FOR Repealing the Ravalli County Growth Policy

Local Control or Freedom?
By Dan Cox, author of the ballot issue initiative

They think Federal and State government aren’t controlling you enough. They want local control over you. It will cost you fees, higher taxes, your property rights and your freedom.

The Growth Policy and Zoning are the tools they need in order to accomplish this control over you. Our county attorney stated,” Zoning is the primary way you implement a Growth Policy.”

We begged and pleaded for a vote on Zoning. At every turn they said, “NO.” Why? Because they knew we had no say. After all they hold the trump card, The Growth Policy. If you want to fight every oppressive Zoning regulation they are planning, be ready to gather 5,000 signatures every week just to get the right to vote on it. This is the power the Growth Policy holds. They can enact enough Zoning that finally we all give in.

They are so confident in their trump card that they are still trying to enact Streamside Zoning in the Darby School District, even though 75.4% voted No Zoning in Darby. They are thinking of switching streamside setbacks to an ordinance instead of zoning. Why? So they can use a loophole to dodge the Darby vote and the Growth Policy repeal vote.

They used your tax money to pass the resolution supporting the Growth Policy, to sway the vote. They support the power to control us, we get it. They shouldn’t have used our tax dollars to get that point across.

Remember they also supported the Zoning when it proposed restricting churches, searches of our property without a warrant, taking our grandfather rights if our homes burn down, permits for everything, taking away mass acreage from of our property with setbacks, etc.

The Growth Policy and Zoning won’t stop subdivisions. In fact, Flat Iron is trying to annex into Hamilton, which has Zoning. Take a drive across the country, it’s one subdivision after another because of Zoning.

Our county commissioners have broken our trust. We need to take away their authority to Zone us. Then in two years our county will have a chance to get 3 new commissioners and a new county attorney that will protect our freedoms and property rights. Our county attorney’s opinion is clear. He believes that our commissioners can use our tax money to sway elections in their favor. The words, “PROTECT PROPERTY RIGHTS” in the Growth Policy means absolutely nothing while they’re in office.

I think our freedom and property rights are too sacred to put in the hands of commissioners and county attorneys, who don’t respect us enough to enact zoning that does protect our property rights and freedoms.

Defend Freedom!!

Vote FOR Repealing The Growth Policy.

AGAINST Repealing the Ravalli County Growth Policy

Save the Growth Policy?
By Veto J. “Sonny” LaSalle, Co-Chair, Ravalli County Planning Board 2000-2002

Save the Growth Policy! Why?

Yes, we should save the Growth Policy by voting Against the Repeal of the Growth Policy.

First a little history! The newly formed eleven-member County Planning Board decided in 2000 to develop a Growth Policy by having a diverse group of citizens actually determine what was in the Policy. There are seven school districts in the County and over 400 people served on Focus Groups in these seven districts to develop goals centered on the values they wanted to protect and/or emphasize. This effort produced a large amount of similar and diverse information. The similar information was consolidated into a rough set and given to a group called the All Valley Focus Group. This Group was made up of twenty-one very diverse people – three from each of the seven school district Focus Groups. The All Valley Focus Group met three or four times a month for almost a year. They used a consensus method to agree on wording and I was their facilitator for every meeting.

The consensus method means there were no votes and every member had veto power. That’s right, there were no winners and losers from voting, and every word had to be agreed to by all twenty-one members present at the meeting.

This means that every member of the All Valley Focus Group approved every word in the chapter on County Wide Goals, Objectives and Action Items. The County Commissioners approved the Policy in December 2002. The Commissioners then tinkered with the Growth Policy between 2002 and the vote in 2004, but the basic Goals did not change.

The Growth Policy is a long-range vision document that describes the values the citizens of this County want to see protected. It is not a regulatory document, but it can and often will lead to regulations that must meet the intent of the Growth Policy. The Open Space Bond passed by voters is a direct result of having a Growth Policy. The present effort of zoning has resulted in the misguided effort to repeal the Growth Policy. Zoning is allowed for in the Growth Policy, but it is a separate process with a scheduled vote of its own in November 2010. Version A of zoning was a mistake and version B was an even bigger mistake, and people are afraid of intrusive actions by local government. The zoning effort is far from over, so if you are concerned about zoning get involved in the process and vote in November 2010.

Repealing the Growth Policy is a shortsighted effort to stop a zoning process that is not even close to completion. It is not smart, nor is it in the best interest of our county’s future.

Our Growth Policy, developed by our citizens, is about values that we all consider an integral part of our quality of life. The Growth Policy DOES NOT INFRINGE ON YOUR PROPERTY RIGHTS, in fact, it is intended to protect your property and your quality of life. Keep the vision of our future in our hands.

Vote AGAINST Repealing the Growth Policy.

Letters to the Editor

Right candidate, right priorities

Dear Editor,

In 2004, the program MAPS, Media Arts in the Public Schools, was introduced to the Valley by a local entrepreneur, who has now become a candidate for the State Legislature. Within 4 years the program went from $35,000-40,000 a year locally, to $160,000 a year nationally, involving NO taxpayer money!

The program gave a "sense of direction" to students that were more Liberal Arts inclined as an alternative to athletics, our daughter being one of them.

Peter Rosten, the author of the MAPS program, has always had a keen sense of priorities, placing kids first, and now placing Country before party commitment.

Although not in Peter Rosten's voting district, I strongly endorse him as a candidate, and if able would vote for him without hesitation.

It is Rosten's style of leadership that is seriously needed today regardless of what your political affiliation may be....

The right candidate...Peter Rosten… And the right priorities!

Dan DePauw
Stevensville

Support for repeal of Growth Policy

Dear Editor,

As accusations bandy between those who want to repeal the Growth Policy and those who wish to keep it mount and the election draws near, it is important to keep one central premise in mind: Freedom is the issue.

Last week my wife and I, while distributing signs that advocate Ravalli County citizens to vote FOR repealing the Growth Policy, decided to drop by an address of an older couple who had signed our petition only to discover that a renter now lived there and that the couple had lost (or were in the process of losing) their property due to the "interim zoning law" which only allows one dwelling upon two acres of ground. Sadly, the husband had suffered an illness, which left him unable to farm his small place and they were counting on selling off a piece in order to retain the property passed down from his grandparents but were unable to find a buyer, who would be restricted by the interim zoning rule. Granted, this couple may have lost their place in the long run, but as they stated, all of their potential buyers lost interest as soon as the two-for-one rule became law in Ravalli County. Earlier they had told us that they were hoping to hold out until the Growth Policy was repealed. Obviously they couldn't. It is unintended consequences such as this that most will never hear about or see when centralized planning is in effect.

The Growth Policy as its advocates say has no rules or restrictions for private property land use, however as Montana State law dictates: without a Growth Policy locally elected officials cannot institute zoning or streamside setbacks (zoning around water sources). In other words all land use will fit more closely by the dictates of the Montana State Constitution, which for now, protects individual rights to land ownership and use. Giving the power to regulate land use to a local board of Commissioners is like giving them the power to change the rules at any time or in any way they choose as long as a few formalities are followed such as incorporating citizen input. (I have seen that in action personally by attending Growth Policy meetings and identifying the same twenty to forty individuals moving from meeting to meeting giving the impression that these meetings were well attended by the local folks).

Our elected officials now want us to sit back down at the game table as players.

But, it may be too late. Who wants to get back in a game where the officials can change the rules at any time and in any way they want?

How many have played a game of Monopoly where someone cheats? It is especially difficult to win when the cheater is the Banker and controls the money (think Federal Reserve and the present economic situation). Let's say that the Banker not only controls the wealth but is allowed to change the rules as the game goes along. For instance, whenever he or his designated partner-players lands on a property which you have purchased, they can pass on paying the rent. Or just when you pass Go you are told that since this is the xth time (any number to replace the variable x is allowed by the banker) that you have passed Go you must pay instead of receiving $200. Or houses or hotels are not allowed on the properties you have purchased. You get the picture.

Now, you might stay in the game for the amusement of watching the antics of the cheater and what motivates her, or you might get up from the table and find some other entertainment. After all it is just a game and you are free to not join in. Not so in the game of "Growth Policy", a serious game that, if it continues, gives the power to change the game rules to the County Commissioners however and whenever they wish by just following a few guidelines.

What the advocates of voting For Repealing the Growth Policy are offering is for you, who have placed your hard work and effort into your properties, to be able to get up and walk away from the game table and the County Commissioners, who are and will constantly be finding ways to change the rules of the game.

