Letters to the editor July 1
Dear President Biden
I’m a retired neurologist in my eighties. Thank you for attempting to “debate” Donald Trump, which is impossible since he doesn’t stick to the facts. Thanks to you and your administration for creating the strongest economy in the world, lowering drug costs, protecting democracy and Ukraine, and making big progress against global warming, a very real threat we Montanans will soon struggle with during fire season.
Given that the median age at inauguration for U.S. presidents is 55 years, both you at 81 and Trump at 78 are simply too old for the job. Everybody — including myself — suffers from decreasing mental ability and stamina with age. Many countries require physicians to retire between fifty-five and seventy. Airline pilots must retire at sixty-five. Being President means being on call for crises 24/7 for four long years, the world’s most exhausting job!
I retired at 68 and enjoy spending time with family, as you and Jill deserve to do after your 52 years of service as senator, vice president and president. I urge you to pass the torch and force the Democratic convention to run a younger candidate with better chances of protecting the world’s oldest democracy.
— Jerome Walker, Missoula
Outsiders
I moved to Montana four years ago from Kansas. I’m a fourth-generation Kansan, hailing from a small town in the middle of the state. I moved to Montana not to change it, but because I love it for what it is.
A large number of Montanans now are first-generation Montanans like me. Most of us came here because we love what Montana is and the future it holds.
But Sen. Jon Tester’s verbal onslaught against Tim Sheehy as an “outsider” shows that he doesn’t think people like me have a voice in this state.
Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who served honorably and transitioned that service into a business employing hundreds of Montanans. His business revolutionized how we fight wildfires. Why does it matter that Sheehy was born in Minnesota?
It shouldn’t matter any more than my being born in Kansas does. Sheehy is a young, energetic entrepreneur who will bring fresh ideas and innovation to Montana. I also believe Sheehey values the things we all love about Montana and will keep those things sacred.
Sheehy’s energy starkly contrasts with the tired ideas of a three-term senator whose vision is blurred by too much time in Washington.
Tester’s words about ‘standing up for Montana’ don’t hold water against his actions. Instead, Tester’s votes have failed us on the border, the economy, foreign policy, and a host of other issues. That’s why I’m voting for Sheehy in November.
I hope you’ll consider joining me in voting for Sheehy, a fresh candidate who’ll give all Montanans a voice.
— Josh Schukman, Bigfork