by Donald Gardner, Corvallis
Many Montanans, like people across the country, have a tough time making ends meet and paying bills for essential needs. The Republican party has the political power in our state and nationally. What are these folks with Rs behind their names doing with their power and what are they doing to help the voters who gave them power? Policing the hall bathrooms? Is that helping you find affordable childcare? Slapping tariffs on our friendly neighbors, Canada and Mexico? How is that working out for Montana farmers and ranchers trying to make a living selling their products on the global market? How is that helping shoppers afford produce at the grocery store or buy a car or truck built with steel and parts from those countries? Or how does it help a contractor find affordable lumber to build needed housing? Making sure the almost nonexistent transgender boy isn’t playing on a girls’ sports team? How is that helping you find affordable health care?
Keep in mind that Republican representative, Ryan Zinke, voted for over $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid while the Republican U.S. Congress looks for a way to allocate $4.5 trillion to extend tax breaks for the wealthy. Representative Zinke is more interested in reminding anybody within earshot that he was a Navy Seal and making sure any camera within a half mile captures him wearing his cowboy hat than he is in helping Montanans in need.
The Republicans in power aren’t interested in governing and finding ways to help the voters who continue to put them in power. Culture wars and chaos aren’t helping Montanans trying to find affordable childcare, food, housing and healthcare. These are the issues that are important to families and the issues the Democratic party has always fought for. But these issues keep getting put on the shelf so that those currently in power can showboat and “own the libs.”
Bill Cavanaugh says
Such Crap. Medicaid is not in peril, nor is social security. This argument is as old a Joe Biden. Eggs are down, gas is down, border crossings are down. maybe you need to zip it.
Rick Borden says
Mr. Cavanaugh, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the price of gas in the $2.70/ gallon range late fall, early winter? Do you have actual numbers on the price of eggs? How much have they come down? Bird flu has had a negative impact on eggs which will likely continue due to the overall reduction in the number of chickens in an attempt to control the bird flu outbreak. Until chicken flocks recover prices are going to fluctuate and this will definitely take time. So please don’t think they will be back to affordable soon. I agree that news reports seem to indicate border crossings are down, but how about the legality of some of the deportations?
Not sure if you are social security age yet, but sounds as though you would be willing to follow the thinking of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, when he stated his 94 year old mother-in-law would not be concerned if one of her monthly SS checks was delayed or held over until the following month. Do you have a billionaire parent or in-law who can help tide you over? He also stated anyone who would “raise hell” must be a fraudster. I do collect a monthly SS check, and fortunately I would be able to survive a missed check, but consider me a fraudster because I would “raise hell”..
And I hope you are not dependent on Medicaid, but there are many folks and children who are. Yes, I’m sure some of them bend the rules to qualify, but the overwhelming majority do not.
What do you think about the possible freezing of federal programs that help support the Montana Food Bank network?