David A. Merrick
Corvallis

Repealing Growth Policy will protect us all

Dear Editor,

The process of working toward what is good for the overall community isn’t so difficult if we follow correct principles and understand that the proper role of government is to protect our rights, not usurp them. However, the current Growth Policy will saddle us with more big government, with its accompanying expense, and loss of property rights. This is a premium example of why our Founding Fathers considered Democracy to be the vilest of all governments, and established for us a Republic. We are protected by the Constitution which gives us the “rule of law” which means we have the right to property which a democratic majority cannot take away from us (except by subversion.) What this Growth Policy will do is to get the government to do something that you or I would not legally or morally have the right to do to our neighbors individually. We must not trample our Constitution (and the right of each of us to own and do with our property what we desire as long as it doesn’t infringe on others’ rights.)

First we must wake up and realize that the growth policy will not stop big developers; it will aid them, giving them a virtual monopoly over property, which is why they are backing it.

Second, realize that the current growth policy guidelines puts your property in the hands of five commissioners and city hall to zone according to their opinions. It would make Karl Marx proud that state ownership of all property has been nearly achieved, with county wide zoning, in usurping our property rights. The end result will be a dramatic increase in all costs associated with home ownership due to the growth of government control. This is squeezing out the middle class, the backbone of America.

Third, see this issue for what it truly represents: a clear and honorable demonstration of an aroused and informed citizenry working to keep our God-given right to control our own property. Without that we have no true liberty, but socialism.

The “Preamble” to the Constitution introduces the Constitution’s purposes. “We the People… to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution…” which we are bound by true patriotic duty to sustain and defend. “We the people” at the local level must do what is just and proper for our common good, and right now in Ravalli County that means we must keep our God-given Constitutional right of property ownership and not turn it over to five county commissioners to decide what is ‘best’ for our individual lands. A vote for repealing the Growth Policy will be a vote for maintaining what we won from King George, our property rights, and a vote for keeping Ravalli County “the last best place.”

Art Baker
Stevensville

Support for Growth Policy

Dear Editor,

I am writing to voice my support for keeping the existing Ravalli County Growth Policy.

The campaign to repeal the Growth Policy is focused on stopping zoning. The blanket one-for-two zoning interim ordinance adopted two years ago expires on Nov. 7 and cannot be renewed. Retaining the growth policy preserves the status quo as it was two years ago prior to adoption of interim zoning.

Repealing the Growth Policy sets the county back several years. Without a Growth Policy in place Montana law prohibits any future adoption of zoning at the county level. Several years of community effort required to develop and adopt the existing Growth Policy would have to be repeated to readopt a new Growth Policy prior to any future voter consideration of a specific zoning proposal. Repealing the Growth Policy means abandoning any opportunity for local control of zoning versus statewide criteria.

Simple and straightforward zoning without unnecessary and overcomplicated permitting and government intrusion will make Ravalli County a better place to live, now and in the future. I do not want to create a situation in which there is no local alternative to zoning criteria imposed on a statewide basis. Keeping the existing Growth Policy in place retains the possibility for county residents to consider and vote on specific county level zoning regulations if and when they are presented.

I urge voters to vote against repealing the existing Growth Policy.

by Rick Fuhrman
Hamilton

Support for Obama

Dear Editor,

The last 8 years are a great example of “Privatizing Gains, Socializing Losses.” When times are good, deregulate further. Avoid oversight. The more greed and corruption, the better. But when times are bad, let the American people bail you out.

We’ve witnessed deregulation in the financial markets since Reagan. It continued under Clinton, then accelerated under Bush and a Republican Congress. Now we’re seeing firsthand the collapse of the bogus conservative theory of trickle down economics and extreme deregulation. Ironically its absolute failure is requiring unprecedented government intervention. We’ve got what conservatives and libertarians must hate- maximum government involvement verging on socialism. And guess who’s footing the bill? Joe 6-pack.

I’m angry and people are suffering. My retirement savings have been slashed. I hate bailing out unscrupulous lenders, speculators, Wall Streeters. But banks aren’t lending. Credit is frozen. It’s almost impossible to get a small business or car loan. Job losses are mounting. The pain has spread to Main Street and is worsening. Action needed to be taken and more needs to come.

We need common sense regulation. I don’t want heavy-handed regulations, but we need sensible regulations enacted. They’ll protect us from another greed-ridden catastrophe that leads to public bailouts (also known as higher taxes!).

John McCain claims to be a reformer. Don’t be fooled. He’s been a deregulator at every turn. A few weeks ago he said the fundamentals of the economy are strong. He’s out of touch. Heck, he’s got no clue how many houses he owns (Six? Eight? More?!).

We need fundamental change. We need a president and administration that looks out for average folks like you and me. Warren Buffet is America’s most famous and respected investor. He’s smart, plain spoken and from America’s Heartland. He supports Barack Obama. I’m with Mr. Buffet.

Van P. Keele
Hamilton

Support for Waterman

Dear Editor,

Vote for Ron Waterman for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This is the highest court in Montana. The person who holds the title of Chief Justice must be a person with the most qualifications and the least ties to Montana politicians. The choice is now clear – Ron Waterman is a distinguished attorney with experience in all areas of the law. In contrast, his opponent is a longtime politician and bureaucrat, who has spent his entire career representing the government. His opponent is the current Attorney General, Mike McGrath, who is being released from his job due to term limits.

I have done my homework on Ron Waterman, and have talked with him and his beautiful wife, Mignon. Married for 42 years, they have two grown children and two grandchildren. They live in Helena, where Ron has practiced law for nearly 40 years. He is a law school graduate from the Univ. of Montana. In contrast, I have tried to talk with his opponent many times in the past, only to be rebuked and told that the AG does not respond to average citizens.

Ron Waterman believes in “open government” and the requirement that local governments must comply with the Montana Constitution and Statutes. His opponent does not share these values. Ron Waterman also believes that citizens should be able to file legal complaints without having to hire an attorney. He feels that attorneys should be willing to accept occasional “pro bono” cases, and that there should be a reasonable way for citizens to get legal advice without the overwhelming expense of hiring an attorney. Ron disagrees with his opponent’s dislike of lengthy judicial opinions, because he sees that Supreme Court opinions serve to teach attorneys at every level how to present their cases for optimum results.

Ron Waterman has challenged his opponent to a series of debates in order to give voters a chance to ask questions to each of them. Unfortunately, his opponent has remained silent and has agreed to only two debates. I was lucky enough to see the first debate in Billings. It was an amazing experience. Ron Waterman answered every tough question with neutrality and the judgment of a gifted legal scholar.

The choice is clear. The person who is best equipped to handle the very important job of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is Ron Waterman. He is respected, he is experienced, and he is ready to serve the citizens of Montana in our highest court. Please join me in voting for Ron Waterman for Chief Justice.

Lorraine Crotty
Hamilton

Support for Obama

Dear Editor,

The melt-down on Wall Street and Washington D.C. brings into focus the wisdom of the Montana PSC to deny the acquisition of NorthWestern Energy by the Australian firm BBI just fifteen months ago. In recent months, both the U.S. and Australian operations of BBI have crashed, proof that PSC foresight protected Montana utility ratepayers.

Decisions of the Bush Administration and their allies, including Senator John McCain, to deregulate the financial services industry contributed to the house of cards which started falling on September 15. Instead of maintaining a sound and prudent regulatory environment for the financial services industry, they celebrated an unfettered market place.

Barack Obama warned of the impending problems in the financial services sector and offered corrections for those problems. His concerns were pooh-poohed by the Bush Administration and their allies. The costly “bail-out” offers proof that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

Repairing the damage to our national economy caused by policies of the Bush Administration will be a long and difficult process. We should entrust that repair work to those, like Senator Obama, who warned of the impending crisis before it occurred, not those who blindly created it.

Greg Jergeson
Chinook

Hailin’ Palin

Dear Editor,

I join with the tens of thousands of people that are impressed with Governor Sarah Palin. Regardless of political affiliation, one must admire her as a person, and as a woman.

She is attractive, articulate, athletic, intelligent, smart, a mother with a loving husband and family, and has many worthy accomplishments to her credit thus far in her young life.

I have noticed that her female detractors, from the local level to the national scene, are lacking in many of her wonderful qualities. I assume it is jealousy and envy, and really has nothing to do with Mrs. Palin’s political beliefs. Their disparaging remarks are unbecoming to them, as women, and they need to look into their mirrors, and into their hearts, and take an in-depth look at themselves.

However, I must admit, guys being guys, her popularity with the male gender might not be as high if her physical qualities were such as those of lady Democrats, Madeline Albright, Janet Reno or Helen Thomas.

