Letters to the editor March 9

School choice is critical

This letter explains why school choice is critical for our constitutional republic and how schools are funded. Funds for public schools come primarily from local property taxes and levies which all property owners pay. Also, the teachers union works in Helena to get more funds for public schools. The teachers are required to pay dues to the union. Private schools get their funds from the parents of students and donations.

The basic curriculum (reading, writing and arithmetic) in private and public schools is similar, but the electives are different. Private Christian schools are religious and parents have control of the electives. Moral and productive values are emphasized which gets students through tough times. With an emphasis on Bible study, students develop morals such as loving your neighbors as yourself.

In many public schools the critical race theory and woke curriculum indoctrination is taught which destroys the modesty of students and their love of our country. Religion was taken out of public schools 65 years ago and parents are now seeing the damage that is being done when Christian principles are being ignored.

Private schools and home schoolers help Montana property taxpayers by reducing their taxes because the average per pupil spending in Montana public schools is $16,964 (2023 data) per year. Based on this figure, parents of students who attend Stillwater Christian School with 500 students saves the taxpayers approximately $8,482,000 each year. Despite the cost of tuition for private schools and homeschooling the number of students seeking an alternative to public schools is increasing because parents do not agree with the values being taught in public schools.

— Verdell Jackson, Kalispell

Inter Lake wrong to drop Dilbert

You’ve got to be kidding! The Daily Inter Lake’s emotional, knee-jerk reaction to Scott Adams’ (creator of Dilbert comics) frustrated rants relative to the recent Rasmussen poll about “Is it OK to be White?” does not come close to lining up with the DIL’s pledge against discrimination, intolerance and hate. In fact, it reinforces all those negative traits.

Adams' rant is purely an outpouring of frustration and has some validity to it. After 50 years of bending over backward to try to get the black population over the hump so to speak, all the money, reverse discrimination and obvious racial preferences has apparently only promoted more racism. But minimizing and glossing over the results of the poll by the DIL is disingenuous. Only 53% of blacks polled thought it was OK to be white; 26% thought it was not OK with another 21% saying they did not know.

What? 47% could not agree that it is OK to be white? Is that where we are at in our country today? And the DIL does not even acknowledge this obvious evidence of racism, intolerance and hate this poll exposes inside of our black community? For shame!

The DIL should have coupled its objections to Scott Adams’ complaints with a condemnation of this odious belief residing inside of the black population (and perhaps our educational system) as inexcusable. I can only imagine what could have happened had it been the reverse with 47% of whites saying it was not ok to be black. The DIL would more than likely excuse the resulting riots, burning, looting, stealing, robbing, injuries to police and bystanders, as excusable actions for such a “repressed group.”

The decision to stop running Dilbert is wrong and dramatically shows how out of touch the managers and editors of the DIL are. Racism knows no boundaries and the DIL needs to understand that fact instead of implying by their silence only whites can be racist.

Additionally, it is obvious the DIL rejects the concept of freedom of speech while affirming the use of banning material of people they do not like or agree with. Finally, DIL’s refusal to condemn the black community’s overt racism against white people, in and of itself, fans the flame of hate and division in our country. It is far past time for the DIL to stand up for principles instead of only adhering to liberal politically correct notions of “social justice” which inevitably leads to bad decisions like this one.

— Mark Agather, Kalispell

Inter Lake made the right decision

Thank you for taking a correct and courageous stand to remove Dilbert from the Daily Inter Lake. I agree 100% with your decision and the reasons for it.

No amount of re-phrasing or other after-the-fact excuse can negate what was said and meant. Free speech brings with it responsibility and consequences. Well done.

— Tony Patterson, Whitefish