Brown would cut property taxes
I am happy to read in the Oct. 9 Missoulian that Montana has a state surplus of almost
$1 billion, meaning that taxpayers have overpaid their hard-earned money to the state government.
State Sen. Roy Brown is likely the governor to do this along with a complete elimination of the business equipment tax. Certainly the current governor didn’t see the value of such permanent cuts and gave property owners a token $400 across the board. I have a small amount of property and friends of mine own large ranches. They should have received more than me but didn’t. A permanent tax cut on property, for all property owners in the state, is in order even if the property owners don’t live full time in Montana.
If the politicians are seriously concerned about the living conditions of our citizens and “affordable housing,” it is time to cut taxes and reduce our expenses by doing so.
While they are at it, state taxes on gasoline could be cut a little, too.
Susan Reneau, Missoula
Condemn 'terrorist’ comments at rallies
Merriam Webster defines terrorism as “the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.”
So what is “terror”?
1. A state of intense fear
2. One that inspires fear, causes of anxiety, worry
We’re hearing a lot about terror lately and it’s been on my mind. We’ve had blatant acts of terrorism committed against this country by al-Qaida on Sept. 11, 2001; by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor; and by men who orchestrated the bombing of a federal building on a clear Oklahoma morning. This kind of terrorism is easy to spot, easy to condemn. But what of other, more subtle forms of terrorism? Do we recognize it? Do we react?
Gov. Sarah Palin made news lately claiming that Sen. Barack Obama is “palling around with terrorists.” Never mind that the association is an acquaintance, or that Obama unequivocally condemned the acts of violence, and that the acquaintance committed these acts 40 years ago and is now a “distinguished professor” at the University of Illinois. Politics is messy and there will always mud-slinging and mischaracterizations. Obama’s doing it by revisiting the Keating Five scandal. But something happened that goes beyond the negative rhetoric both camps are using. In recent rallies, Palin’s and McCain’s speeches included the “terrorists” line, which prompted some crowd members to shout, “treason,” “terrorist” and “kill him!”
Whatever your politics, this terrorist labeling has clearly gone too far and we should call on the McCain-Palin camp to condemn its xenophobic ugliness. If they don’t, let us remember that definition of terror because we cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by fear - and we shouldn’t allow it to stand when people try. It diminishes the speaker and it diminishes us. Let us expect more than that. And let us all, as Americans, be better than that, too.
Kassidy Kern, Missoula
Elect Deschamps for HD 98
Voters in House District 98 have an important and clear decision to make on Nov. 4 as to who will represent them in the state Legislature, Will Deschamps or Sue Malek.
I have been in key community positions to study and evaluate both of them on their civic actions and community service in recent years. Will Deschamps, who lives within HD 98, was a positive consensus builder on the school board for progressive and highly rated Hellgate Elementary School, which also lies within HD 98, for many years.
Sue Malek, who lives outside the district, was a disaster as chairperson of the last city local government study commission, where her proposed changes to city government were soundly rejected by city voters.
The clear choice for HD 98 is Will Deschamps, a community builder, not a community divider.
Jerry Ballas, Missoula
Malek is best representative for HD98
Residents of House District 98, where Democrat Sue Malek is running for the seat Holly Raser served in for eight years, might have recently received a nasty piece of mail from Sue’s opponent. The piece distorts my opinion of Malek, whom I endorse without reservation in her race for the Montana House of Representatives.
Sue’s opponent didn’t contact me. He knows I would never willfully lend an ounce of credibility to his campaign to pursue the GOP’s agenda of forcing up local property taxes by gutting school funding in order to sustain tax breaks for the oil and development industries. Those aren’t Montana’s values. They’re not Missoula’s values.
In 2006, I wrote a blog post frankly assessing the Missoula City Local Government Study Commission. My assessment of its principal members was uncharitable, largely because I did not understand the stalwart minority partisanship most LGSC members had to work around after trying to work through it. In retrospect, I can see that Sue undertook her duties as chair with diligence. In fact, I’d say the experience prepared her well to represent Missoula in spite of the rabid partisanship Montana Republicans have lately brought to the Legislature. Sue’s opponent, by his actions lately, has demonstrated he’ll do nothing but increase the acrimony.
Montana doesn’t need another legislator who would rather tear down his opponent by distorting someone else’s words than come up with a notion of his own. And that’s just one reason I’m joining retiring state Rep. Holly Raser and current state Sen. Dave Wanzenried in urging you to elect Democrat Sue Malek in House District 98.
Jason Wiener, Missoula
Missoulians should respect others
I witnessed something very disturbing Oct. 9.
My girlfriend Maria and I attended the speech of Dr. Ahmed Rashid at the University of Montana. The speech was very interesting and Rashid is an extremely intelligent individual, overall very enjoyable. However, what happened next left a very bad taste in my mouth. During the question and answer session, a gentleman got up to share his opinion and ask a question. During his statement, he quoted Fox News as his source. Many members of the audience proceeded to laugh at him. It was very distasteful, from what had seemed to be a very respectable audience.
