I confess that I avoid political discussions with certain family members. And I have even, occasionally, dismissed views very different from my own. But I am not an elected legislator. Senator Daines is, yet he has refused to hold public meetings to discuss his SB 2206, which releases five Wilderness Study Areas in Montana, two here in Ravalli County. According to news reports, he has either avoided those who oppose the bill or labeled and then dismissed them as “green decoys” or “wilderness people.”
Well, Senator Daines, as a Montana senator, you represent ALL of the people of the state, including those of us who identify as green and/or as wilderness advocates. Hold public meetings on this and other controversial issues that may arise. Your positions may not alter as a result, but at least you would hear a wider range of opinions and thus represent our state with more integrity.
Michelle Long
Stevensville