Letters to the editor March 13

Local schools deserve support

My dad, George Ostrom, took advantage of the GI bill after service in the Occupation Army at the end of World War II. He and his peers used the education they got (my dad’s at the University of Montana) to then become community builders. They started banks, a community college and myriad programs and institutions to benefit the citizens of the Flathead.

Using his voice as a radio reporter and personality, George tirelessly promoted school levies on air and later in his Kalispell Weekly Newspaper.

Not every tax or levy is the same. And not all are onerous. The collective “we” seems to have forgotten how important schools and education are, not just to individuals but to the communities those students will one day be tax paying members of. Should states get even more responsibility and control of their schools, it’s all the more important to support them in our own communities.

My dad was so proud when the voters came together and supported a school levy. Let’s do the right thing by our kids, our county, our valley and our community, and vote “yes” on the upcoming Kalispell Public Schools levy.

— Heidi Ostrom Duncan, Whitefish

Work isn’t guaranteed

While it is lamentable that government workers are losing their jobs, data shows that it takes 80 private sector employees to pay for the employment/benefits of one government worker. Those with common sense and basic math skills know that this is not sustainable. 

Government employment simply must be scaled back. This, coupled with the nation’s huge debt means cuts must be made everywhere. Currently, every man, woman and child in America owes $107,000 for their portion of the national debt — a debt that is growing 10 times faster than U.S. population growth.

Those in the know say most Forest Service seasonal employees (ie, campground cleaners, etc.) will be re-instated. Sadly, the house cleaning that really needs doing at big government agencies may or may not get done. It’s mighty hard to dislodge the over abundance of mid-level chair warmers who kill innovation and initiative — each of whom requires 80 private sector workers to pay his wages and benefits. Gasp!

And here’s a thought: why have we become so dependent on government for everything?

If the campground needs cleaning, organize family, friends and neighbors and go get ‘r done!

The Back Country Horsemen do something similar every spring/summer: clear trails, remove garbage, etc. They don’t wait for some government entity to see that such gets done. Good on them. Also, Montana’s roadside litter removal program (volunteer) works very well.

We must also note:

Employees in the private sector face possible termination/unemployment daily. There is no iron rice bowl for them. (Chinese idiom for guaranteed/permanent work/income/benefits)

Ask folks in the private sector, like the hundreds laid off at the XL Pipeline (Biden) or at the Stillwater Mine (Russia) how often they’ve had to find a new job. Such is a fact of life. Government/public sector employees seem to have forgotten this.

It must be remembered that during Covid millions of private sector employees lost their jobs and that millions of small businesses went under. Meanwhile, government workers, by and large, worked from home and continued to collect pay checks, insurance, benefits, whether they were really doing anything or not. Now they are being exposed. 

Yes, some private firms suffer the same but such is usually dealt with; ie, Musk cut the workforce at Twitter 80% when he created X. Yes, some whined and complained but did it do them any good? Nope.

They had to face the music and look for work. Such is life.

— C.A. Disney, Libby

Message from the north

We are frequent visitors to Montana since our honeymoon in the fall of 1976. We have enjoyed the people and most all aspects of your state. 

This year, however, we will be staying in Canada due to the policies of your federal government. We realize that many of your citizens do not condone Trump’s actions, but his actions and comments are offensive to us as friendly neighbours for the past many generations. 

Once we are given the respect, which has been mutual, up until now we will resume vacationing in your and many other U.S. states.

— Herbert Pierce, Calgary