David S. Hurtt
Florence

DeHaan and Meakin support school impact fees

Dear Editor,

Are you aware of state law concerning impact fees for schools, and how it will affect your property taxes?

State law permits local school districts to collect impact fees from subdividers, including out-of-state corporations, to be used for new school buildings needed because of growth, but only if all county commissioners vote to approve such fees. If impact fees are enacted, property taxes to pay for new school buildings will be lower.

So far, commissioner candidates DeHaan and Meakin have said they would support impact fees for schools, while Chilcott and Iman have been vague on the issue, not making it clear they would support such fees, or what dollar amount they would vote for.

Since school impact fees can only be set under strict guidelines by state law, and must be debated and approved in open public meetings by democratically elected school boards, one has to wonder why a county commissioner candidate would not agree to support such fees. If even one commissioner votes no, the property owners of the school district will have to pay higher property taxes in the future, so subdividers can make even higher profits today.

Kirk Thompson
Stevensville

A call to prayer and to vote

Dear Editor,

"I am not telling you what to do. I'm just telling you what I know." I know it is a blessing to live here in America where we have the right to vote. A freedom our men and women have fought and died for. I know this is a privilege, a duty, and a responsibility that we must not neglect, and that we must vote wisely and informed.

Obama, by his own voting record, was named America's most liberal senator. He supports killing unborn babies, including the horrible partial-birth procedure, and wants to use your tax dollars to help pay for this for women who cannot afford it.

He strongly supports stricter laws on gun control; open borders and favors giving citizenship to illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes. He has voted against protecting the American flag, against making English our official language, and against funding for our troops in Iraq.

Sen. Obama wants every state to recognize homosexual "marriages," guaranteeing that you and I pay for federal benefits to support homosexual "couples," and wants your children taught about this life style even in the 2nd grade. This of course would remove our freedom of speech if we speak out against it.

Is this really the man you want to run our nation?

I know this is a very critical election and we need to be in serious prayer for our nation. Pray that God will forgive our many sins, pray for mercy. Pray that God will intervene in this election, and that eyes would be open to the moral issues at stake. Pray for all our elected officials, Democrat and Republican. If we, as Christians, do not pray for our nation, who will? I know that God is ultimately in control, for it is He who raises up and puts down both kings and nations. Be sure to do your part and vote, and regardless of who is elected - keep on faithfully praying.

Grace Wilson
Stevensville

Don’t elect any more Democrats

Dear Editor,

Private property rights serve as one of the pillars of a free society. However, since Democrats have taken control of the Ravalli County Government we have seen an open attack on these rights.

Under the proposed Zoning Regulations all property in the county would basically belong to the County. Oh sure, you get to live on the property, but you cannot do anything on the property without first getting some county bureaucrat's approval. On top of that, you pay the County a permit fee before you can start your project. That sure doesn't sound like I own the property anymore.

This attack on our private property started in November of 2006 when we elected three Democrats to the County Commission. Let’s not make the same mistake again and elect any more Democrats this November.

Allen E. Barr
Stevensville

People of America, arise!

Dear Editor,

Contact your State Senators and Representatives. Contact your National Senators and Representatives. Demand that they follow the footsteps of our Founding Fathers and return to the Gold Standard. Demand that they return the authority for our economy back to the United States of America's Department of the Treasury. Dissolve the manipulative Federal Reserve System. And claim our V-I-C-T-O-R-Y over all advocates for world government. Their day is done!

D.M. Field
Hamilton

Support for McCain

Dear Editor,

Susan Johnson, regarding your recent letter on why Obama is the right choice for our country, I read your letter twice and you say Obama has clear convictions with true perspective and is earnestly concerned about helping the "average citizen." Obama's background reveals that he attended a racist church for over 20 years listening to the likes of Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Further his income tax records state that he gave over $22,000 to this same church where he now says he never heard the divisive sermons. So how can you, Susan Johnson, say "he is one of us"? Obama said prior to running for political office he was a community organizer. In other words he was part of an organization that would help get people politically organized, hardly a position that qualifies a person to be the President, much less Commander-in-Chief. Obama has changed his perspective several times while campaigning so it's hard for me to know what his true perspective is, e.g. the American military should get out of Iraq, no we should stay, the "surge" is not working, the "surge" is working, he will raise taxes, and maybe he will raise taxes later.

You say that Montana has a failing economy. Strange, I was at the debate of the candidates for Governor at the University of Montana on Monday, September 15th and Brian Schweitzer said we here in Montana have a healthy economy and he has added 50,000 new jobs to the economy since taking office. Some of the job increase areas are high tech, medical and energy supply in Eastern Montana.

You state in your letter that Alaska is a unique place because it has a budget surplus that allows the state to return $2,000 a year plus to its citizens. I submit Alaska has a budget surplus because the citizens of that state chose to develop the natural resources of that state and the Alaskan politicians have an ability to manage their budget and live within their means, a lifestyle choice other states should strive to do.

As anyone who alleges to have been a political watcher knows Senator John McCain started out as a naval aviator serving both Republican and Democrats as an American serviceman. John McCain also graduated from college at West Point and yes, while in service to his country he was shot down, severely injured, captured, and held as a POW for approximately seven years. As an officer in the United States Navy by duty assignment and definition, Senator John McCain was a leader of men and women.

Further, John McCain has been a Congressional Representative and then a United States Senator for over 26 years of service. I would ask other Bitterroot veteran pilots to write in and enlighten "us" about the duties required of military pilots.

While serving in his capacity as Senator, John McCain has disagreed with his party many times, e.g. campaign finance reform, security of the southern border, and various gun issues. Can you tell me when Barack Obama has shown this kind of leadership and taken a stand different from the Democratic Party line?

You state you were a leader in your profession as a teacher and mentored teachers. Then why have American students done so poorly when stacked up against students from around the world?

Nowhere in your letter do you give any concrete examples of Obama's qualifications, vocational or otherwise, to be President of the United States of America other than he "cares."

Fred Fowler
Stevensville

Repeal the Growth Policy!

Dear Editor,

My son recently called me. Dad, I want to build a one-car garage. The city wants $5000 and a blueprint from a certified architect. They also said there’s no guarantee they would approve the garage and I could lose my $5000 fee. What should I do?

I said, Son, move to Montana, we don’t have zoning here. Well, not yet anyway. We are voting to repeal a Growth Policy in November. If we lose that vote then we will also have zoning here in Ravalli County, much like the zoning you now have in Connecticut.

He went on to tell me of the outrageous fees just for him to improve his home. New roof zoning fees first, new siding zoning fees, new trees zoning fees… sounds like your property rights are completely gone once zoning is in place.

I have never heard of any county being able to get rid of zoning either, once it’s in place. Much like a state or city or county tax, once the tax gets in place it’s there forever and we Americans are forced to pay it.

The money, where does it go? Who gets this money? If you listen to the world news recently, you will find many states are going bankrupt. They are broke. Where did all the money go from the zoning fees they collected? No one seems to know the answer to that question. Where’s the money and were did it go?

Through the subdivision laws that we already have in place I know firsthand the commissioners took from me $108,000 in pro rata fees to pave the roads like a highway which are still not done and the have told me they won’t ever be done. They took the cash and now it’s gone and the roads in front of my five-lot subdivision are dirt and will always be dirt until the day I die.

I’m against zoning. I am glad I collected the signature needed to put this issue of voting on the November election to repeal the Growth Policy. Make your voice be heard loud and clear. Vote to repeal the Growth Policy and kill zoning. Don’t let the commissioners decide your fate and your future.

Joey Smith
Stevensville

Support for Rosten

Dear Editor,

Peter Rosten, candidate for House District 87, is someone who knows the value of quality education and how that serves as a life-long benefit to recipients and those they affect. Further, Peter is focused on 21st century skills acquisition for our sons and daughters and knows first-hand that there is nothing more important than that those skills translate to employment opportunities in the world-wide market.

Peter established MAPS (Media Arts Program in the Schools) at no cost to participating districts. Through Peter's fund-raising efforts students were able to employ state-of-the-art electronic equipment to create projects from the personal to the corporate-funded national campaign. Along the way MAPS fostered these necessary skills in our students: visioning, team-building, cooperation, communication, audience-awareness, revisioning, and product creation. Thus have his students seemlessly graduated into the wider world of paychecks (and attendant benefits). This is a record of accomplishment Peter will certainly employ for all Montana students once he's elected.

