I have been AWOL for a few days. Things have gotten a bit hectic as I am trying to get my house ready to go on the market in just a few days. I have had several Letters to the Editor published in the Bozeman Chronicle during the five years I have lived here in Bozeman, but I thought I would pen a farewell letter as my final effort. This exceeds the normal 300-word limit but I am hoping they will publish it as a Guest Column. I will deliver it to them in the next few days so we shall see. In any event, I thought I would share it here.
A Farewell Letter to Montana
Montana has seen a large influx of people in the last few years and that trend continues. I went to high school in Miles City, got my undergraduate degree from Montana State University, and moved back to Montana five years ago when I retired. I have always been proud to consider Montana my home. However, given the current political climate in the state and the ridiculous laws being enacted by the Republican super majority and Governor Gianforte I do not feel like I can, in good conscious, continue to contribute tax dollars to these misguided, uninformed, unscientific, and often bigoted policies. Consequently, I have decided to leave Montana.
First, let me acknowledge there will be those who read this letter and say, “Good riddance! We do not need people like you in Montana.” These are more than likely the same people who are hell bent to impose their personal beliefs and view of the world on everyone else and are scared to death of words like ‘diversity,’ ‘inclusion,’ ‘tolerance,’ ‘science,’ ‘facts,’ and ‘compromise.’ The much-overused term ‘Montana values’ used to encompass things like ‘personal responsibility,’ ‘freedom to live your life without undue interference,’ ‘respecting and helping your neighbor,’ and ‘tolerance.’ The idea of ‘Montana values’ has become Orwellian double-speak for a right-wing, conservative agenda that has no room for words like ‘tolerance,’ ‘personal responsibility,’ ‘respect’ or an interpretation of ‘family values’ other than how a few people choose to impose it.
There are genuine issues and problems that need to be addressed in this state that are costing Montana lives daily. And yet the current administration and Republican controlled state legislature have chosen to squander Montana’s taxpayer dollars on pushing solutions to problems that are not really problems. They are choosing to use their positions to become morality police and shills for out-of-state, carpet bagger politicians and corporations rather than governing and solving real problems to the benefit of average Montanans.
Montana has one of the highest drunk driving fatality rates in the country. Montana has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. Gun deaths are a leading cause of death of children across the country. Starting salaries for teachers in Montana are among the lowest in the nation. Access to top notch healthcare is not easily accessible to much of Montana. Roads and bridges are deteriorating faster than they can be repaired. Housing costs are pricing many Montanans out of the market. Access to lands for hunting for local Montanans is under constant threat as outside interests view Montana as simply a playground to be used for intermittent amusement. There are real impacts of climate change that are affecting the farms, ranches, and recreational areas of Montana. These are all real problems facing Montana residents of all walks of life.
Instead of addressing these real issues that are affecting and costing Montana lives and the economic well-being of residents, the administration and legislature have chosen to address non-problems in a fruitless effort to legislate personal beliefs and foist them upon the entire state – Misguided efforts to restrict what can be taught in science class; The banning of books that some find objectionable; Restrictions on what teachers can say and how they can teach. In addition, they feel compelled to insert themselves between patients, parents, and doctors by dictating what types of treatments are deemed appropriate. They have deemed that ‘personal freedom’ as outlined in the State constitution does not extend to a woman’s uterus or decisions about her own reproductive health.
There have been misguided efforts to ensure the Republicans retain power forever by enacting laws under the guise of ‘election security’ despite that fact that there has been ZERO evidence of widespread voter fraud in Montana. One would think that if Republican policies were widely popular, they would be doing everything they could to increase the number of voters. Think about that. One can only surmise that they understand many of the policies they would like to implement and advocate, are not widely popular so the best way to be able to implement those policies is to restrict voting to the segment of the population that are more than likely to support them. That is hardly democratic. It is, however, the hallmark of totalitarian governments around the world.
The Republican, super-majority in Helena continues to operate in a bubble of hypocrisy and alternate reality in which they continually object to ‘government overreach’ from the Federal government but are doing everything in their power to ensure Helena is the control center for everything and everyone in Montana. They continuously try to undermine the Montana constitution by trying to gain control of the universities which currently run under the auspices of the Board of Regents. (And if they are eventually successful, it is a 100 percent certainty they will begin interfering with certain curricula and/or professors they object to!) They try to enact laws that will allow the governor or legislature to be fully in control of the state’s judiciary in complete contravention to the idea of separation of powers. These efforts fly in the face of democracy and are nothing short of the ‘government overreach’ that they say they object to.
Just for the record, ‘facism’ is defined as: “a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control, and being extremely proud of country and race, and in which political opposition is not allowed.” Sound familiar?
Montana has often been called ‘The Last Best’ place. Many of the ridiculous and self-serving efforts of the current Republican administration do not directly affect me. However, I am finding it increasingly difficult to sit idly by knowing that my tax dollars are going towards these wasted legislative efforts rather than addressing real problems. Consequently, I am leaving Montana. That is not an idle threat. My house is on the market as I write this. I know that no place is perfect but there are places in the world where there is more tolerance, where people really do operate with a more ‘live and let live’ type of philosophy, are not so interested in pushing personal beliefs via an abusive legislative process and, are truly interested in solving real problems.
I have always proudly called Montana ‘home.’ Unfortunately, the place that I once called home seems to have lost its welcome mat unless you are wealthy and want to occasionally come to Montana to play or a company wishing to exploit Montana’s residents and resources. Montana is looking more like the fictional ‘Gilead’ from Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaids Tale, rather than the land of rugged individualism and mutual respect depicted in John Wayne westerns. I have concluded it is time to find a new home. I wish everyone all the best. Unless something changes, as more legislated morality is put in place, rights taken away, and tax dollars wasted supporting culture wars and out-of-state special interests, ‘The Last Best Place’ that many of us grew to love, will no longer exist. Farewell.
