Letters to the editor June 20
Upside of Glacier reservations
A few years ago, before the Glacier National Park reservation system went into effect, I took friends to bike Going-to-the-Sun Road. We arrived at the west entrance at 8 a.m., only to be turned away because there was no available parking at Avalanche. We tried again the next day and, by arriving at 7 a.m., we were able to park in what seemed the last available space in the Avalanche campground. It was stressful getting there and very crowded once we arrived.
Since the reservation system has been in place it’s been easier to plan a park visit, and much less anxiety producing knowing you will actually get in. Last summer, with two cars, nieces and nephews, and grandkids in tow, we were able to experience the park the way it used to be — able to park at any of the overlooks and hike the trails without jostling through a crowd.
Last month, with Glacier reservations, I’ve biked the Sun Road several times and haven’t had to leave the house at 5:30 a.m. to be assured of a parking space. I’ve also enjoyed the park in the late afternoon, no reservations required, and no huge crowds to contend with.
We are so fortunate to live at the Crown of the Continent and be able to enjoy this incredible resource. Yes, it takes a little extra planning to secure a reservation, but being able to experience the park with fewer people and less stress is so worth it.
— Kim Crowley, Bigfork
National debt
How many times have you heard a member of Congress say, “Our grandchildren will have to pay off every cent of this monstrous debt?” This statement is a monstrous mistake perpetrated by people who know nothing about public finance but should know better. This could be called the “grandma and grandpa theory” of finance.
The image of our grandchildren struggling to pay off the national debt seems to compare the United States to feeble grandparents who are borrowing heavily to buy stuff. But grandparents are mortal individuals while the United States population, although mortal, is constantly being renewed by new births and by immigration.
Our population is young and vibrant compared with those of Europe and Asia. Unlike the aging populations of those countries, it is supplemented constantly by immigration from around the world. This is an economic advantage for which we should be grateful.
The U.S. dollar is the world’s most popular currency. Around the world people want to hold their savings in U.S. dollars or in U.S. securities denominated in dollars. If Republicans succeed in shaking the dollar’s reputation for reliability, however, this could change quickly.
The stage is now set to abolish the so-called debt limit, which often has threatened the nation’s economic well-being but never has succeeded for long in limiting its debt, nor should it. The threat of the debt itself to American welfare is largely fictitious as demonstrated by the fact that it never has been eliminated in our nearly 250 years of vast economic growth and prosperity.
— Bill Cox, Kalispell
A country in peril
If you believe the U.S. is a nation of laws, you are not paying attention.
Take illegal immigration. Is the term illegal not clear? Why have immigration laws if they are ignored, except for those who try to immigrate legally? 2.5 million illegal immigrants over the last few years have turned themselves in at the border and been released into the country — added to the 10-20 million illegals already here, plus 1 million plus who were not detained.
Liberals say Republicans need to agree to comprehensive immigration reform like President Regan did. But Regan agreed to amnesty for millions in exchange for securing the border, only to have Democrats renege on the border closure part of the agreement. Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me!
Or failing to arrest demonstrators outside of Supreme Court justices’ homes during and following the debate over abortion. The only arrest was a person who actually attempted to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh. But hundreds have been arrested for the Jan. 6 “insurrection,” some for just being in D.C. Justice?
Or the politicization of the FBI and the justice department with the cooperation of drive-by media to push social media to block any criticism of the fake Russia collusion hoax, and blocking and now slow-walking the Hunter Biden laptop story influencing multiple elections. If powerful people like former President Donald Trump are prey to these shenanigans, is there any chance for we the people to get justice from government or law enforcement? Not likely.
And that is what we are seeing. Shopkeepers defending their small bodega and subway riders defending themselves and fellow riders are demonized and arrested while thugs with dozens of arrests are praised and memorialized.
God save America — blessing it probably won’t help.
— David Myerowitz, Columbia Falls
Public education
The guest opinion by Montana State Superintendent of Education Elsie Arntzen caught my attention when I saw the highlighted quote about getting back to the basics of math and reading. This is because I never thought of her as a back-to-basics type of educator.
She kept up the illusion through the first few paragraphs, but then it all became clear. Her “focus of delivering a flexible and innovative education system” through public charter schools and community choice schools. The notion that children receive a higher quality education through local control or by attending a private school, publicly funded or not, is absurd. Also, I fail to see how she can measure teaching and learning success realistically without comparing the results with a broader base, as is done with national testing standards.
With any luck at all, the public funding of charter schools won’t stand up in court. Teaching children about ideas you may disagree with is not indoctrination. Teaching children only about ideas you agree with is the very definition of indoctrination.
We’ve suffered enough of this nonsense with people like Sen. John Fuller feeding us misinformation and disinformation about the U.S. being formed as a Christian nation. We don’t need to be perpetuating that myth. We need to be teaching our children not what to think, but rather how to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions.
Come to think of it, many adults could stand to learn that lesson also.
— Tim Wiley, Kalispell