Peter Rosten's top priority is solid, forward-looking educational opportunity for our children. In the long-run we will all benefit from the results of his legislative advocacy of our children and their educational opportunity. I urge you to cast your ballot for Peter Rosten on November 4th.

Bain Robinson
Corvallis

Shameful tactics

Dear Editor,

I'm no rabid Republican or Democrat who feels the need to beat others into mental submission to one party or the other, nor do I typically feel the need to write letters to the editor, however, I simply can't let this one go.

According to the news reports I have read covering the McCain campaign rallies over the last week, to be opposed to Socialism is hateful and racist. Interesting, I thought it was simply American. To reveal the less than ideal personal connections of a potential American president is hateful and racist. I must be living under a rock. I thought this is what one does when they are competing for the top position in the land. What happened to the phrase "mean spirited"? Isn't that what we used to call it when the political parties dug up dirt on one another and started sharing it with the public? Wait, I think that's what we called "mud-slinging" before the more polite phrase came along.

This is absurd. Most all the commentary I've read is dominated by persons in favor of Obama who rail against the hatefullness and ignorance of Republicans while they themselves color their writings with the most wicked and hateful words they can conjure! What happened to reason and logic?

The Democratic Party’s application of the word “racism” to the Republican Party’s effort to reveal facts about Mr. Obama’s less than ideal personal connections and his socialst bent is appalling. Were the tables turned and the Democratic Party to be revealing these exact same imperfections in Mr. McCain one could hardly cry “racism.” Mr. Obama is hiding behind the word. What word with powerful meaning does Mr. McCain have to hide behind? None that I know of. He is required to man-up and take the hits while Mr. Obama is allowed to feign injury and huddle behind the pain of many years of violence toward African Americans.

To cry “racism” is shameful and sick, revealing a decided lack of regard toward those who have actually endured its violence in this country. How can Mr. Obama permit his party to throw this word around as if it meant nothing at all? How can any of us sit back and allow party politics to use this word and its implications in an attempt to manipulate the opinions of people? Why are those who have actually lived with racism in America not outraged at this cheapening of their mistreatment?

Words do have meaning and power. They are our primary means of conveying our minds and hearts. How are we to teach our children the evil of racism when our country's potential leader uses the word itself in such a way as to diminish its meaning?

Sandra McNamara
Stevensville

Support for Meakin

Dear Editor,

By all appearances, Greg Chilcott seems like a nice guy. He’s friendly, smiles a lot, and has a humorous word for everyone. Unfortunately, it takes more than that to be an effective County Commissioner. What has Chilcott done for Ravalli County, outside of helping out-of-state developers come to the County and do whatever they like, wherever they like?

Other than construction, Greg Chilcott hasn’t brought any jobs to Ravalli County. Construction is cyclical and seasonal at best, and not everyone can be a construction worker. Without other jobs in the Valley, how can construction be sustained? Who is going to live in those newly built houses, if they have no way to pay for it?

In Greg Chilcott’s six years in office, road conditions have deteriorated significantly. Throughout the County, I drive on washboard roads, streets with broken asphalt sides encroaching towards the center, poorly patched roads, and paved roads that are full of potholes. Has Greg Chilcott called for an audit, or requested any kind of accountability from the head of the Road Department? Greg Chilcott voted to buy a gravel crusher that operates one day a week, while costing the County $76,000 a year just for the loan, not including operating costs. Meanwhile the County still buys gravel and trucks it from one end of the county to the other. Capable leadership does not allow unbridled growth without providing the infrastructure and services that growth creates. These greatly stressed and poorly maintained roads cannot support the thousands of new cars that mega-subdivisions will bring.

Greg Chilcott has said that he supports zoning. Based on his voting record, the only version of zoning he would accept is the one proposed by builders that wanted mega-subdivisions throughout the County, eliminating open space and the rural character of the Valley. Greg Chilcott says it is the right of the citizens to vote on zoning. How many times do we have to vote for something to make it count? The Growth Policy was voted for in 2004 and won by a two to one margin. Do we have to vote on an issue until it has the outcome Greg Chilcott wants?

Nobody likes being told what to do. We all want to make our own decisions. It may not matter what zoning is proposed, or whether or not a person can vote on it. Some people just don’t like rules in general. With greater population, comes a need for greater regulation. It’s not pleasant, but it helps to maintain a community. Gone are the days when you can just ask your neighbor not to do something that would negatively impact your property values. Now, it’s all about “what’s in it for me” and “everyone else be damned.”

When asked what those opposed to zoning propose as an alternative, to find a way to direct the growth coming to Ravalli County, nothing is offered. They don’t know what should be done, they just know it shouldn’t be zoning. Greg Chilcott seems content to let this continue without offering anything beneficial or constructive to the process. Instead, his position has been to say that he favors something, but he doesn’t yet know what because it hasn’t been brought to him yet. The job of a County Commissioner is to offer solutions, not just the procedure for torpedoing the process. Leaders respect the input offered by all citizens, like those that created the Growth Policy, not just the method to destroy what that citizenry, over many years and volunteer hours, has established.

The reality is that growth is happening, and will continue to happen. Now is our chance to direct that growth and decide what we want the Valley to look like. It may not affect those down in Darby right now, but it will, and it’s certainly having an effect on those that live farther north. Schools are overcrowded, roads are in deplorable condition, the emergency services are underfunded, and these things are certainly not going to improve with the cuts to funding that we are experiencing. We need someone who has the ability to make sound fiscal decisions for this County. We need a leader who isn’t going to focus all his energy on rampant and random development, which exacerbates the problem. Rowing a boat harder doesn’t help if it’s pointed in the wrong direction.

John Meakin has been called the guy from California who has come to Montana to tell us what to do. The truth is, he and his wife are Navy veterans and public servants who couldn’t choose where to live until they retired. They chose Ravalli County. It’s Chilcott, the lifelong resident of Ravalli County, who is encouraging the mega-subdivisions. Chilcott is the one that is turning Ravalli County into Orange County, California. What’s next, “The Real Housewives of the Bitterroot Valley”?

November 4th is the day when the citizens of Ravalli County can make a difference in our future. I encourage you to vote AGAINST the repeal of the Growth Policy - don’t throw away the time and energy devoted by your fellow citizens, and approved by voters, to a vocal minority, supported by mega-developers, with self-serving, shortsighted interests. Vote for fiscal responsibility, reasonable land-use planning, and sustainable economic development by voting for John Meakin, or you can vote for the continuation of rampant development, no jobs, and a general lack of services by voting for Chilcott.

We need a Commissioner that understands the problems we face and offers real and solid solutions. The people in Ravalli County need a leader and a problem solver, and that’s John Meakin.

Cheryl Tenold
Stevensville

Don’t worry about voter registration fraud

Dear Editor,

My reason for writing is, hopefully, to allay concerns about voter registration fraud.

Yes, some nincompoops filled out requests to register for Mickey Mouse etc; but I have confidence that voter registration offices will weed these out and keep the actual voter lists clean and correct. I am concerned, however, by attempts to go outside normal registration procedures to challenge requests to register.

In several toss up States, an effort has been made to check new requests to register against pre-existing government lists, like driver’s licenses, to kick out mismatches, which are possibly fraudulent. Such talk is causing unnecessary concerns.

If Montana voter lists were run against Montana driver’s license lists, a computer would probably kick my name out as a mismatch. Why?

In every State in which I’ve lived, driver’s license clerks automatically recorded my maiden name as my middle name, or the first letter of my maiden name as my middle initial, even over my objection. I have always used the first letter of my middle name as my middle initial, for all legal documents and other purposes like voter registration. A computer would identify this as a mismatch.

The Supreme Court correctly denied the Ohio Republican Party’s attempt to use lists like driver’s licenses to challenge voter registration requests. I have confidence that our and other voter registration offices can keep the final voter lists clean and correct.

Claire Kelly
Stevensville

Obama is anti-gun

Dear Editor,

American patriot Patrick Henry said, "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging the future but by the past."

Governor Schweitzer has said about Obama, "He ain't going to take your gun away."

If we use Patrick Henry's standard of judging the future by the past, Schweitzer's statement becomes just another political lie.

In his political career, Obama has supported: One bill that would ban nearly every hunting rifle, shotgun and target rifle, another bill that would shut down law-abiding firearm manufacturers, and also a complete ban on handgun ownership. He has said he will support banning all self-loading firearms and prohibit the transfer of firearms between private individuals without government permission and government records of the transfer. Obama has opposed allowing people to use firearms to defend themselves and their families, and voted to allow the criminal prosecution of people who use firearms in self-defense. Obama supported a proposal which would eliminate

almost every gun store in America.