I recently moved to Missoula and have read many articles stating that Missoulians think very highly of themselves for being environmental, friendly and forward-thinking. I find it very discouraging if forward-thinking and friendly means laughing at people’s opinions. Forward-thinking is when you understand that people have differences in opinion and you respect them for that.
I hope that the rest of my time here will be filled with that Missoula friendliness that everyone talks about.
Matthew Madsen, Missoula
Fact check shows candidates true beliefs
Larry Roland’s letter of Oct. 9 states that Factcheck.org does not present the real facts about our presidential candidates. Being curious, I decided to visit the site. It clearly stated the votes and positions of both candidates on a variety of topics.
For instance, votes by both candidates regarding veterans issues were as follows:
Sen. John McCain registered a non-voting status on continuing appropriations for the Veterans Administration, the GI Bill and national defense authorization for ’07 and ’08 and a “no” vote for tax rate extensions and increased health care for vets. Was he just too busy to provide help to our veterans? Disabled Veterans of America has rated McCain as only voting for 20 percent of their legislation to help our injured heroes. The Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion cannot release congressional scorecards, so they have not rated McCain at all, unlike the statements made during the debate and in speeches given across the country. Sen. Barack Obama has voted “yes” on the above bills to help our precious veterans and is highly rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Also, McCain has voted “no” to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, “no” to equal pay for women, and now wants to decrease Medicare by $1 trillion, putting our elderly at risk. So, McCain, you can’t vote to help our veterans, you don’t believe the gay community deserves equal rights, you don’t believe women deserve equal pay for equal work and you want the elderly to suffer from a lack of health care. Who is left for you to represent?
A vote for Obama will protect our rights and will be a vote to bring us a much safer and more hopeful future.
Cate Crue, Lolo
Serious issues will be decided Nov. 4
There’s a powerful saying: “bad things happen when good people stay silent.”
An employee of mine just went through a hellish experience with our health-care system. Aside from the emotional duress, the mismanagement of her situation will cost her thousands of dollars. How many of you have faced a similar situation? How many of you are wondering if your business or household will weather current economic conditions?
I’m writing this letter because there’s an important election just weeks away. Good people of Montana, please don’t be sidetracked by false issues intended to take your attention away from what really matters - your future, the future of your loved ones and the future of our planet. It’s hard to cut through the rhetoric right now, but do the research. Who truly is going to help the middle class? I’ve always told myself to vote for the best candidate. I’ve been willing to cross party lines for the greater good. Right now we are all concerned about issues that hit home, hit our pocketbook, and affect the type of world our children will inherit and so much more. I will not vote for a candidate whose best friends are CEOs of multinational corporations, many headquartered in the Middle East. I will not support Sen. John McCain because his voting record mirrored a president who tanked our economy and our good standing in the global community.
When I was a young professional working for Fortune 500 companies that received disproportionate tax cuts, I waited to see if that “trickle down” theory would help families and children who were falling through the cracks. Years later, I’m still waiting.
I urge you to vote for the candidate who best represents your concerns and your vision for our country moving forward. For me, that candidate is Sen. Barack Obama.
Katherine Ord, Dillon
Who will unite America again?
As I look around here in Missoula, in Montana, in this great country, I see so much good. People who care, who are still bringing food down to the food banks, or helping the homeless. People who are working hard to ensure that everyone has the opportunity and right to cast their voice, their vote for the person that best fits their values. People retraining mill workers as the housing and timber markets slump. And people, too, who care about this land, this planet in many, many ways.
Those who would strengthen this country don’t use weakness and fear; they look for, value and bring out the best of who we all are. There’s much to be concerned about, yes, and there’s also incredible goodness, kindness, integrity and fortitude in us all.
Our prominence isn’t due to our financial or military prowess - that can change in a heartbeat, whether that “heartbeat” is a year ... or a century. Our prominence, our strength is the core ideals of this nation: the ability to disagree (sometimes intensely) and still hold hands. The willingness to find and foster the best in each other, regardless of skin color, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, political perspectives. That is the tremendous strength and gift and true power of this country.
Our security isn’t in things. It’s in each other. Abraham Lincoln saw it clearly: a nation divided against itself cannot stand.
Who will help us all hold hands?
Joni Packard, Lolo
Stealing income, yard signs is a sin
“Thou shalt not steal.” - Exodus 20:15.
For those who stole my McCain-Palin yard sign: Please return it and you will be absolved of your sin. For those who steal Obama signs: Do the same for those folks. Stealing is not free speech - it is a sin.
