councilman, he worked within tight budgets while pointing out the need to fully fund the Parkline.

The high cost of housing in the Flathead, the lack of affordable workforce apartments and homeownership opportunities, require review of the zoning regulations while preserving what makes the Flathead the wonderful environment we enjoy. Unplanned and unchecked growth could be a disaster for us all. Making sure that everyone has the possibility to keep a roof over their head while at the same time limiting sprawl requires an innovative problem-solver. That is what Kyle offers as a community leader.

The safety network is underfunded at every level. The crime statistics are alarming and seem to go up every year. The 2023 Legislature will decide how to allocate over one billion dollars of surplus funds. Kyle will work for Kalispell and make sure those funds come back to the Flathead to protect our safety network, including widening Reserve.

My late wife, Jane Lopp, was so impressed with Kyle when they were working together fundraising for the Intermountain Children’s Center near Kalispell, that she tried to recruit him to join our office. Kyle is dedicated to the needs of the community and works to find solutions that are appropriate to Kalispell and Montana. That is why I support Kyle Waterman for Senate District 4. He works for us!

— Bob Lopp, Sr., Kalispell