Further, Obama has been endorsed by America's leading gun-ban

advocates. He's their guy.

Obama's for-campaign rhetoric simply does not match his long record of opposing lawful gun ownership. He appears to accept the words of Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

If Obama is willing to ban all handguns, ban all self-loading

firearms, ban all hunting rifles and shotguns, and prohibit use of firearms for self defense, all commonly-owned firearms will be affected. Virtually all gun owners will suffer.

I'm with Patrick Henry on this: Judge the future by the past, not by what a grasping politician promises. Any gun owners who wish to retain their guns must NOT vote for Obama.

Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association

Support for Republicans

Dear Editor,

I am going to graduate from Stevi in several months from now. I am very thankful that my parents taught all of us to think for ourselves and check all of our sources before we believed something. I believe our country is in an unbelievably embarrassing and frightening mess. Obama is a liar and knows he can’t win honestly so he has to rely on corruption, deception, dirty money. And voter-fraud like Tester - It takes more than a hat and a smile and a big buckle to be a leader.

Obama illegally accepts donations from foreigners and terrorists and his wife is disrespectful of America. Obama is so afraid of Sarah that he has to send tens of “investigators” to scrape up any dirt that would help him not have to face her. Get used to her, dude. Obama is not cool, he is a cold and smug robot. Every response intentionally designed to fool unsuspecting stupid blind sheep who believe the media and commercials. If being President required being a slick, eloquent, hypnotic speaker, Obama would win hands down. Now wouldn’t that be an Obama-nation? If there weren’t so many of us that researched Obama and know the truth he might really be ahead in the polls! Those are just pre-destined results anyway. Can you say desperate? For healthy and prosperous America, tell Obama to keep his change, or that is all you will be left with! If you think people are more important than varmints that naturally die off, you want to vote for JR Iman and Greg Chilcott as our Commissioners as the other three are deceptive and do not have your best interests at heart. Vote McCain and Sarah! Vote Republican all the way!

Becky Kulonis
Stevensville

Support for Chilcott and Iman

Dear Editor,

Nineteen percent of the land in the valley is privately owned. The balance is national forest and publicly owned land that will never be developed for anything.

Ten percent of the 19% is already zoned because it falls within city limits. That leaves less than 10% of land that the Democrat Commissioners want to control for us. Their idea of preventing this urban sprawl that is supposed to happen is not our idea. After all the publicity and exposure of their hidden agendas, they now say they want us to trust them and that they will let us vote on what we may do with our own property. No, we say we will vote! There are regulations already in place to protect us and the environment. The Dems are working for monied companies back east who have plans for your own property. That is why you see these expensive ads everywhere, while the Republican candidates cannot afford them. You know what to do. Vote for the good guys... Commissioners JR Iman and Greg Chilcott.

Ken Kulonis
Stevensville

143 days

Dear Editor,

From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a US Senator, until the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That is how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander in Chief, leader of the free world...143 days. You could not get a job at McDonalds's and become District Manager after 143 days of experience. You could not become Chief of Surgery after 143 days of experience of being a surgeon. You could not get a job as a Teacher and be the Superintendent after 143 days. You could not join the Military and become a Colonel after 143 days of experience. You could not get a job as a Reporter and become the Nightly News Anchor after 143 days of experience. But...we all have to start somewhere. The Senate is a good start, and after 143 days that is all it is, a start. Strangely enough a sector of the American public is OK with this and is campaigning for him. We would not accept this in our own line of work, yet some are OK with this for the President of the United States! Come on people, we are not voting on the next American Idol! Yes, I am also distressed about the state of our economy, national security and a host of other important issues. However, I am far more distressed by an agenda allowing our government to take over the rights of the People. We are and always have been a Republic society. It is hard to believe American Citizens are willing to give up freedom so easily. Has fear, panic and despair overcome hope, faith and courage to the point of casting off our Republic values in considering a person for the most powerful office on earth that is a definite threat to the basics of our country with an agenda that cries government control over our individual rights as American Citizens? Jumping from the frying pan into the fire will surely be the situation if Obama is elected President.

Emma Lou Elliott
Stevensville

Support for retaining Growth Policy

Dear Editor,

As most people are aware, there is an on-going effort to have the county’s Growth Policy repealed. It appears the primary reason for advocating this is opposition to county-wide zoning. Without a

Growth Policy, no zoning can be enacted. While I believe some limited zoning is generally in the best interests of the people of Ravalli County, I can understand why some people might be opposed

to it.

However, our Growth Policy doesn’t just make it possible to zone. Among other things, it provides a framework for better planning, helps make it easier to protect our resources, and overall strives to conserve and enhance what a lot of people who live here value, namely scenic views, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat and the continuation of our essential irrigation system, which benefits not only agriculture but is essential for replenishing the thousands of wells that dot the county.

If you don’t want zoning, fine, it’s your right to fight it. But, I ask you not to use the elimination of the Growth Policy as your mechanism for doing this. Like I said, it’s a lot more than just about zoning. It’s a document developed by and for local citizens. It makes it possible for Ravalli County citizens to control their own destiny rather than leaving it up to the state legislature. It was created to help direct and locate development and make it possible to continue the tradition of active, viable working farms and ranches.

On election day, I ask you to vote against repealing the Growth Policy.

Phil Connelly
Corvallis

Support for DeHaan

Dear Editor,

We sometimes hear a Commissioner Candidate proclaiming to have been born in the Bitterroot, as though it is some sort of qualification for the office. Actually, it is not; it’s simply happenstance. Someone born elsewhere may appreciate the Bitterroot much more than a native because they have been exposed to what can happen to a beautiful area through ignorance or the greed of special interests, and they just might have a bit more knowledge and training in how to prevent chaotic development.

If being a native Bitterrooter were actually a reason to vote for someone to be a Commissioner, then we should have seen a lot more from Greg Chilcott’s six years in office with respect to planning, guiding and controlling growth. Instead, we have seen six years of false starts in several directions, backtracking, first promoting the Growth Policy, now going to vote against keeping it: aimless, purposeless meandering down the road to economic and visual chaos. I believe this is simply because he doesn’t know what to do; he has no vision for the County and little foresight about any direction.

Now we are hearing that J.R. Iman is a native Bitterrooter. If he were to be elected a County Commissioner, would the result be any better than we have seen from Greg Chilcott? I doubt it.

So how about Roger DeHaan as a better choice for District 3 County Commissioner? Roger has been a Bitterrooter the last half of his life (by choice, not by happenstance). He runs a successful engineering business, and has worked hard and effectively for years as a volunteer in many facets of our community; this includes ten years on the Ravalli County Board of Health, also with the Victor Community Planning Committee, many long hours toward the citizen-developed Growth Policy, and he has contributed time and ideas to the Hwy 93 Planning Focus Group, the Victor Park District Development, the Forest Consensus Council and the Victor Public Schools. He is committed to sound physical growth and fiscal improvement of the County, preservation of our agricultural resources, and strengthening of our public services. As an engineer he completes every project through a plan, and will bring that training and planning ability to all aspects of his duties as a County Commissioner. His training, his experience, his temperament and his vision for the County’s future point to Roger DeHaan as the best possible choice for District 3 County Commissioner.

Chuck Roubik
Hamilton

Don’t throw baby out with bath water

Dear Editor,

Citizens - please remember in that voting booth on election day that where you stand is your home – this Bitterroot Valley, long and narrow, walled in on three and one half sides by forested mountains, with only two ways out. Its life blood - one river flowing north and dependent each year on that year’s winter snow in the mountains above; who even knows what lies below its floor, especially regarding water.

Please think about this home as you mark your ballot: yes to repeal the present growth policy; no to keep the present growth policy – a growth policy that took nearly ten years and hundreds of volunteer Bitterrooters to shape to its present imperfect form.

Since the 1970s the population of this valley has grown from little more than 10,000 to the present almost 40,000. In that time, the same valley floor is the same size, the mountain walls have not changed, water supply from the snows has not changed.

As you vote, do not throw the baby out with the bath water.

In the ‘90s when Montana Code (Law) dictated that Montana counties could NOT develop land use planning OR “subdivision regulations” that were STRICTER than State Code, the Bitterroot community’s hands were tied until the Montana Legislature passed a law that allowed counties to develop and adopt a Growth Policy. Counties could develop more precise plans and regulations that fit their special needs IF they adopt a Growth Policy – an overall vision of land use and policy that fits their unique area. (A Growth Policy would allow but not require zoning, for example.) If any place needed such a citizen-created vision, it would be our mountain-locked, water-limited Bitterroot Valley.

