Letters to the editor March 23

Nonprofits being vilified

I seldom write to editors, congressmen or representatives.  The recent article in the Daily Inter Lake, however, prompts me to speak out against your amendment to HB 9, which cuts funding to 22 valuable nonprofits in Montana because they failed to come before your committee in person to seek and justify your committee’s largesse.

I will start by quoting you as you discuss the organizations that did not show up to beg for a handout from the Montana Legislature. “It may be laziness. It could be the sense of entitlement. It could be fiscal incompetence or failure to accept personal responsibility.”  

How very judgmental and high-and-mighty of you, Mr. Fitzpatrick. 

Perhaps you should consider that often the people who run nonprofits are doing so on their own time and on their own dollars. They might have full-time jobs and might not be available to come stand before the committee on the committee’s schedule. They might be the most caring and dedicated people in their communities, serving in roles that are demanding, time-consuming and often thankless.  

And since you and your committee decided that their presence was a requirement, after they were told that it was not, maybe they simply didn’t get the memo. These volunteers deserve recognition as heroes to the organizations and communities they serve. Instead they are vilified by you as lazy, incompetent and entitled. 

Your amendment needs to be retracted. Your statement needs to be retracted and replaced by an apology. These organizations need state grant funding to stay afloat. Your role should be to find a way to help them continue to do the work they are doing in their communities; not to punish them for failing to read your mind. 

— Lynnette Ludviksen, Kalispell

Republican turncoats

This situation we face in the state Legislature is something that really galls me to no end. We were invaded by the enemy masquerading as as conservative and pro-life Republicans, who are nothing but traitorous turncoats.

I’m thinking that because there is no one sounding the alarm, i.e. “calling them out” on any media other than a few alternative sites.

These traitors need to be named and black-listed somehow, so there may be a chance of the damage they are doing to our state being curtailed.

Well, I’m mentioning them:

Jason Ellsworth: A Hamilton Republican and former Senate president who advocated for a committee structure that spread out the expertise of lawmakers, voting with Democrats.

Wendy McKamey: One of the Republican senators who voted with the Democratic minority to change Senate rules.

Gayle Lammers: A Republican senator who has worked with Democrats to change rules and pass legislation.

Josh Kassmier: A Republican senator  who has voted with Democrats to form a working majority coalition.

Butch Gillespie: A Republican senator who has joined with Democrats to change Senate rules and pass legislation.

Gregg Hunter: A Republican senator endorsed by C4MT, a political committee aligned with the Legislature’s Solutions Caucus.

Denley Loge: A Republican senator who has worked with Democrats to change Senate rules and pass legislation.

Russ Tempel: A Chester Republican who has provided key votes, including to approve Medicaid expansion in 2019.

Shelley Vance: A Republican senator  who has voted with Democrats to form a working majority coalition.

Perhaps we can cast some sunlight on these scoundrels.

— Larry and Lois Eslick, Marion

Keep skiing local

The end of our ski season seems to be approaching too soon. Snow levels are well below historic numbers. With state and federal officials denying climate change there are no constructive and proactive environmental policies to protect winter trends and therefore conditions are only likely to worsen. Any ski resort below say 8,000 feet seemed threatened in the near future.

But its not only climate that is threatening this sport I’ve enjoyed for over 60 years. Its resort monopoly ownership as well. Vail and Alterra resorts have purchased over 50 highly successful resorts across the world in the past decade. With this they have cut services, increased lift ticket prices by more than 250% in some instances (now at well over $300 per day per person in some locations) and offer lift lines that too often approach 30 minutes at too many resorts. Skiing has become more about real estate and retail development than on the snow enjoyment. 

I live in Columbia Falls purely because of Whitefish Mountain Resort. I am deeply thankful for the investment the Foley family has made in keeping it a private, regional resort that cares about locals, families and skiers/snowboards. Like Blacktail, we in Northwest Montana are fortunate to avoid the death spiral that Vail and Alterra are forcing on most of the industry.

— Pat Malone, Columbia Falls