I have concluded that you Obamaniacs believe in Marxism just like Senator Barack Obama does. Yes, he is a Marxist/socialist et al. You can research him out on various Web sites but one of the best and most easily understood is www.americanthinker.com. If you have the courage to go there and read tons of stuff on his alliances with ACORN, the unrepentant American terrorist Bill Ayers and the radical America-hating and former spiritual adviser to Obama, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, you may still come to your senses before it’s too late.
Again, please remember, “thou shalt not steal.” I realize that is hard for leftists to swallow since stealing in the form of taxation from us working folk to redistribute to the lazies of our nation is what you and Obama are all about.
Vote McCain-Palin and all Republicans. They will keep you safe from all terrorists and not spend as much as Democrats will and are doing, and certainly not tax us into poverty as liberal Democrats.
Karen Thomas, Missoula
Obama doesn’t answer questions
Obama, Obama, Obama. That is all we hear. As if he is our savior or something. It is strange, though, how we want to send a boy to do a man’s job. As if he has any of the answers. Talk is cheap. They can say anything and you believe it.
Yes, he speaks well, but for all that he has said, he hasn’t said anything. Promises, promises, promises. Like the old adage says, they were made to be broken, and they will be if he gets in. He has promised to raise taxes in 2010. Watch your TV, Fox channel. That tells it all.
All of these people who think he is “the answer” better listen a little closer. He never answers any questions; he always evades them.
Everyone thought Clinton was “so cute” but cute doesn’t cut it. It doesn’t make for a good president. Looks are only skin deep. You have to look at the heart. Look what we got.
He says “trust him, he will fix things.” I don’t think so. He is taking a part of his speech from John F. Kennedy when he said “don’t ask what my country can do for me but, what I can do for my country. ” That was Kennedy’s line.
His speech writers are having to reach back into the archives to try to come up with something new for him. But, guess what, it has all been said before he was even born. He isn’t very original.
Helen Wylie, Missoula
Requiring a park is unfair, costly
On Nov. 4, the Missoula City Council will hear public comment on a proposal that would mandate builders of minor subdivisions (four or five units) to dedicate a portion of the buildable area to “park land.” Furthermore, the proposal ambiguously asks to have the calculation methods for “park-land dedication” changed for multi-family lots, undoubtedly to increase it.
I don’t believe that parks and gardens, with all that they add to our community, could ever be perceived as a bad thing, but mandating their creation through legislation is. Developers face a number of bureaucratic hoops they are forced to jump through, each of which costs them time and money. When so many of our jobs here in Missoula are building-related, and our economy is (to say the least) troubled, do we really want to add another hoop?
Missoula has great parks already, and recreational facilities that would make some larger cities jealous; why can’t we be happy with that?
Wes Delano, Missoula
Governor should interfere
I was most happy to be informed by a guest column written by Jay Klawon, president of the Public Employees Retirement Board. The column spoke of interference by Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s office in the work of the board in the Teacher’s Retirement System, Public Employee’s Retirement System and Sheriff’s Retirement System.
The summary is “life would be easier” for the board if the governor had his way. This interference is quite alarming, to say the least. Schweitzer has taken it upon his office to intervene and inject himself and regulation upon the Montana Public Employee Retirement Board.
The whole informative column is too long for me to recount here, but for anyone interested, and you all should be, it was published in the Oct. 10 Missoulian, page B5.
I am glad when those of us in the heartland are able to be informed of what our government does. Thank you, Jay Klawon.
It has been noted that Schweitzer and his budget director can be vindictive. We will be watching, governor.
Polly Surratt, Missoula
Democrats aren’t to blame
I read Mike Nordquist’s alternative universe letter to the editor (Oct. 9) claiming Democrats caused the mortgage crisis.
Nordquist stated that the proposal for more regulations and oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005) was not passed because “the vote was along party lines, with Republicans voting for it and Democrats against it. Consequently, it never got out of committee. It is of great importance to note that Barack Obama voted against this reform.”
The 109th Congress (2005-2006) had a Republican majority. The committee that considered the act was chaired by Richard Shelby, a Republican, and was made up of 11 Republicans and nine Democrats. If the vote was along party lines, as Nordquist claims, it would have passed. The proposal could have passed committee and been brought to the Senate floor had the GOP members supported it.
Also, Barack Obama was not on that committee and did not have the opportunity to vote one way or another on the proposal.
Notably, Sen. Chuck Hagel reintroduced the proposal in 2007 and Sen. John McCain has not publicly supported the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2007, which remains pending.
I would suggest to Nordquist that he check his facts when trying to assign blame to the Democrats. They did not achieve a majority in the House and Senate until the 2006, so his blame is misplaced. It is the failed policies and freewheeling maverick deregulation policies of McCain and George Bush that have given us Enron, unrestrained greed on Wall Street, a misguided war with no end in sight, the largest government ever, the largest deficit ever, the loss of respect of the world and the acceptance of the notion that it is all right to make up anything you want to win as long as you win in the end.
Mike Matthews, Missoula
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