If Bitterrooters vote yes to repeal their hard-won Growth Policy, they will have absolutely nothing left to follow a vision and manage the land use of this unique and precious valley other than State Law. Local land use planning and “subdivision regulations” would be out of the control of Bitterrooters if we wanted STRICTER, more unique applications to meet our special needs.

Furthermore, without a Growth Policy and the land use planning and zoning it allows (but does not require), all kinds of agencies can be planning our valley: the FAA (how large the airport and what planes can use it); Montana Department of Transportation (on the expanded Highway 93, we were lucky to get the wonderful walking paths, underpasses and “traffic-calming islands at town entrances); the Tri-State Council (which dictates how much maximum daily flow of contaminants the Bitterroot River could feed into the Clark Fork and thence the Columbia River system); the Forest Service (as it allows size of ski area which could become a destination resort); the DNRC (which dictates allocation of surface water from Painted Rocks Reservoir to irrigators but could possibly make allocations leading to a shoe factory in our county, whether we wanted it or not).

While the present zoning effort under the existing growth policy seems to be poorly conceived and disseminated by non-Bitterrooters, resulting in deep suspicions that led to rumors that can never be “put back into the box,” if Bitterrooters vote to repeal the Growth Policy, all these entities above will be the “Bosses.”

Jean and Jack Atthowe
Stevensville

Palin’s not your average special needs mother

Dear Editor,

As an 80 year old mother of a special needs child I see red when I hear Sarah Palin talk of how she’s an average mother of a special needs child.

I was a working mother because it took all of my wages and some of my husband's to pay for braces, medical bills and therapy. Since I wasn't governor I couldn't take my child to work. Palin has many options that I didn't.

As for being a hockey mom, I'm sorry, but I didn't have the time. My husband and I shared the duties of our daughter's care. We couldn't afford a lavish vacation home like Palin, nor did we have the time. I find my life story more typical of the average mother of a handicapped child, not Palin’s. I don't know many mothers who could, or would, accept a job that took them away from their child for so many hours and days as the vice presidency would.

My disabled daughter is now 58. She lives a happy, productive life, even with her severe disabilities. Her supportive upbringing prepared her. It takes commitment and time, not something afforded by being Vice President.

I know some mothers must work, others want to work. But not in a job that requires extensive time and travel away from home, including dangerous countries. Please, Sarah Palin, don't pretend to be a typical, dedicated hockey mom when you've got a million in the hole and have more choices than the rest of us.

I've been a Republican and McCain supporter in the past, but Sarah Palin is plainly not qualified to be a heartbeat away from President. Nor is she making the best choice for her family and children.

Doris Adam
Hamilton

Republicans to blame for lending disaster

Dear Editor,

This problem did not begin with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as Gene Williams would have you believe. Failure to regulate the derivatives market was in line with the unregulated market ideology of the modern Republican Party.

Former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan now admits that the dominant conservative philosophy, that left unregulated the market for such arcane devices as credit default swaps, was a mistake. The fact that they could get some conservative Democrats to go along with it does not change the fact that it was a Republican plan, and bedrock of Republican ideology.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were designed to increase home ownership for lower income people by having the government secure loans to people who normally wouldn't get them. When investment banks realized that because of lax regulation they could make billions selling sub-prime loans on the secondary market and through other derivatives the speculative land rush was on. Faced with this competition from the private sector, Freddie and Fannie joined in. They should have been regulated. The reason these institutions were partly private was again a sop to conservative ideology. It is correct to say that private risk taking should not be underwritten by taxpayers and Democrats bear responsibility for not pushing reform at Freddie and Fannie. The reason Democrats backed these institutions is because without them the "free market" would not have provided millions of Americans with any chance to own their own homes.

The question is one of balance between market forces and public policy. The Republicans have over the last 28 years enacted their program of more market and less regulation. We have been living with the results - some good and a lot bad. It’s time to set new rules that better rewards effort and innovation rather than speculation, hedging, and glorified Ponzi schemes. It's time to vote in Barack Obama and Joe Biden and get back to the balance that has led to the good society we used to enjoy.

John Schneeberger
Hamilton

Support for Boylan

Dear Editor,

I urge voters in House District 88 to vote for Patrick Boylan. He has been a great asset to this community, devoting time to public service, such as membership on the Montana Forensic Science Advisory Council since 2003, and membership on the Montana Board of Medical Examiners since 2007. He serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Ravalli County, and has in the past served on the board of directors of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Bitterroot.

Patrick is a biomedical engineer. In his words, he "solves problems for a living." His ability to analyze and solve the problems that come before the legislature will be very valuable.

Patrick is particularly interested in the area of economic and job development, especially including responsible development and use of renewable energy resources. This is one of the fastest growing fields in the world. Montana has some great opportunities to boost our economy with proper focus on wind, solar, and geothermal energy resources. He is also interested in studying ‘clean coal’ energy development potential.

He is also very interested in the areas of education and access to affordable health care. These are issues that affect all of us, and I urge you to check out his Web site www.boylan4hd88.com to inform yourself of his positions on these issues.

It is important to have people in the legislature who have open minds and positive attitudes that problems can be solved. It is only with open discussion among all the legislators in the state that positive change will come about. No one person or political party has all the answers to the problems that face us in this state.

Patrick’s presence in the legislature will be a great resource for our community and for the entire state. Again, I urge you to vote for Patrick Boylan for HD88 on November 4th.

Toddy Perryman
Corvallis

Wake up, Ravalli County citizens!

Dear Editor,

Why am I voting to repeal the Ravalli County Growth Policy? Because a small, well-funded minority group of activists – the so-called “Friends of the Bitterroot” (350 members) and Bitterrooters for Planning (the same people) – have taken over our county for the purpose of micro-managing and regulating this county to the extreme.

The growth policy allows the implementation of the following that have been adopted or will be. Find out the details of all of this and the Documents on the Ravalli County Web site, HYPERLINK "http://www.ravallicounty.mt.gov/planning" www.ravallicounty.mt.gov/planning.

Over 400-plus pages of different regulatory documents are allowed under the current growth policy. Zoning is one of them but there are more.

Pay particular attention to page 8 and page 15 of the policy. Also, notice that the Countywide Goals are expanded from the Growth Policy into a separate Document Draft the "Implementation Tools... Read Page 15 of this Document to see how businesses will be affected. Also, Page 30 of Draft C says that, “Any person who violates these Zoning Regulations or fails to comply with any of the requirements herein shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $500 for each offense or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both and in addition shall pay all costs and expenses involved in the case. Each day the violation continues shall be a separate punishable offense.” Read the rest of this draft for more restrictions!

This all means layers and layers of government, higher and higher taxes, regulations upon regulations. It means loss of liberty and property rights, devaluation of property values, control and micro-managing the citizens of Ravalli County.

Stop the busy bodies! Our property, freedom and liberty are in danger!

Vote to repeal the growth policy Nov. 4.

Vicki Greathouse
Florence

Time to stop the tyranny

Dear Editor,

As people give responsibility to government (zoning, financial bailouts, etc), freedom is replaced by tyranny. The Constitutions, state and national, limit government authority, and protect our freedoms (to self govern). These liberties are being usurped by illegal government powers in the form of taxes, fines, fees, penalties, expanded bureaucracies, and other thefts of liberty. Public servants become the dictators of the democratic process. Constitutional law, a protector of freedom, is replaced by bureaucratic directives - rules and regulations.

The government employee instigated countywide zoning program is an example of a naked property rights grab. Two additional commissioners, elected to better represent the people of their districts, are instead advocates for an out-of-state, multinational zoning corporation. The others had already signed on to this agenda. They have replaced Constitutional law with the tyranny of the Police Powers Act, which they readily admit. Among other illegalities, they used taxpayer money to post signs supporting their land grab.

In June more than 150 people signed a Cease and Desist Order directed at the County Attorney and the Commissioners. Part of the Order’s purpose, as spelled out in the attached Partial List of Grievances, was to expose and correct abuses of the Constitutions and the Declaration of Independence by these public servants. The List stated that the sole purpose of government is to “secure the people’s unalienable Rights” as demanded in the Declaration, and that government employees, unable to fulfill their sworn oaths of office, must resign. County Attorney Corn assured government employees that the Order was “colorful and symbolic,” but that the will of the people had no authority.

Fortunately, the Referendum is a partial reclamation of the people’s right to control and dissolve the government. But it should be remembered that even if the vote successfully restores the people’s responsibility to themselves, the current public servants are willing to replace Constitutional law with regulatory tyranny. Such persons are unfit for public office and must be replaced by those that recognize their duty to the people.

