Choice is clear: Experience does matter
Experience does matter. Our nation is faced with a financial crisis that some say rivals the Great Depression. We have political gridlock in Congress and throughout the nation. We’re at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nations like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have ambitions that threaten world peace.
Now’s not the time to vote in a rookie to become the leader of the free world just because he can give a good speech that gives some people goose bumps.
Did FDR choose a second lieutenant with only two years in the Army to lead the invasion or did he choose a four-star general with 30 years experience?
Seems to me that no matter what political party we belong to, for the sake of our nation and the free world the choice for president is so obvious.
R. Allen, Seeley Lake
Obama represents the American Dream
I’ve written a political letter or two, always about something local, usually school board elections or such. Never have I been so taken by anyone on the national scene to warrant my attention-.
However, I was so moved by Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, I felt I had to write a personal letter, to my friends, as well as to our community as a whole.
He talked about personal responsibility. He talked about decency, compassion and morality. “Treat other people as you wish to be treated.” “Treat those less fortunate than you with compassion.” “Treat those different than you with decency and respect,” “You are your brother’s (and sister’s) keeper.” “Education, education, education, is the great equalizer.” All the things I spent 28 years teaching my children, he spoke of.
And he spoke of them in respect to his family. That is what really hit home for me. His grandfather, his mother, his grandmother n these are his heroes, the people that shaped his life.
And this is the essence of the American Dream, which, sucker that I am, I so believe in. Each one of us will make the world better, just by our existence, and by following these simple rules that our parents have taught us.
I know we’re in the age of cynicism. Many people talk of voting against everyone, rather than for anything.
But I think, for maybe the only time in our lifetime, we have a different choice. A choice for a new world, which is perhaps, actually closer to the “old world” than we’ve been in a long time: Hope for the future. Respect for our past.
Please, join me in voting for Barack Obama. Let’s just give it four years. It’s our chance to return to the ideal that was America.
Kathy Ball, Heron
Hope the uninformed don’t make it to the polls
So ... I’m out in public today (my first mistake). I engage in a brief conversation with a woman who was, and is still, unknown to me.
The subject of politics comes up. I mention offhandedly about having extreme interest in the last presidential debate on Oct. 15.
She says, “Are you voting for the traitor or the Muslim?” Had I not been quicker on my feet than the average person, I might easily have tripped over my jaw as it dropped in amazement.
The traitor? She referred to Arizona Sen. John McCain, an American hero. Not a single one of us has ever endured a moment of the pain and torture that John McCain endured for years in a prison camp in Hanoi. Those of us without the courage and conviction that he showed during his imprisonment would have gladly run over our grandmas to avoid having been hung by the arms for days at a time until they came out of their sockets.
Clearly, her Muslim reference was directed at Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Whether you agree with his politics, the clear fact is that he is a Christian, not a Muslim.
Let me say here and now, if this is the extent of the knowledge of the candidates that the majority of Americans have, I pray to God that on election day their cars won’t start, lest they take their misinformed selves to the polls and cast their vote based on rumor and misinformation.
Susan Schroedel, Plains
Palin has the most experience of all
Which of the four candidates running for president and vice-president are the most qualified?
Which one has been on a school board, has been a mayor of a town and has been a governor of a large state? And knows what a budget is, and has run two small businesses and has been a working parent who has gotten their hands dirty with hard work?
Sarah Palin is more qualified than all three senators combined to be a president. To make this even a better campaign we could have Condoleezza Rice as a vice-presidential candidate. I would certainly vote for that ticket.
Mike Dey, Missoula
Schweitzer, Baucus make God out of environment
Montanans want work, not handouts as in the “bailout” package.
So we can’t send Gov. Brian Schweitzer or Sen. Max Baucus back to their positions of leadership. They both favor the environment over jobs for their constituents, as exemplified by their lack of support for President Bush’s efforts to lessen the tyrannical hold over the timber business that Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act has evidenced. That section keeps us from harvesting timber, mining for coal or oil shale, or in the future, placing wind mills.
Schweitzer’s Climate Committee represented those who have made a God out of the environment, as evidenced by the Montana Climate Change Action Plan. The national Center for Climate Strategies is really behind that plan. It is considered a sin to drill, mine or harvest timber. Carbon sequestration and carbon-credit trading are some of the goals achieved by very stringent laws.
The Democratic Party, with Baucus’ approval, endorsed incentives to benefit the poor through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages, truly making a mockery of capitalism in favor of socialism. Their efforts resulted in our ruined economy.
