Press

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:May 15, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Let workers decide management pay
    When the Sunday, May 3, Chronicle published annual compensation packages paid to corporate CEOs in the millions of dollars, it’s understandable that the national chambers of commerce are against the Employee Free Choice Act.

    When American workers increased productivity and created greater national wealth as their wages, purchasing power, health care benefits and pension plans fell while a CEO gets $112.5 million per year, it’s understandable that workers are for the Employee Free Choice Act.

    Workers are smart enough to know that America has the widest income inequality between workers and management since the 1920s. A Peter Hart poll in January found 73 percent of the public support the Employee Free Choice Act precisely because of this inequality. In 2006 the Pew Research Center found that 68 percent of us believe labor unions are necessary to protect workers. We know when we’re being exploited.

    The corporate attack on EFCA wraps itself in the flag. Many CEOs pretend to be aghast about a check-off provision that they falsely state would eliminate a secret ballot for workers to form a union. In the first place, that is not true. In the second place, corporations are not democracies. And in the third place, a union belongs to the workers, not to the corporation. A union is a group of people deciding to form an organization, an event usually done by a show of hands.

    If the members of Chambers of Commerce feel any genuine impulse toward becoming more democratic, how about letting everyone in a workplace decide by a binding secret ballot election how much compensation upper management deserves? We’d never see the 13,000 lobbyists registered to serve corporations’ interests in Washington pushing for that.

Carol Stahl, Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:May 14, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Historically, after World War II unions were the driving force behind the dramatic growth of the middle class in America. With more than 30 percent of the workforce in unions as recently as the late 1970s, the standard of living increased, not only for union members, but for non-union hourly and white collar employees as well. Corporate CEO compensation averaged about 25 times hourly wages. Starting in the 1980s, employer anti-union activity dramatically increased until today less than 10 percent of the private workforce is enrolled in unions, although more than 50 percent of private workers polled have indicated an interest in joining if such an opportunity were available. Meanwhile CEOs’ compensation has skyrocketed to nearly 500 times the average wage of employees. Urge legislators to support Employee Free Choice Act
    With the middle class shrinking, millions of non-union low-wage employees must subsidize their income through a variety of government programs: Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, etc. These programs represent an expensive subsidy by taxpayers of private businesses that pay poverty level wages. A broad network of private charities and non-profits — food banks, medical clinics, homeless shelters, thrift stores, churches — also help meet the minimum physical needs of the working poor.

    The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) currently before Congress would enable employees to form unions by simply signing cards, rather than being forced through a complicated “secret ballot” process supervised by their employer. EFCA would also require employers to bargain in good faith with a newly elected union, rather than ignoring the new union as is now often the case.

    Urge Sens. Baucus and Tester and Congressman Rehberg to actively support the Employee Free Choice Act. It is fair. It would be good for Montana. It would provide the greatest single impetus available for reversing the dramatic decline in the American middle class.

    Phyllis A. Bock, Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Apr 3, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Employee Free Choice Act restores workers’ freedom
    I support legislation being presented by Congress in Washington, D.C., called the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which restores workers’ freedom to sign cards in a workplace, affirming their choice to form a union or not. In the current fear-fueled economic situation, it seems a waste of lawmakers’ time and energy to promote workplace democracy when places to work are rapidly disappearing. After all, collective bargaining laws and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were created in the 1930s to provide such a choice. The NLRB’s original mission was to assure America’s workers “the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.” So, why bother with EFCA?

    Well, beginning with the trashing of the air traffic controllers in the Reagan years, corporate interests and their political enablers have branded unions as unnecessary roadblocks to the nation’s competitiveness in the “new” global economy. This myth is exposed when witnessing the downsizing and off-shoring of jobs, normalizing part-time work, and sacrificing job-safety on the Wall Street profit demand alter. Corporate CEOs whine about union wages hurting the economy while paying themselves $10,000 per hour to reward their failures. Workers have vastly increased productivity and generated more wealth over the past decades, and their reward has been falling wages and purchasing power, elimination of healthcare benefits, and reduced or cancelled retirement pensions.

    The NLRB system will remain in place and available. EFCA simply retains the card-check method authorized by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act by eliminating the management veto of this method, lobbied into NLRB rules over the years to stifle workplace democracy.

    Hans Haumberger, Manhattan

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Mar 31, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Victims work while fat cats play golf
    For too long the big corporations have held sway over all of us.

    We’ve become the victims, the patsys, while they have reaped most of our benefits big time. I want this inequality to be over, and to see our work repaid for what it’s worth, which is everything. Too many of the executives (CEOs) of monopolistic companies have taken (stolen?) money that could be paying for our health care, our children’s education, our pensions. Money that would finally help our economy because we, the middle class, could pay our way.

    I will ask Jon Tester and Max Baucus, let alone Denny Rehberg, why they refuse to co-sponsor the Employee’s Free Choice Act, and support the people who voted them in. We are the middle class, and we can make the difference. I am sick unto death of having to have two jobs just to make the rent payment while some fat cat plays golf.

    Suzanne Elder,  Manhattan

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Mar 25, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Montana’s middle-class victims of corporate greed

    I have never seen such a universal outrage as there has been the last week against corporate corruption. Of course I am referring to the bonuses that will be paid out to AIG executives — $165 million will be paid to a couple hundred employees. Considering that the U.S. taxpayers now own 80 percent of this failing corporation, the outrage is justified.

    But where is the outrage over the millions of dollars that have not been paid to middle-class workers over the last 30 years? Did you know that nationwide worker productivity grew by 75 percent since 1980, but average wages in Montana only increased by 6 percent? If workers were rewarded for 100 percent of their increases in labor productivity they would be earning $26.53 per hour on average today. Prior to 1980, wages grew in tandem with productivity gains. That allowed middle-class families to spend their income on their home and their children’s education, take vacations and drive the U.S. economy. But since the average hourly wage in Montana today is only $16.07, the middle class has lost ground.

    The Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced in Congress recently, and it can help America’s middle class to improve their standard of living. Workers in unions earn 30 percent higher wages and are 59 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance. This act is necessary to enable workers to unionize without the threat of corporate harassment and intimidation. And who is against insuring a robust middle class, economic growth, and shared prosperity? You guessed it: the same corporate executives that have been receiving the million dollar bonuses.

    Call Sens. Baucus and Tester and Rep. Rehberg and tell them you are outraged that they are hiding behind a smokescreen of indignation at AIG, when they should pass meaningful legislation to help Montana’s middle class.

    Lynea Seher, Bozeman

Publication: Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date: Mar 19, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

 Pass the Employee Free Choice Act

    Much of our economy’s woes began with the folly of Reaganomics, abetted by his hamstringing unions and deregulating every industry that lines campaign coffers. Succeeding administrations, Democrat and Republican - all indebted to corporate lobbyists — continued to enable disastrous policies. They all deny that contributions influence decisions, but can’t deny that real wages have declined for decades, while executive pay skyrocketed. The average CEO makes more in a day than an average worker makes yearly. We won’t get out of this mess by more of the same.

    One step in the right direction is the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), currently debated in Congress, and denounced by some as squelching workers’ rights to unionize by “eliminating secret ballots.” Wrong. EFCA simply adds the option of signing union authorization cards as an alternative. Current law already allows this, but gives employers the last word — usually “No.”

    Under EFCA, employees would decide which option to choose and be protected from being fired for doing so. Sounds like no big deal, but the perception is EFCA will encourage unionization. That’s why pro-union folks back it and anti-union folks are desperate to block it.

    History shows democracy and a strong middle class to be interdependent. You can’t have one without the other. Our history also shows that unionization built a powerful middle class out of abysmal labor conditions with consequent pay increases for all workers. Back then, a single wage-earner could support a family, mortgage and the kids’ education. Newer generations don’t know how good things were — and could be again if they demand that our government do its job and protect the middle class.

    Passing EFCA will help. Contact our congressional delegates and tell them so.

    Bob Roughton, Belgrade

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Jan 28, 2009;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

You can’t put a price on quality education

    The best outcome of the downturn in the economy is that belt-tightening is now more popular than the conspicuous consumption of the last few years. Gov. Schweitzer and the Montana Legislature will be doing their share of belt-tightening in the budget process they are currently in. Most Montanans will be doing their share to help keep expenses down. However, one group of professionals is being asked to carry the burden at twice the rate. All government agencies are looking at a 5.95 percent increase in funding, except schools, grades K-12 are looking at 2.01 percent.

    School districts have cut spending 14 of the last 18 years because state funding has not kept up with inflation. The Bozeman School District is facing a $1.5 million shortfall. That’s after eliminating nine high school teaching positions last year. It’s been suggested that teachers forego any increase in salary to minimize the funding gap.

    If you ask a teacher why they chose their profession, they will never say they chose it for the money. They teach because they believe they can make a difference. However, they still have bills to pay. A new teacher will have as much debt because of student loans as an engineer or accountant, but they will never earn a comparable salary.

    My daughter teaches middle school and her day begins at 8 a.m., and finishes when she has graded and made plans for the next day around 9 p.m. And she is making a difference in the lives of Hispanic children in New York City. What does it say about Montana values when we do not respect the work of the people that truly make a difference for our children and their future?

    Lynea Seher, Bozeman

Goodbye and Good Riddance
by: Paul Waldman, "The American Prospect"

After eight years of President Bush, we almost don't know how to
function without him - almost.  But, before we move on, we should pause to remember just what we're leaving behind.

Just over two years into George W. Bush's presidency, The American Prospect featured Bush on its cover under the headline, "The Most Dangerous President Ever."
 
At the time, some probably thought it a bit over the top. But nearly six years later, it's worth taking a moment to reflect on the multifaceted burden that will soon be lifted from our collective shoulders.
 
Since last week, I have stopped short and shaken my head in
amazement every time I have heard the words "President-elect Obama."
 
But it is equally extraordinary to consider that in just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president.
 
Let me repeat that: In just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president. So though our long national ordeal isn't quite over, it's never too early to say goodbye.

And good riddance.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 6, 2008;

Section:Front Page;

Page Number:A1

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer

The malfunction of a machine responsible for tallying ballots cast in Gallatin County brought election returns to a crawl and kept election officials working through Wednesday at the Gallatin County Courthouse. The last votes were counted at the courthouse at 5 p.m. Wednesday – 19 hours after polls closed in Montana. Hanging on the slow coming returns was the balance of the state House, the makeup of the Public Service Commission and the race for Secretary of State. The delays also made Gallatin County one of the last places in the country to report results in the seminal 2008 elections.

    Problems began when a machine that normally flies through ballots began to get jammed up on absentee ballots, Clerk and Recorder Charlotte Mills said Wednesday. Although it was reported by the Associated Press that folds in the paper from the ballots being put in envelopes and pock marks left by staples were responsible for the jams, Mills said the answer was not that clear. The folds associated with absentee ballots were a factor, Mills said. In a similar episode in 2004, vote tallies were delayed hours when absentee ballots began jamming up the vote counter.  “Absentee ballots are always just harder,” Mills said.

    However, a technician also found on Wednesday that several parts of the machine were out of alignment, including a piece that was ripping ballots when they were fed into the machine. Because of the problem, election workers abandoned the machine in lieu of four smaller, slower counting machines.

    Mills put out a call on local radio Wednesday morning for volunteers to help count ballots. In response, 15 assembled in the third-floor meeting room at the courthouse, including members of the Bozeman City Commission and Gallatin County Commission. Some were assigned to groups of three, which looked over ballots, checking for write-in candidates and redoing ballots that could not be read or were damaged by the ballot jams. Others fed ballots, one-by-one, into the small scanners.

    At 2:30 p.m., 24 hours after election workers first started counting absentee ballots at the courthouse, more than 10,000 had yet to be counted, according to one election official. By late afternoon, the primary vote-counting machine was back online, results began flowing in and the future of Montana politics become clearer.

    While most statewide elections were called without complete results from Gallatin County, the secretary of state race was still close enough to be swayed by the tardy votes. Before Gallatin County’s votes were tallied, Democrat Linda McCulloch held a narrow lead over Republican Brand Johnson. “In a place like Gallatin County, we feel really good that with 2,000 votes between us and our opponent, we can make up that ground,” Chris Shipp, Johnson’s campaign manager, said. In the end, McCulloch won the race.

    Which party controls the Public Service Commission was also resting on Gallatin County returns. In the PSC District 3 race, only 2,259 votes separated Democrat John Vincent and Republican Alan Olsen. After Gallatin County’s votes were calculated, Vincent won the race.

    And in local legislative action, fewer than 100 votes separated Rep. JP Pomnichowski, D-Bozeman, and her challenger, Republican Tom Burnett. Statewide tallies that showed a closely divided Montana Legislature added weight to that hotly contested race, too. In the end, Pomnichowski won the race by about 200 votes.

    Prolonged waits for election results are becoming common in Gallatin County. In 2006, voters lined up until midnight to vote at the courthouse, and results were not tallied until late Wednesday morning. Two years earlier, in the last presidential election, long lines and absentee ballots jamming the vote scanner delayed results. Bowen Greenwood, spokesman for Secretary of State Johnson in his capacity of the state’s top election official, said Gallatin County’s voting equipment is not unique in the state, Greenwood said, but its technical difficulties were. But with voters who arrive at the courthouse by 8 p.m. Election Day allowed to vote, delays are inevitable, he said. This year, it took two-and-ahalf house for everyone in line by 8 p.m. to vote in Gallatin County. “Registering a bunch of people takes up a lot of time, period,” he said. “Because they were busy processing the late registers, they started their count late.”

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 5, 2008;

Section:The Big Sky;

Page Number:C1

Heavy turnout in Gallatin County for historic election

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer 

    Kelly Velure waited for three hours and 15 minutes to vote for president Tuesday night, standing in a line of about 150 people that snaked through two floors of the Gallatin County Courthouse.

    “Definitely, definitely” it was worth the wait, said Velure, 22, a hospital cook who voted for Democrat Barack Obama, rather than Republican John McCain. “I can’t wait to go home and watch (election returns). I’m excited. I hope he wins.”

    Voter turnout was heavy across Gallatin County on Tuesday, with long lines at several precincts, where people waited for the chance to vote in an election many called historic. Charlotte Mills, county clerk and recorder, said 72 percent had voted in 2004 and she expected turnout to be even higher this year. Roughly 66,000 people were registered to vote in the county. Exactly how many had turned out to vote was not available at press time.  Of the 23,420 who requested absentee ballots, 93 percent had returned their ballots, Mills said. Absentee ballots were used both for voting by mail and for early voting at the courthouse, which began Oct. 6.

    At 8 p.m. when the polls closed in Montana, there were still about 150 people in line in the courthouse, and most appeared to be under 30 years of age. Everyone who got in line by 8 p.m. was allowed to stay until they had registered and voted. Each had to be checked against the state drivers’ license database, and if they had been registered in another country, Mills said her office had to phone Helena to cancel the old registration, a process that took some time.

    Last to get in line was Stephanie Robino, a stay-at-home mother of three from Belgrade, who said both presidential candidates were “likable guys ... It was a hard choice. For me, it’s very historic and I wanted to tell my kids I voted.”

    To keep people waiting in line from getting discouraged, Obama campaign volunteers handed out water bottles, cheese crackers, apples and Reese’s candies, while maintaining strict nonpartisan conduct. Mills said there was nothing her office could do about it as long as they demonstrated no party affiliation and did no campaigning. She added her office had even checked the water bottle labels for neutrality. “We’re kind of like flight attendants,” joked Dede Taylor, a Montana State University adjunct art history instructor and faculty advisor to Students for Obama.

    “I think it’s everybody’s right to go out and vote, but a lot of people won’t stay because the lines are so long,” said Julie Day, an MSU freshman. “We are helping everybody to exercise their right. I think this is an important election, no matter who wins.”

    The Republican Party also had a poll watcher in the courthouse, who said she was keeping a close eye on everything to ensure the integrity of the voting.

    The line at the courthouse wound around inside the building, from the first-floor elections office, up the stairs to the second floor, where it twined around glass display cases of historic artifacts. One man, who declined to give his name, said he was willing to wait in line to vote for McCain because of Obama’s record of supporting gun control. Six precincts voted at Montana State University’s football stadium, and the longest lines there were at precinct 35, which includes student dormitories and married student housing.

    Turnout was “phenomenal ... It blows the doors off,” said Laura Larocco, election manager for the six precincts. “It’s encouraging with all the young people – they’re showing up and voting and having their pictures taken together.” Young people waited in line up to an hour to vote, said Lewis Fox, election judge. “Students did take advantage of no classes to come and vote,” said Ceit Lanier, election judge. “I’m very proud of them.” Molly Johnson, a 20-yearold student, said she voted for Obama, though she has often been more of a Republican, because McCain seemed “too close to President Bush.” “I feel like a younger president can relate to younger people,” she said.

    Although national polls found that under-30 voters supported Obama over Mc-Cain 2-to-1, several young voters bucked the trend. Spencer Torvinen, 18, a business management student, said he was passionate about voting for McCain. “Obama just says change, but doesn’t back it up,” he said. Chase Heap, 26, a dental assistant, said he voted for Ron Paul, a Republican congressman from Texas whose name was on the ballot only in Montana and Louisiana. “I’m very passionate about the Constitution,” Heap said. “I chose to vote my conscience.”

    Cassandra Seader, a stay-athome mom, said she came out to vote after watching “Oprah” on television. “She’s guilt-tripping people to go vote,” Seader said. “She had a 109-year-old lady on there. If she’s voting, I better, too.” Her 5-year-old Scott declared he was supporting “Obama.”

    Kim Edmisten, a Head Start teacher, also voted for Obama, citing her concerns about early childhood issues, health care and the war in Iraq. James Vallie, 19, a freshman and member of the Crow tribe, was voting for the first time. “It feels pretty good – I made a difference,” he said. He voted for Obama, partly because “I like the fact he came to Montana. It shows he’s ready for some change.”

    Mills said there were very few glitches on Tuesday. At Ridgeview Elementary School in Belgrade, one voter said she had to wait in line for an hour because the ballot box was full. Mills said the ballot box was picked up early and replaced by a new one, which required closing the polling place for 45 minutes to reconcile the number of ballots with the number of voters.

    One slight problem was that mailed ballots were folded and tended to wrinkle in the ballot scanning machine, so they had to be sent through in smaller piles, Mills said. There was one “little hiccup” in Belgrade when someone fed two ballots through a scanner at once and it jammed, Mills said. A technician was sent to fix it.

    Counting of votes started at 2:30 p.m. on the courthouse’s third floor, where election workers were sequestered, but no results were released until the last voter voted at around 10:30 p.m. Mills, who had been at work since 5:15 a.m., said election workers were “pretty tired.”

    Gail Schontzler is at gails@ dailychronicle.com or 582-2633.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 6, 2008;

Section:Nation;

Page Number:A4

New Congress turns more Democratic

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats broadened their control of Congress, though in the Senate they fell short of the 60 votes needed for a filibuster-proof majority that would have given them almost unbridled power over legislation.

    Voters ousted Senate Republicans in win, so the state on Wednesday set a runoff election for Dec. 2.

    The Associated Press called the Senate race in Minnesota prematurely. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman finished ahead of Democrat Al Franken in the final vote count, but Coleman’s 571-vote margin falls within the state’s mandatory recount law. That law requires a recount any time the margin between the top two candidates is less than one-half of 1 percent.

    The AP also took back a call for a Republican in House an open seat GOP in central Ohio. Republican North Carolina and New Hampshire and added three seats held by retiring GOP incumbents to the Democrats’ fragile 51-49 majority. Four other Senate races involving Republican incumbents remained too close to call Wednesday, including Georgia where a runoff election was scheduled and Minnesota where the margin was so close that state law forced a re-count. The GOP retained some leverage in spite of Democratic gains.

    “The people have spoken. We hear the people and now it’s time to come behind our president,” Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, told “The Early Show” on CBS on Wednesday. “The Senate is going to have to work things out in a bipartisan way, and I think the test is going to be right there.”

    In the Georgia Senate race between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin, each candidate won just shy of the 50 percent of the vote plus one required to Steve Stivers finished ahead of Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy early Wednesday, but the Franklin County board of elections said later that its unofficial vote count had included results that had already been counted in two other counties. The race remained too close to call.

    In the House, Democrats captured GOP-held seats in every region, adding at least 19 seats to the 30 they took from Republicans in 2006. Democrats could gain as many as three more seats where they led in undecided races. Going into Tuesday’s election, Democrats controlled the House 235-199 with one vacancy in a formerly Democratic seat.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats’ first order of business was a lameduck session to quickly enact another economic stimulus package but cautioned that it would take time to achieve the party’s top priorities.

    “The country must be governed from the middle,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said Wednesday. “You have to bring people together to reach consensus on solutions that are sustainable and acceptable to the American people.”

    Pelosi said no decisions have been made on a postelection session. But she said talks are continuing with the White House on the terms of an economic aid measure, which would include additional assistance for people who are out of work. 

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said excitement and record turnout helped propel Democrat Barack Obama to victory.

    “Obama ran a terrific campaign, he inspired millions of people,” Reid said in a telephone interview. “It’s been a really good night.”

    Even as they celebrated, Democratic leaders pivoted to looming issues big and small, including whether to punish or tolerate a Senate ally who endorsed Republican John McCain. There were bigger questions down the road: how to resolve deep differences in their own ranks over promised reforms like universal health care and energy independence — and just how much the public would punish Democrats if they fail.

    However daunting, those were nice problems to have compared with the hangover afflicting Republicans. Before Obama had finished his acceptance speech, GOP lawmakers had turned a harsh eye on themselves.

    “We have got to clean up, reform and rebuild the Republican Party before we can ask Americans to trust us again. This must begin with either a change of command at the highest levels or our current leaders must embrace a bold new direction,” Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said in a statement moments after Obama clinched the election. “Our party must start today to admit our mistakes, fight for our convictions and encourage new conservatives to run for office.”

    There were signs of a GOP shakeup to come. Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, the No. 3 Republican, told colleagues in a letter released near midnight that he was stepping down from his leadership post — “reluctantly.” Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., a leading conservative, announced he would seek the No. 2 GOP slot.

    Not one Republican defeated a Senate Democrat.

    But the GOP blocked a complete rout in that chamber, holding the Kentucky seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a Mississippi seat once held by Trent Lott — two top Democratic targets. Also surviving was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who defeated Democratic Rep. Tom Allen by a nearly 3-2 margin despite Obama’s overwhelming victory in her state.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 6, 2008;

Section:Front Page;

Page Number:A1

Obama wins county; turnout hits 72 percent

— Daniel Person

While President-elect Barack Obama lost Montana, he carried Gallatin County. Obama received 50 percent of the vote in the county, snagging 23,984 votes. His Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John Mc-Cain, got 47 percent, or 22,375 votes. Constitution Party candidate Ron Paul received 2 percent of the vote in Gallatin County. Independent candidate Ralph Nader got half a percentage point. Gallatin County went with the state in the gubernatorial race. Gov. Brian Schweitzer won 61 percent of the county’s vote with 29,256 votes. Republican Sen. Roy Brown took 35 percent of the vote with 16,751 votes. Voter turnout was high in the election. Of 66,785 registered voters, 47,973 cast ballots. That works out to a 72 percent turnout.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 5, 2008;

Section:Nation;

Page Number:A4

Exit poll: Obama wins blacks, women, Hispanics

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama was winning handily among women, blacks and Hispanics, while whites supported John Mc-Cain, according to preliminary exit polls.

    Obama also was the overwhelming choice of the one in 10 voters who went to the polls for their first time Tuesday — a racially diverse group of mostly twentysomethings, half of whom call themselves Democrats.

    Just over half of white voters overall were backing McCain — a group that had favored President Bush over John Kerry by 17 percentage points in 2004.

    McCain, 72, also got support from just over half of senior citizens, coveted for their vigilance in going to the polls.

    McCain also drew strength from white, working-class voters, exit polls showed. Whites who haven’t finished college were giving him heavy support, but short of the 23-point margin by which Bush won their vote in 2004.

    Overall, Obama’s bid to become the nation’s first black president drew the votes of more than half of women, two-thirds of Hispanic voters and nearly all blacks who went to the polls. A young and dynamic candidate at age 47, Obama was winning the under-30 vote by a 2-1 margin.

    Women voters are typically the key to a Democratic presidential victory, and Obama was pulling well over half their votes. He held a narrower edge over McCain among all men, according to the preliminary national survey, which doesn’t show how candidates performed in state-by-state voting for president.

    First-time voters were key to Obama’s strategy, and they were voting for him by a 3-1 margin. Young voters tend to favor Democrats, but not in such high numbers. Four years ago, Kerry won 53 percent of their votes.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 5, 2008;

Section:Front Page;

Page Number:A1

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RACE

‘CHANGE HAS COME’

Obama sweeps to victory as nation’s first black president

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation’s first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. “Change has come,” he told a jubilant hometown Chicago crowd estimated at nearly a quarter-million people.

    The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Iowa and more. He captured Virginia, too, the first candidate of his party in 44 years to do so.

    On a night for Democrats to savor, they not only elected Obama the nation’s 44th president but padded their majorities in the House and Senate, and in January will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.

    A survey of voters leaving polling places showed the economy was by far the top Election Day issue. Six in 10 voters said so, and none of the other top issues — energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care — was picked by more than one in 10.

    Obama’s election capped a meteoric rise — from mere state senator to president-elect in four years.

    Spontaneous celebrations erupted from Atlanta to New York and Philadelphia as word of Obama’s victory spread. A big crowd filled Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

    In his first speech as victor, to an enormous throng at Grant Park in Chicago, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. “The greatest of a lifetime,” he said, “two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.”

    He added, “There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.”

    McCain called his former rival to concede defeat — and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. “The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly,” McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona.

    President Bush added his congratulations from the White House, where his tenure runs out on Jan. 20. “May God bless whoever wins tonight,” he had told dinner guests earlier.

    Obama, in his speech, invoked the words of Lincoln and seemed to echo John F. Kennedy.

    “So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder,” he said.

    He and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009. McCain remains in the Senate.

    Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, returns to Alaska as governor after a tumultuous debut on the national stage.

    He will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.

    The popular vote was close — 51.3 percent to 47.5 percent with 73 percent of all U.S. precincts tallied — but not the count in the Electoral College, where it mattered most.

    There, Obama’s audacious decision to contest Mc-Cain in states that hadn’t gone Democratic in years paid rich dividends.

    Shortly after midnight in the East, The Associated Press count showed Obama with 338 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed for victory. McCain had 141 after winning states that comprised the normal Republican base, including Texas and most of the South.

    Interviews with voters suggested that almost six in 10 women were backing Obama nationwide, while men leaned his way by a narrow margin. Just over half of whites supported McCain, giving him a slim advantage in a group that Bush carried overwhelmingly in 2004.

    The results of the AP survey were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in telephone interviews over the past week for early voters. Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 2, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A8

Incompetence flourished under Bush administration

    This election will determine how we are governed in the next four years. We need governments that are fair, competent, efficient, accountable and responsive to the citizens and changing times.

    Under Bush, incompetence has flourished, accountability lost in deregulation as policy became responsive to the very wealthy. We could expect more of the same under McCain.

    Barack Obama brings us hope for a fair, competent administration, able to address our economic crisis while preserving needed services. He can restore respect for our government here and abroad.

    In Montana Republicans still rant about too much government even after Sales and Sinrud’s attempt to dismantle the legislative process was discredited. Gallatin County was known as sending the worst Republicans and the best Democrats. We should return those best legislators, especially J.P. Pomnichowski who as a freshman was a star. And we should also send Anne Millbrooke who as a newcomer has studied and grasped the significance of the issues that the Legislature will face. Knocking on nearly every door in her district and attending local meetings and gatherings, she knows her districts needs and interests. I’m convinced she’ll be an outstanding legislator.

    Montana is being recognized as a good place to live and do business. Good government makes this possible. Vote for candidates who will make good government happen.

    Dorothy Eck

    Bozeman Vote for a dedicated leader in Pomnichowski

    In the race for state representative in House District 63, voters have a choice between a dedicated and effective legislator, JP Pomnichowski, and her challenger, Tom Burnett.

    JP Pomnichowski has distinguished herself as one of the hardest-working lawmakers in Helena, one who researches and carefully considers legislation and works in a bipartisan way. She is not one of the party politics legislators who stifle progress. Instead, JP works with legislators of both parties to get things done. JP was very successful working with others in her first session and passed the second-most bills of any first-term legislator. She kept working hard for her constituents long after the legislative session ended and continues to do so even while conducting a campaign. That’s effective governing for all of us.

    Earlier this year, JP proposed tax credits for volunteer EMTs who pay for their own training, licensing, and registration so they can volunteer their time and skills to help others. Her opponent, Tom Burnett, opposed the idea as “big government.”

    Then JP, an expert in water law (and who passed new water laws in the last legislative session) helped with the Greater Gallatin Toilet Tradeout for people to replace their water-wasting toilets with water-saving models. The program will save 3.45 million gallons of water a year. Burnett called this water-saving program “silliness” and said that flushing less water doesn’t save water.

    Burnett has said that people without health insurance aren’t desperate, they’re uninsured by choice. Conversely, JP has voted to expand Insure Montana, so small businesses can pool together to buy health insurance for their employees.

    The choice between a thoughtful, effective legislator, JP Pomnichowski, and a conservative, antigovernment challenger, Tom Burnett, is clear.

    Re-elect JP Pomnichowski. 
    Barb Ferguson 
    Bozeman

Obama is one step toward economic equality

    The Republicans continue to label Obama as a Muslim, an Arab, a terrorist, anti-gun, and the latest, a socialist. None of these are true.

    Obama wants to establish some economic equality by providing some tax relief to the struggling middle class. For this he is branded a socialist. He would raise taxes on incomes over $200,000 and decrease taxes on incomes under $200,000. For 20-25 years Republican policies and tax breaks have distributed the wealth to the wealthy while middle-class incomes have stagnated or declined.

    There are far more egregious examples of what might be called socialism than Obama’s proposal. To name a few — tax cuts for the wealthy (which McCain once called immoral but embraced once he became a candidate), a $270 billion Farm Bill, $25 billion for the auto industry, $700 billion for the financial institutions that created this economic crisis, and doling out federal money to states like Alaska which receives more largesse from Washington than any other state. In perspective, is the Obama proposal as outrageously socialistic as Republicans claim? The answer is no.

    The calamities facing a struggling middle class are enormous — loss of jobs, homes and healthcare. A deteriorating middle-class consumerism is bad for the economy. There will be many middle-class voters who will vote for McCain against their own economic interests. A vote for Obama, however, will be one step toward an improved economic equality.

    James Gaffney 
    Bozeman

Enough with the ugly, vote for Sen. Barack Obama

    Presidential politics can be ugly; the regrettable personal attacks obscure the candidate’s message, discourage voters, and polarize us, one from another. As a counterpoint to ugliness, I want to share my experience as a volunteer for the Obama campaign. It reveals a positive alternative to negative campaigning and reflects Sen. Obama’s values of inclusion and community.

    Recently, I organized a group of 21 friends to put a modest ad in The Chronicle endorsing Sen. Obama. Before I knew it my friends had contacted more friends, and so on until my computer mailbox was overflowing with messages from people who wanted to participate in the ad.

    It was not only the number of participants which neared 800 people, but the many interactions among us that inspired me. I realized how much we have in common. Sen. Obama’s vision for our country deeply resonated within each of us. We shared our worries and our hopes. When I’d see these folks at the coffee shop, my daughters’ schools, or introduce myself to them at the campaign office we’d share heartfelt hugs and smiles. We were giving our best efforts to help make something meaningful happen. The experience touched us and made us believe that we can make a difference. This felt different from the typical rip and shred campaign most of us are so tired of.

    My experience felt different in part because the process was different. It’s about neighbor reaching out to neighbor and connecting. It is the confluence of community values, vision for the future, and inclusion that is deeply rooted in Sen. Obama’s ideas and values about government and campaigning. And it is inspiring. It represents government by the people and for the people.

    Enough ugliness. Let’s vote for change. Vote for Sen. Obama.

    Stacy AuCoin Lee 
    Bozeman

Please support me in House District 63

    Hi. I’m JP Pomnichowski, running for re-election to the Montana Legislature.

    The policy work of enacting state law is so important for Montanans and Montana businesses, and I’m proud to have co-written and co-sponsored laws with Republican and Democratic representatives alike. For me, the work of making good state law comes first, not party politics.

    I worked hard in the Legislature for Montana businesses and hard-working Montanans. I voted to eliminate the business equipment tax, and I was the one Democrat appointed by the Speaker of the House to a special committee to eliminate the business equipment tax.

    In the last session, I voted

    n To expand Insure Montana, for small businesses to pool together to buy group health insurance for their employees, and to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program n For property . tax relief for Montana homeowners, amounting to $8.8 million in Gallatin County alone.

    n For outdoor enthusiasts, I passed four laws, including easier permits for disabled hunters and for Purple Heart recipients to hunt and fish free.

    n For more K-12 school funding, to freeze tuition at Montana universities for the first time in 20 years, and for $28 million to renovate MSU’s Gaines Hall. I voted to make the state retirement systems fiscally sound, which improved Montana’s credit rating for first time in 26 years n For . $1.68 million to clean up asbestos and other contaminants at the new Bozeman Public Library.

    I worked hard for you in the state Legislature during the last session, and if re-elected, I promise to work just as hard again. It is an honor to represent you. I’d appreciate your vote in this election. Vote Pomnichowski, the longest name on the ballot.

    Rep. JP Pomnichowski, 
    HD 63 
    Bozeman

 Let’s drop the rhetoric and all work together

    Roger Koopman just can’t seem to get over name-calling style politics and contorted representations of the political perspectives of people who don’t share his extreme views. Case in point, his letter to the editor claiming that the entire Gallatin County Democratic legislative delegation is somehow made up of political extremists because the ”nonpartisan Montana Conservatives” (clearly an oxymoron) group gave them low ratings.

    Roger and other letter writers with black and white, all or nothing extremist views glorify “conservative” and denigrate “liberal” labels. So let us be clear — and this is from the horses’ mouths – let’s get over this polarizing extremist political rhetoric. To be liberal or progressive means to be open-minded and forward-thinking. To be conservative means to be cautious and restrained. On some issues, we are forwardthinking and on others we are cautious. Most people are. That’s what moderate means. It means avoiding extremes.

    It is clear, however, that the biggest issues we face as a state and nation call for more forward-thinking at this time, and the momentum for electing Democrats supports this. But we haven’t and won’t abandon caution either, as we evaluate ideas and look at long- and short-term consequences, costs, and benefits.

    So let’s drop the extremist rhetoric and just talk about being responsible, using common sense, and rolling up our sleeves and working together to solve problems like energy independence, affordable health insurance, sustainable jobs, and good stewardship of our natural resources.

    Brady Wiseman 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 2, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A7

Join me in supporting Obama for president

    As I hunted this year’s opening day of big game season, I appreciated how lucky we are to have a presidential candidate, Barack Obama, who supports hunting, habitats and wildlife. Barack Obama strongly supports conservation efforts on both public and private lands, and understands the significant financial and hard-work contributions made towards conservation by sportspeople.

    As sportswomen and sportsmen, please join me in voting for Obama. Our national treasures, our opportunities, and our huntable habitats are at stake.

    Kathy Hansen Crawford 
    Belgrade

Don’t believe McCain, Obama will lower taxes

    Sen. John McCain wants you to believe that a vote for his opponent is a vote for higher taxes. Don’t believe it. Unless you are part of the 1.3 percent of Montanans whose income is above $250,000 if you are married (or $200,000 if you are single) your taxes will be lower — not higher — under an Obama administration.

    The numbers are straightforward and have been supported by economists across the country. Under Obama’s plan, 90.2 percent of middleincome households would get a tax cut compared with 63.5 percent under McCain’s plan. What’s more, the cut would be larger, on average, in an Obama administration — $970 compared with $282 under McCain.

    Sen. Obama’s proposed tax structure is similar (but slightly lower) to the tax structure used in the 1990s — a period of unprecedented economic growth.

    Sen. McCain’s tax structure is similar to the last seven years — a period of steady wage decline for middleincome Americans and the worst job creation record since Herbert Hoover (think Great Depression).

    Obama’s plan recognizes the growing hardships faced by hard-working Americans who struggle every day to pay for childcare, send their children to college and afford quality health care.

    Obama, for example, would make the $1,000 child tax credit permanent, providing much-needed help for the 74,606 Montana families who receive it.

    Obama‘s plan would reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and expanding it for families in Montana making less than $50,000. In Montana, 17,568 families benefit from this credit.

    Obama would provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit that would essentially make community colleges free and would cover about two-thirds of the tuition costs for a public four-year college.

    The data is clear: Obama’s tax plan is better for middleincome Americans and Montanans.

    Sarah Wilhelm 
    Bozeman

Pomnichowski is on the job in House District 63

    As a voter in House District 63 it is clear to me that one candidate for state representative is on the attack and the other is on the job.

    JP Pomnichowski, House District 63’s representative, is on the job. She works tirelessly as a legislator on behalf of Bozemanites, Gallatin County residents, and Montanans.

    JP is challenged in her bid for re-election by Tom Burnett, who has launched attacks on JP. Because JP is an effective legislator who reaches across the aisle and carefully considers laws for all Montanans, Burnett has no recourse but to criticize, a classic but desperate campaign tactic.

    People send JP questions and concerns all the time, and she helps anyone who asks, regardless of political party or topic. She researches issues and gets answers and results. She has helped citizens with concerns about gravel pits, and about proposed oil and gas leases in Bridger Canyon. She has secured answers about property reappraisal and taxes, and about small business development money. She travels to Helena regularly on her own dime to get answers from state agencies, and she is one of the most respected members of the Legislature because she works on issues, not on party politics.

    At a candidate forum, Tom Burnett shared his viewpoint that Montana schools do not need any more state money. JP is a champion for Montana schools. She voted for ongoing funding for schools, and carried the bill in the House to bring the six-mill levy for university funding to voters this fall.

    Keep the legislator who’s on the job. Believe in the realworld results and be assured that JP will never waiver in her support for working people. Re-elect JP Pomnichowski.

    Linda Wolfe 
    Bozeman

Voting for my country, voting for Barack Obama

    I’m voting for what’s best for my country.

    I’m not voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin who have campaigned on fear, lies with staged invitation-only rallies like Bush and Cheney did in 2000. George Bush and Dick Cheney have ruled on fear and lies for eight years. We Americans can not let this happen again.

    Barack Obama’s vision is like mine. Our country can heal our wounds from poor leadership this last eight years — we have to, for the survival of our country.

    Barack Obama. Temperament — judgment — intelligence — priceless in a candidate.

    Follow your mind, not your party and do what’s best for your country. Vote early to insure your vote will count. Vote smart ...Vote Barack Obama.

Judith M. Wiancko Ennis

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 2, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A7

A vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy

    Almost one hundred years ago, my mother’s mother left her family’s farm near Lillehammer, Norway, an 18-yearold girl skiing cross-country to the train station, the first leg of a journey across the Atlantic, through Ellis Island and on to a homestead north of the Badlands. Meanwhile, my father’s mother, with white gloves and parasol, was marching through the streets of Boston for the women’s right to vote. Though they never met, they shared a profound understanding of the radiant promises of democracy — and the work and vigilance necessary for the fulfillment of those promises.

    I was thinking of Inge and Mary, their courage and their struggles, as I walked into the courthouse early last week. Those who had gone before and those who will come after were on my mind and in my heart as I cast my vote for Barack Obama. We can carry forward the hopes and dreams of our grandmothers, that our nation, in Lincoln’s immortal words, might have a “new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

    Vote Democrat; vote for democracy.

    Lynn Patrick Doyle 
    Livingston

Pomnichowski a huge asset to Gallatin County

    As this election cycle is drawing to a close, it is important for all voters to take a good hard look at the box they will mark on Nov. 4 for any number of issues and people. One box that voters will want to be sure to check, if you reside in her House District, is for JP Pomnichowski. JP has served not only those that reside in her district well, but all those that live in Gallatin County and Montana.

    In my line of work we have call to work closely with the legislators. JP was one of the very few in the last session that actually took time to listen to the opinions and needs of local government before making decisions and when working to promote or speak out against various pieces of legislation. In the interim between the last session and the upcoming one, JP has remained active, working closely with elected officials and the public to ensure that she was educated on the needs and responding to them accordingly.

    JP is a huge asset to Gallatin County in our Legislature, a vote for her will mean that your voice on issues here at home is also heard in Helena.

    Glenda Howze 
    Bozeman

Obama land-grants will make nation prosperous

    In Sen. Obama’s proposals for both science and education, he has designated the Land-Grant institutions as key to our response to energy, food and climate challenges. Those of you on campuses and experiment stations would be funded to extend and expand your role in our national policies.

    Obama’s Science and Innovation platform calls for a national program to “double the research budgets of key science agencies” and to increase research and education funding at Land-Grant schools because “these schools need more funding to respond to these new challenges.” Land-Grant schools, like no other industry or institutions in America, possess the resources today to lead and implement many of the national biofuel and carbon management strategies that our nation must pursue. You are uniquely positioned to both pursue these goals and to assure that we go forward in a sustainable and marketbalanced way.

    The Land-Grant System connects our nation’s foremost research and development institutions seamlessly with the network of professional extension agents trained to implement successful strategies with producers, businesses and communities. The Cooperative Extension Service (CREES) and the other interlocking networks of influence that emanate from Land-Grants out into rural America are readymade for the fast action needed to reach many of our national goals. Once again Land-Grants will be at the forefront of our national prosperity.

    Al Jaeger 
    Bozeman

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 2, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Choose Milbrooke for House District 70

    Anne Millbrooke is running for the open seat in House District 70. As the state representative for House District 70, she states she will work toward adequate funding for public schools, safe roads, seniors secure in our communities, and to protect our clean air, our clean water, and our public access to public lands and streams. These are just for starters. She is one who rolls up her sleeves and pitches in. Look at some of the volunteer activities she’s done in the community.

    Always involved in the community, Anne is currently active in Rotary, and she led the Montana District’s Group Study Exchange team of non-Rotarians to Peru for a month in 2007. She has volunteered as a comforter for the child immunization program at the county health department, as a judge at high school speech and debate contests, as a food server at the fundraising Owenhouse Magic Shows, as a table captain at the university’s etiquette dinners, and as a speaker for community groups. In June she helped at the starting events of the Air Race Classic, the national women’s air race. For the last eight years the Western Arctic National Parklands, she has sponsored her lecture series in Nome, Alaska, during the finish of the Iditarod dogsled race; she also volunteers in the dog lot. Anne is in her third year as an officer of the Sacajawea Audubon Society. Politically, she has served as a precinct committee person, a member of the county central committee, and on various committees and campaigns.

    She listens, she considers, and then moves forward to do something that helps the people she represents. This is what she is used to doing; this is what she will do when you send her to Helena. Anne Millbrooke needs to be your choice for House District 70.

    George Watson 

    Bozeman I will be ‘voting for the black guy’ this election

    McCain at one time seemed on the edge of becoming a Democrat. This happened most fiercely after he lost to Bush in his run for the presidency in 2000. He then opposed Bush’s tax plan, environmental plan and energy initiatives, etc.

    However, after 2004 Mc-Cain changed. He joined the team on taxes. He moved right on immigration. He towed the line on Supreme Court appointments. He has since voted closer to Bush, reaching 95 percent in 2007. He received $1.1 million from oil executives in June 2008, the month he threw support to lifting the ban on offshore drilling.

    McCain finished the first debate with his vision of the war as the great cause of our time. Given that there were no WMDs, no ties to 9/11, a botched “liberation” an increase in hatred, poverty and instability in the region, I would call it the great mistake of our time. This war has gutted our economy, killed many of our own and decimated more than a hundred thousand Iraqis, their infrastructure and treasures. McCain supports the invasion of a sovereign nation for no reason with no exit plan.

    The selection of Palin panders to ultra-orthodox conservatives and the oil industry. The Republican campaign fueled by desperation, inspires division, anger and perhaps violence.

    Yes, Obama is black and for some people in Montana that will be an issue. I was calling for the Obama campaign and a woman in the background shouted, “We are voting for the white guy.” Well, I am “voting for the black guy.” In this time of upheaval, Obama’s brilliant agile young mind, independence, keen judgment, clear values, calm and thoughtful consideration and self-confidence seem mandatory.

    Delores Van Zyl 
    Livingston

Honored to serve you in House District 64

    In 2007 I was honored to serve my first term as the representative from House District 64 in the Montana Legislature. I am running for re-election and I ask for your vote. In the 2007 legislative session I worked with a bipartisan group of legislators and Gov. Schweitzer to pass a fiscally responsible budget that:

    n Made progress toward remedying the chronic underfunding of K-12 education.

    n Enabled the Board of Regents to hold the line on instate tuition for two years.

    n Expanded access to Children’s Health Insurance.

    n Paid cash instead of issuing bonds for needed infrastructure; and

    n Put $400 back into the hands of Montana resident property owners.

    The 2007 Montana Legislature also strengthened our economy and business climate, for example:

    n Forbes Economic Freedom index awarded Montana the most-improved economic ranking, jumping from 41st in 2007 to 13th best in 2008.

    n In May 2008, Montana’s bond ratings were upgraded for the third time since 2007, saving taxpayers an estimated $3.6 million.

    n We created more cabaret beer and wine licenses.

    n We authorized business and industrial development corporations and Tourism Business Improvement Districts.

    n We created tax incentives for “clean and green” energy development.

    n The $200 million cash for infrastructure will go to Montana architects, engineers and builders.

    n We reduced unemployment insurance premiums so Montana businesses pays lower rates. n 2007 Business Facilities magazine ranked Montana No. 1 for overall business climate and 8th for business tax climate. Vote for positive leadership, fiscally responsible budget management, policies that strengthen the future of education and our economy, and good stewardship of Montana’s natural resources and environment.

Franke Wilmer Candidate House District 64 Bozeman

Millbrooke will work effectively for Montana

    Do you live in House District 70? Have you met Anne Millbrooke, candidate for the Legislature? Chances are she’s been in your neighborhood, knocking on doors, and ready to answer questions. She started this process in early summer and is still doing it this week before the election. Maybe you’ve heard her on the radio or heard her at candidate forums. She’s attended them all. She’s also been to numerous public meetings and events. Why? Because Anne wants to represent you and me. All of us.

    Anne Millbrooke is articulate. She’s also a good listener. I believe Anne will be focused and will work effectively with members of the Legislature, regardless of party affiliation. She also understands that there is no bottomless well for funding. Check for yourself at www.annemillbrooke.com. Vote for Anne Millbrooke.

    Melody Harmata 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 2, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

OUR O P I N I O N

Endorsements to think about come

They say that if you like sausage and respect the law, don’t watch either of them made. But makers — and legislators — don’t have that luxury.

    The making of law is hard work — long tedious hours of hearings stretching over months, followed by fractious, sometimes acrimonious debate. And, if you’re the member of a citizen legislature like Montana’s, the work doesn’t pay all that much either.

    But southwest Montanans are fortunate in that there were souls willing to put their names on the ballot and give voters a clear ideological choice in most contests.

    Some recommendations on these very important races:

    In Senate District 33, incumbent Sen. Bob Hawks, a Democrat, is seeking his second term. He is facing off against newcomer Republican Nick Landeros. In this race, Hawks has earned another trip to Helena. With one term under his belt, and with experience on the Bozeman City Commission, including a stint as mayor, Hawks’ experience clearly exceeds that of his opponent. It’s the kind of experience that will be needed to iron out some of the sharp partisan differences that have made themselves apparent in Helena in recent years. And Hawks has shown the willingness to work with members of the other party on a number of issues.

    In House District 63, incumbent Rep. JP Pomnichowski, a Democrat, is facing Republican challenger Tom Burnett. And Pomnichowski has earned another term. As a freshman legislator, she introduced seven bills that went on to be enacted into law — quite an accomplishment for even a veteran legislator given the partisanship that prevails in Helena. She has also shown the statesmanship to judge each issue on its merit, voting with Republicans on a few issues when few other Democrats did. While he is a solid candidate, Burnett doesn’t offer a strong enough argument to unseat Pomnichowski. But watch this one. The vote in this district has been very close in the recent past.

    In House District 65, incumbent Democrat Brady Wiseman faces newcomer Nick Mahan. In this contest, Mahan deserves a shot. Wiseman found himself embroiled is some of the divisive contentiousness that marked the 2007 legislative session, apologizing at one point for interrupting a news interview of the Republican House speaker and cursing at him. Mahan seems to represent a thoughtful reasonableness needed in Helena, and he will act as an advocate for small businesses so important to our local economy.

    In House District 66, incumbent Democrat Rep. Mike Phillips is squared off against Republican newcomer John Milanovich. In this race, Phillips should be sent back to Helena. Milanovich is a personable and reasonable candidate who should remain on the political scene. But, by his own admission, he’s been absorbed in getting his business started up, and that might be a distraction during the legislative session. Phillips, a wildlife biologist by profession, will bring his legislative experience and concern for the environment to another term in the House.

    In House District 67, newcomers are vying for the seat occupied by Republican Rep. John Sinrud, who is not seeking reelection. Republican Gordon Vance faces Democrat Joel Steinmetz, and Vance is the candidate best suited to represent this district. Vance has voiced some interesting ideas about the state’s tax structure, including his advocacy for a statewide sales tax. And his experience as a business owner would give small businesses some needed representation in Helena.