Nick Dunn
Stevensville

Retain Growth Policy

Dear Editor,

If you live in a regulated floodplain (near a creek or a river for instance) and you have a mortgage from a federally regulated lending institution such as a bank, you're required to have flood insurance. Since unsubsidized flood insurance is extremely expensive, you're probably covered under FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). You have access to this insurance because Ravalli County participates in the NFIP program.

County participation in NFIP is voluntary, and over 20,000 communities across the U.S. do participate by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances. In exchange, the NFIP makes affordable, federally-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in these communities. If your property is near a creek or a river and you haven't paid it off yet, then you have probably been faithfully paying for this NFIP protection, thinking that if your creek or river ever floods (they all eventually do), your property will be protected.

Think again. Remember, participation in NFIP is allowed only if a community voluntarily adopts and enforces appropriate floodplain management ordinances. If a community such as Ravalli County chooses to vote out a Growth Policy that could enable such ordinances to be enacted for instance, or settles with wealthy landowners and developers who are violating those laws, that county's NFIP status may be revoked, and when the inevitable big flood comes you may find that your financial well-being has been torpedoed by those who are currently claiming to be the protectors of your property rights. Maybe this is something even these self-styled 'property-rights advocates' are unaware of, but it's something every resident of Ravalli County who wants to consider themselves an informed voter should understand when the cast their ballots next Tuesday for candidates and issues such as whether or not to have a growth policy that will deeply effect your ability to truly protect your property.

Bill LaCroix
Victor

Another old Republican grouch for Obama?

Dear Editor,

My Dad, Wally Crawford, would have loved this October. Its late warm days, after the yahoos have fled south, created the fishing conditions he loved best—just Dad, the river and with luck, a catch or four. Dad’s been dead 23 years, but thanks to his friends, I can always sit a spell at the Wally Crawford Fishing Access to commune with him—or at least reap the river’s wisdom. This election year as I watched the cottonwood leaves dance like so many golden sequins over the marine-blue river, I mused about Dad’s 2008 presidential vote.

The last time my father thought about voting for a Democrat, Corvallis’ Brooks House was a hotel serving fried chicken and “pass-the-beans-please” dinners at long family tables. The six families with telephones out Willow Creek were all on one party-line and it was just plain rude not to give the Bitterroot salute—fingers straight up with thumb wrapped around wheel—to all you passed on the way to town. It was 1968, President Kennedy was dead, Martin Luther King was dead and soon Dad’s choice for President, Bobby Kennedy, would also die by an assassin’s bullet.

Why, you may wonder, would this life-long, small-business Republican abandon his party in such difficult times?

“I fear for our country,” Dad told me then, “fear it’s being torn apart by its extremes. I’m going for Kennedy. He’s the only SOB I think can pull us together again and lead us forward.”

This was no conversion to liberalism, I assure you. Dad disagreed with many, heck maybe even most, of Kennedy’s specific positions, but he felt it was time to put country ahead of his own preferences. Perhaps Dad’s World War II Marine Corps experience made him see things that way. He believed it was by the luck of the draw he came home alive from those Pacific islands—and believed he had a special responsibility to those who did not.

Dad didn’t get to vote for Kennedy that year and he voted Republican after that until he died. I know—we fought out every one of those elections over coffee, brandy and cigars. While I’ve often wondered how long my Goldwater-Republican father would have continued to support the “new” Republican Party, this year, I’d bet my boots, he’d vote Obama.

I know Dad would have been furious at the way W. lied to us and our allies about WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and he’d have seen letting Osama bin Laden get away as a cardinal military sin. Moreover, it would have saddened Dad that our standing overseas is so sorely weakened.

A strong democracy and ultimately a safe world, Dad reckoned, depended on everyone who played fair and worked hard getting a piece of the pie. While Dad would have voted for Reagan, he’d have seen more tax cuts to the rich and greedy as neither fair nor smart. And if all that hadn’t clinched Dad’s vote for Senator Obama, the thought of Sarah Palin house hunting in DC on November 5th would have.

Now with Wall Street melting, he’d be griping about supporting me—again—as my 401k went south. About McCain, he’d be quipping, “A vote for McCain would be like voting for everything-is-hunky-dory-Hoover—after the crash.”

“That sounds about right,” I thought as the sun fell behind the Bitterroots and cottonwoods leaves returned to plain old yellow. As I turned to leave, I spotted the ripples of a trout rising to catch a fly and a deep grumble came from the now steely river, “Youuuuuu betcha.”

Kate Crawford
Corvallis

Kate Crawford is the oldest daughter of Corvallis’ Marge and Wally Crawford. An award-wining travelwriter, her articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and numerous anthologies.

Something to think about

Dear Editor,

In the Missoulian (October 21,2008), conservation groups finally realize the importance of keeping lumber mills operating at the same time land is being protected from encroachment by developers and other special interests. From the Nature Conservancy, Caroline Byrd stated, "I think we've all got it, that we need those mills… Even as it is harvested, it's still providing good habitat." Well, well it's just a little too late, the timber industry is mostly gone. Is this what will happen to agriculture? It is what will happen if this Ravalli County Growth Policy is not repealed on November 4th. Do you really think that the ranching and farming community is going to put up with all the regulations in the current Growth Policy with zoning. I don't think so! It is very important that we vote YES to repeal this Growth Policy and prevent Zoning. If there is ever a food shortage, then what?

This Growth Policy comes right from Agenda 21! Agenda 21 is based on the principal that government is the maker of rights. This is a policy document first unveiled at the United Nations' Earth Summit in 1992 and was signed by President George H.W. Bush. This document recommended that every nation create a national sustainable development initiative. Implementation of the treaty is through a policy called Sustainable Development. This program is now the official policy of the United States and is being imposed in every single state of the Union and in every city and town. Sustainable Development is no less than a ruling principle through which decisions for all aspects of our lives are determined through public/private partnerships between government (at all levels) and private institutions in our communities. They provide guidelines to determine business decisions; property use; medical care; education curriculum; foreign policy; economics; taxes; labor policy; career decisions; housing; building material; farming policy; and much more.

As early as 1976, the U.S. government signed a U.N. document that declared: Land cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice.

A 1. Redistribute Population in accord with available resources;

D 1. Government must control the use of land to achieve equitable distribution of Resources;

D 2. Control land use through zoning and land-use planning;

D 3. Excessive profits from land use must be recaptured by government;

D 4. Public ownership of land should be used to exercise urban and rural land reform;

D 5. Owner rights should be separated from development rights, which should be held by a public authority.

Now compare the Growth Policy to Agenda 21 with zoning that is a type of land use regulation that classifies land into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses, densities and other standards such as yards setback, streamside setbacks and building heights. Zoning is the legal method by which the Ravalli County Government can divide the county into districts (zones), define the use of land in the various zoning districts. This is all about total control, so please vote. Vote YES to repeal the Growth Policy on November 4th. Please also consider voting for Greg Chilcott and J.R. Iman. If the Socialists take over, our county will never be the same.

Rosemarie Neuman
Stevensville

Support for McCain and Palin

Dear Editor,

I just read the letter from Fred Fowler, and he is exactly right about Obama. It really worries me that he might get to be our President. I am wondering where all his money is coming from and I feel the Muslims are paying his way. There is some one who wants him in bad and for their benefit.

He has told lie after lie and the people still like him. That Rev. Wright should be run out of the country. If he and Michelle Obama hate this country so bad they should go to another country and see how they live. When she made that statement she meant every word. That was no mistake.

Obama is for sure he is getting in the White House, because he made up a seal of the President of the United States. And he has already ordered the champagne and all the food they will need for that BIG party and reserved the hotel. He is a piece of work. If he would get in he is only going to look after his own and the crooks he is hanging with.

I heard him say some time ago that he could not ... a bit more break his friendship from the Rev. Wright then he could walk away from his children. Now he says he has ...

That is another one of his lies. He does not have the experience to run our country and as far as Sen. Biden and Colin Powell saying Gov. Palin is not experienced enough. She is very much qualified with once being the Mayor and now the Governor of Alaska, and many other positions she has had. I moved from Alaska to live here because of medical reasons and I know what she can do. She really looks after the state of Alaska, and her people. Just think what she will do for us if she is voted in as VP. She and Sen. McCain are really honest people and they care about us. Gen. Powell has served his country well and he should know you can't just go and stop a war with the snap of your finger. I am so disappointed in him for backing Obama. He left his race and I feel he did it for spite. He wanted to hurt President Bush. And McCain, Sen. McCain, has forgotten more then Obama will ever know. We do not need a President that has NO experience. Please, vote for McCain-Palin on Nov. 4th.