Baucus is to blame for the fact that Libby remains a Superfund area rather than a public health emergency area. Baucus is a senior member and former chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Environmental Protection Agency. Baucus should have fought in 2002 for a more appropriate EPA status, with all its benefits for Libby.
We need State Sen. Roy Brown, who knows that the Department of Environmental Quality, if well-funded, can protect our environment, as he encourages necessary work for our citizens, and supplies the needs of our country. Bob Kelleher certainly loves Montana’s natural beauty, but he has not made a God out of the environment. He will stand against those who oppose businesses. Kelleher should replace Baucus.
John K. Zentgraf, Lolo
Democratic candidates value guns, public lands
There have been numerous articles dealing with the issue of taking our guns away. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld our Second Amendment rights as well as leaving the door open for states to exercise safeguards as needed. Regardless of what the National Rifle Association preaches, neither presidential candidate will take our guns away.
The more troubling issue deals with access to our public lands and waters. The Bush-Cheney administration, along with former Republican Rep. Richard Pombo, and Republican Sen. Burns, have tried to sell our public lands. If the public has no place to use their guns, isn’t this a form of gun control? In fact, the plank still exists in the Republican platform to sell all public lands.
We need candidates, both on national and state levels, that will safeguard all public lands, and this will not be any of the Republican candidates. Here in Montana, big money is trying to overturn our stream access law as well as privatize our public lands. The Mitchell Slough case and Ruby River Bridge case are good examples. We need to elect candidates to the governor’s office, attorney general’s office as well as state auditor and secretary of state, who will protect our heritage on public lands and water issues. These same officials will sit on the state land board and oversee management of millions of acres of school trust lands.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Linda McCulloch already have a good track record on public land and water issues. Steve Bullock wrote the ruling on bridge access within public rights of way and defended our stream access law in federal court when he worked in the attorney general’s office. He is now running for that position and has a proven track record. Monica Lindeen also understands the importance of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.
Vote smart, protect our heritage to use guns and save our public lands and waters.
Tony Schoonen, Ramsay
Meakin will work to retain Bitterroot’s character
We have a clear choice between the two candidates running for county commissioner in Ravalli County District 2 this year. We can continue with Greg Chilcott, who for six years has held the seat and used his position to confuse us as to his real intent and to obfuscate the issues, all the while doing his best to thwart or delay all efforts toward planning for and controlling the inevitable growth under way in our valley.
Or we can elect a man of integrity, John Meakin, who will always speak his mind clearly on every issue; who will work to retain the character of our culture and the beauty of our valley; who will bring the knowledge gained in obtaining a master’s degree in government and public administration and the successes achieved as a city council member, as a mayor and as a planning commissioner in a city larger than our county seat; who will improve the county’s financial status through his budgeting and auditing knowledge; and who has already served all of us by his nine years in the U.S. Navy, and through his many volunteer positions in committees, boards and groups throughout his 11 years in the valley.
So, we can continue with more of the same we’ve had the last six years or, instead, we can experience a fresh breath of integrity, knowledge, experience and leadership. It only makes sense to elect John Meakin to help guide us into the future.
Chuck Roubik, Hamilton
Younger students losing interactive learning
As a former trustee of Missoula County Public Schools, I would like to welcome our new superintendent, Alexander Apostle. I would also like to talk about the educational values we long-term child-rearing residents of Missoula hold dear.
Recently our 11-year-old daughter came home from school noticeably shaken. It seems that the much-anticipated middle school field trips are being diminished or deleted in favor of in-house learning to prepare for standardized math and reading tests. The sixth grade might lose the exciting and productive Flathead Lake Spring Camp, gone perhaps would be the well-organized winter ski trip, along with bowling or swimming. Would this new emphasis on in-house testing also compromise orchestra, band and Choral Festival participation? Many times our youngest has thoughtfully accompanied me to school board meetings during my tenure as an MCPS trustee. She is aware and not easily shaken. Consequently, I feel her concern is real.
Our daughter is the youngest of our six children. They all know the value of music, art, school-sponsored field trips and studying abroad. Our teachers know the value of field experience. A fully interactive educational program requires that we take what is learned in the classroom and apply it as much as possible in the world around us, beginning the process to ensure that our children flourish.
Unless this is a thinly veiled attempt to diminish possible liabilities, I suggest MCPS honor what our teachers already know about achievement. Rather than put the burden of more paperwork on the teachers, continue to encourage them to enjoy themselves and thoughtfully inspire their students toward success in the field. Experiential learning is a vital educational tool.
There is truth in the concept, “play is the work of a child.” Embrace that concept and positive performance will surely follow.
Debra B. Sears, Missoula
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California Girl wrote on Nov 6, 2008 12:14 PM: