Letters to the editor June 29
Power bills
Through Flathead Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration has instituted a 7 to 10a.m. and a 5 to 8 p.m. $4 per kilowatt hour surcharge to try and dissuade us from using energy during that time.
Not only is this ridiculous, it’s an obvious control tactic by the federal government (BPA). The Flathead River basin produces enough energy to serve all of Montana and Wyoming, yet we are paying a ridiculous surcharge so BPA can ship our energy off to California, who supplies practically none of their own electricity.
As a senior, I will be required to severely limit my electrical usage possibly resulting in complications to medical conditions. I moved to Montana almost 30 years ago to get away from this type of stuff happening in ultra-liberal Washington state, and it has followed me here. Hijacking our energy and sending it out of state is bad enough, but turning around and surcharging us to force conservation is dangerous.
My bill just went up 40% and they are now proposing a normal kwh increase on top of all of this. Please do what you can to expose and rectify this criminal abuse of our electrical power system.
— Eric Caldwell, Kalispell
Lake level
When a low Flathead Lake level was an issue a number of years ago, there was a suggestion that the Tribes and county could loosen restrictions on dredging. Digging a couple feet deep along docks would have a major impact on summer use, and cause less environmental damage than tinkering with the Hungry Horse Reservoir level and SKQ Dam outflows.
— Rick Hull, Kalispell
Mental health care
Montana is facing a mental health crisis that can no longer be ignored. This isn’t about assigning blame —it’s about acknowledging a systemic failure that continues to cost lives and undermine the dignity of those in need.
The situation at Montana State Hospital reflects a troubling pattern. Inadequate funding and sky-high employee turnover have left the hospital in disarray. It’s rare for a chief executive officer to hold the position for more than a year. Other key leadership and administrative roles suffer from similar instability. Meanwhile, local health care workers are forced to fight for wages that barely meet today’s cost of living, while traveling medical staff often earn significantly more than industry standards.
In this instability, the people most in need — our patients — suffer the gravest consequences. Wait times for treatment can stretch from several months to over a year, creating a barrier to care so high that many community providers only turn to the state hospital as a last resort. When help is delayed, the ripple effects are devastating.
Treatment itself is far from adequate. Medication, while essential, is only part of the equation. Evidence consistently shows that cognitive therapies reduce relapse and the likelihood of readmission. Yet Montana State Hospital lacks sufficient qualified staff to provide this care. As a result, patients are caught in a revolving door: discharged, left without proper support, and too often readmitted shortly after.
We must act. Mental health care cannot be a privilege for the few — it is a right. Until Montana’s leadership treats this crisis with the personal and political urgency it demands, we cannot expect outcomes to improve.
Because in the end, no one pays attention until it’s someone they know. But by then, it’s often too late.
— Michael Borchardt-Robertson, Warm Springs