Paula Pickerd
Stevensville

Support for Gritzner

Dear Editor,

I received a card in the mail this week from Ray Hawk asking that I vote for him in the upcoming election in House District 90 because, among other things, he said he wants my vote because he'll work to "protect the environment in a sensible, responsible manner." Wow, I thought this leopard must really have changed his spots because I remembered that in both the 2005 and 2003 Legislative Sessions Hawk had earned a 0% – that's right, 0% – voting record on critical environmental issues as chronicled by the Montana Conservation Voters. So, in fairness, I checked out his record in the 2007 session and, guess what. He scored a whopping 15% this time! He voted right on one out of 14 critical issues.

Now that may seem to some like an improvement, but it's a far cry from being able to say that you really will work to protect the environment in a "sensible, responsible manner." There's nothing "sensible" or "responsible" to vote to roll back the Montana Environmental Policy Act and also to strip that Act of the ability to enforce it. And there's nothing "sensible" or "responsible" about voting against a quality growth act or against setting fuel efficiency standards for state vehicles. Or voting against legislation seeking to provide methods of dealing with climate change challenges.

Beyond that, Hawk voted against legislation affirming stream access in Montana. Sorry, but a 15 percenter isn't good enough to represent what we need to defend our quality of life. For those of us who truly care about protecting our natural environment – the very foundation of sensible and responsible resource legislation now and into the future – we need to give Ray Hawk the old "heave-ho" and vote instead for a candidate who has demonstrated that she both understands and will work for what's "sensible" and "responsible" in regard to the needs of sportsmen and general citizens alike. We need to elect Yvonne Gritzner, whose roots in Montana go back to our pioneer days, in House District 90. That's both the sensible and responsible thing for us to do.

Dale A. Burk
Stevensville

Obama's veneer

Dear Editor,

In 1966 my wife, two little girls and myself were honored to become Charter members of Messiah Lutheran Church in Missoula. There was excitement as young families joined to help launch this mission. The time came to select pews for the Sanctuary and we needed to decide whether to use solid oak pews or cork-filled pew wood with an Oak veneer. A carpenter brought examples of oak veneer to demonstrate why we should go with solid oak.

I remember how fragile and thin the veneer appeared. However, the two finished products, laid side by side, looked identical and very good.

In the end we went with solid oak. Forty years later, the pews look (and work) just like they did when new! Sitting in those solid oak pews gives one the satisfaction of knowing they will not collapse because all the fastening hardware is securely embedded in solid wood. The veneer would have looked good, but only covered ugly, weak, undependable pressed wood or cork, and surely would have resulted in early collapse.

I think of those pews every time I see or hear Barack Obama. Here you have a man with the veneer of fake creditability that covers inexperience, appeasement, indecision. A man who says he loves his children, yet purposefully brought them into the church of a white-hating preacher. A man who promotes the practice of aborting perfectly created, perfectly healthy, and perfectly innocent babies. And now we know he voted more than one time to allow infanticide. A man who pretends to be presidential while allowing himself and his wife to insult the country that gave them great freedom.

Like veneer-covered furniture, it is not what is seen on the outside of a man, but what might be exposed if the veneer is stripped away.

Webster says this about veneer: "To conceal (as a defect of character) under a superficial and deceptive attractiveness."

Could not have said it better myself!

Joel Olinghouse
Hamilton

Repeal the Growth Policy

Dear Editor,

Supporters of the Growth Policy and its direct offspring (zoning drafts A, B, C) want to save these flawed efforts in spite of their inherent problems. Having failed in bulldozing the public with drafts A & B, the much reduced and "liberalized" draft C is now presented as a response to the public's concerns. As such it is the proverbial "camel’s nose under the tent". For example, in Zoning Regulation Draft C, Table 3.1, "Allowed Use Table-Logging"-page II, logging would become a "Conditional Use," subject to approval of a "conditional use permit.” Chapter 6, "Definitions," does not define "Conditional Use."

Regarding conditional use:

1. What criteria would be used to assess a conditional use?

2. Will the Planning Department have a professional Forester on its staff to determine what a site-specific appropriate logging program would be?

3. What would constitute "logging"? Removal of mature trees via a site-appropriate silvicultural system?

4. How would site, tree-species, and management-plan appropriate thinning be handled in a conditional use permit?

5. Given the reality of Bitterroot Valley fire history/ecology, the referenced document has not addressed reduction of fire hazard via thinning, and hazardous fuels and vegetation removal. Will the County promote the re-establishment of historic native tree species and density as well as reduced fire potential?

I refer you to Ravalli County Zoning Regulation Draft B, pg. 30, item 4.A. This sentence could have been construed/interpreted! applied to prohibit vegetative manipulation in the urban-forest interface areas as a means of reducing wildfire potential. This statement in conjunction with the "conditional use" verbiage indicates an underlying bias against timber harvest by at least the Planning Department aside from totally ignoring the reality of the fire potential in the rural areas of the Bitterroot Valley.

The scope of the zoning regulations have been greatly reduced from draft A to draft B to draft C. A further reduction is warranted by eliminating regulations dealing with forest land management. Existing State of Montana law deals with logging effects (Water Quality Regulations and Streamside Management Zone Law, for example). This grab for zoning power outraged many citizens. The petition to rescind the Growth Policy may be the only answer.

V.A. Ciliberti, Jr.
Hamilton

Election musings

Dear Editor,

Why waste a vote, most say,
When comes again election day.
There's only two who have a chance,
To be the one to win the lance,
There's only one can come in first,
And control the strings that tie the purse,
Never mind that either two,
Won't change a thing for me or you,
Both want the chance to wield the lance,
In different zones, of course, to prance,
Their might, with purse strings opened up,
While dipping in our shallow cup,
Of dollars most of which is spent,
With nothing left to pay the rent,
Just don't worry for rent or store,
They've got a press to print some more!
Try not to worry and please don't holler,
Because your bread went up a dollar,
Vote for one of them, you'll be just fine,
They'll save you a spot in a bread line.
Why waste a vote, most say,
When come again election day.
We want your vote for R&D's,
To keep you poor and on your knees,
And we want your vote to travel far,
Which it won't do in a vote for Barr,
Stay with the tried, stay with the true,
Nader's not for me or you,
And certainly you wouldn't have the gall,
To throw away your vote on old Ron Paul!
Unless of course you want the best,
And test the system--With a vote protest.

D. Allan Thomas
Corvallis

A cowboy he ain’t

Dear Editor,

I have to respond to the TV ads depicting our own Governor Schweitzer as a rancher/horseman. He says that everything he ever learned came from ranching. That clearly indicates that he has learned very little. A rancher/horseman he “ain't". I grew up around horses, and horses are a major part of my life. If anyone jerked one of my horses around and roped the way he does, I would never invite him back, let alone vote for him. These ads are disrespectful to the real rancher/horseman. It is sad that Schweitzer doesn't even realize what a fool he is making of himself!

Ron Burns
White Sulphur Springs

Just wondering

Dear Editor,

I’m just wondering why:

1. It is Democratic political signs that are being savaged by those who shrilly proclaim property rights as an absolute right. Do I lose freedom of speech because we disagree?

2. Those who want to abolish the Growth Policy Act lie to get their initiative signatures. Do they falsely have to tell property owners that they'll need a permit to replace a damaged fence?

3. Anti-zoners continually dredge up obnoxious provisions of earlier zoning drafts to justify killing the entire project. Do they not believe in the democratic give and take good citizens engaged in to come to a zoning ordinance that reflects our majority view?

4. Anti-zoners are so uncomfortable with a free exchange of ideas that they shouted down any person disagreeing with them at CPC hearings. Do we believe in America and its values or the suppression of opposing views practiced in Russia?

5. It is a constant theme of anti-zoners that our elected officials are not listening to them and that they represent the will of the majority of the Valley. Do they not remember the votes of over 2 to 1 in favor of the Growth Policy Act in 2004 and the significant majority voting in favor of the 1 per 2 interim zoning measure in 2006 and its mandate to study implementation of land use planning in the Valley?

6. That, if one of the strongest desires in our Valley is to keep things the way they are, they don't recognize that it is the change caused by untrammeled development that will change things the most and the worst. Do you really think the developers from Arizona and California have your best interests and your values at heart?

Rich Morrisey
Stevensville

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