    In House District 68, Incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Sales, who served as speaker of the House in the 2007 Legislature, is facing newcomer Bob Brastrup, a Democrat. In this contest, voters should give the new face a chance. Brastrup is a conservative, rural Democrat from Townsend who should represent a suitable alternative to Sales, who played a significant role in the disruptive gridlock that paralyzed the 2007 session. Sales also co-authored the argument in the voter information pamphlet against the 6-mill university system levy, a measure voters have approved for decades and a measure that contributes significantly to the funding of Montana State University, the region’s largest employer. Brastrup has voiced support for the levy and for adequate funding for all public and higher education and would be a refreshing voice in the din of Helena politics.

    In House District 69, two newcomers, Democrat Joe Hensleigh and Republican Ted Washburn, are facing off to fill the seat of Republican Rep. Jack Wells. Wells is ineligible to run because of term limits. In this race, Washburn should get the nod. As a veteran law enforcement officer, the 67-year-old Washburn’s experience is significantly more impressive than that of the 25-year-old Hensleigh. Washburn has also served as a school board president in New York state, experience that should serve the southwest Montana education community well.

    In House District 70, newcomers Anne Millbrooke and Mike More are facing off to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Roger Koopman, who is not seeking re-election. In the race, neither candidate rises to the top. Millbrooke, a Democrat, seems unprepared for the challenges of the office. More, a Republican, voices more of the inflexibly rigid agenda that has been less than helpful in Helena.

    What’s most important in these contests is maximum voter participation. That’s the only way to arrive at the best representation for each legislative district. So, no matter which district you live in, Get out and vote on Nov. 4.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Nov 1, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Support Millbrooke for House District 70

    I am writing in support of Anne Millbrooke as legislator for House District 70, which runs from West Yellowstone to Huffine Lane and over to Nash Road. Anne is well qualified to be the legislator. She is a well-educated person who has had a variety of experiences including university professor at MSU and the University of Alaska. She knows the value of public and higher education and can appreciate the economic, educational and social value that having a university in our area offers. She is absolutely supportive of the 6-mill levy for Montana universities and technical schools, unlike some other local legislators.

    Anne has traveled in the state of Montana giving speeches to Rotary clubs which has given her a knowledge of problems and programs that will benefit all of Montana. Legislators must be concerned and make decisions about the entire state, not just the area that they represent. Anne has worked hard in this campaign to reach the voters of District 70 personally by going door to door which has allowed her great familiarity with the voters and their interests. This will make for personal representation of the district in committees and the whole Legislature. She has a great knowledge of the air industry and has requested to be placed on the Transportation Committee.

    Anne Millbrooke will be an asset to the Legislature as she knows the art of compromise and is able to work with all people. We must not have a repeat of the dysfunction of the last legislative session which ended up costing us money, valuable time and political civility.

    Lain G. Kay 
    Gallatin Gateway

We are blessed with great candidates

    In the midst of the presidential campaign, some local and statewide races fail to get attention. I want to address three. We are so fortunate in the Gallatin Valley to be represented by a person of Bob Hawks’ character and commitment to the public good. He served his country in the Air Force, he served Bozeman as an excellent mayor and city commissioner, and as a state senator he did not get caught up in the venom of the last legislative session, but rather focused on what would improve the quality of life of the citizens. He is not anti-government. He is for a government that is pragmatic and responsive.

    I also want to speak to the incredible caliber of service we have received over many years from John Vincent. There can be no question, regardless of Roger Koopman’s intense dislike of the man, that John is one who works across the aisle for what will make Montana a better place for the students he committed his life to as a highly regarded high school teacher. The public service commissioner’s seat is going to make a real difference in the creation and cost of energy in this state. John never supported the selling off of Montana Power, and he won’t sell us out now.

    Finally, Denise Juneau will be an exceptional state superintendent of education because she is a learner. I taught her when courses were quite challenging and when getting even a B.A. was a genuine achievement. She went on from MSU to achieve a master’s in education at Harvard and then got a law degree from UM, never turning from the commitment to help others succeed. We are blessed to have such candidates.

    Alanna Kathleen Brown, 
    Ph.D. 
    Bozeman

Vote JP for HD63, support education

    One significant difference between JP Pomnichowski and her opponent Tom Burnett should concern everyone connected with MSU and every resident of Bozeman. Pomnichowski strongly and unequivocally supports the university and the 6-mill levy, while her opponent has refused to take a position, even when asked specifically to do so.

    Why won’t he say that he favors the levy? Alternatively, why won’t he say that he opposes it? I cannot answer the first question, but as for the second, he undoubtedly realizes how critical this issue is to constituents in HD 63, and he does not want to lose the election by openly opposing the levy.

    I believe he ought to lose the election for failing enthusiastically to support the levy. Both the state and student tuition fund the universities. For the past few decades, the financial burden has shifted dramatically onto students, and tuition has increased accordingly. Without the 6-mill levy, either university programs must be cut or tuition must be raised.

    Mr. Burnett’s Republican Party leadership has not been shy about opposing the levy, calling the universities “comfy country clubs” and urging a “no” vote. This seems especially hypocritical since Mr. Burnett personally benefited from the levy, paying a much lower portion of the educational cost in tuition when he attended MSU a few decades ago.

    The university is one of the most important engines of our local economy, one reason why the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce endorses the levy. MSU provides a high-quality education at a cost well below our regional and peer institutions. Please do not oppose the levy; instead, oppose those who will not support it! Vote for JP in House District 63.

    Billy G. Smith 
    Bozeman

Elect Brastrup, he will get things done

    After serving three terms in the Montana Legislature, my opponent, Scott Sales has the following record:

    Of the bills he has introduced, only one was signed into law.

    He was Speaker of the House last session presiding over legislative deadlock that led to a special session wasting more than a quarter of a million tax dollars.

    He opposed stream access for fishing and recreation.

    He has stated he feels no obligation to follow the court ruling on school funding.

    He wants to cut university funding by defeating the 6-mill levy, which will push tuition for our students higher, when it is already high.

    Rep. Sales does not provide solutions, he creates roadblocks to getting the people’s work done. The residents of House District 68 want and deserve better leadership.

    I don’t vote a straight party line ticket and will approach the legislative process with the same independence. Good ideas come from many sources and if they appear good for our district and the state of Montana, they will get my support.

    I support the 6-mill levy.

    The NRA does not believe colleges or universities should be allowed to regulate guns on campus. How would you feel if fans were allowed to carry guns to the Bobcat-Grizzly game? I believe the colleges and universities should decide what is in the best interest of safety on their campuses, thus my B-minus rating from the NRA. Our history and culture includes people like Marshall Wyatt Earp mandating guns be checked at the door. sonableness For common , and sense the ability , rea- to get along and get things done, elect Bob Brastrup, the better choice, for House District 68.

    Bob Brastrup, Democratic 
    candidate for HD 68 
    Townsend

McCain lives in the past, Palin naive

    During a recent stump speech, McCain addressed the crowd, “my fellow prisoners.” Palin, referring to Obama, incited the crowd to a near riot as they shouted “Terrorist! Kill the terrorist!” Can there be any stronger evidence of living in the past from Mc-Cain, and a small-minded but huge prejudice from Palin than these displays of desperation? Long-term memory calcifies as short-term memory skips out in the aging process, producing blank stares and erratic behavior. And you can tell how narrow a mind is by how low they stoop to put down another.

    Word from an old friend, a current Alaskan judge is this: “You’d better pray they (McCain-Palin,) don’t get in.” Another comment from still another old friend heading up an Alaskan social services program up there, “The only good news if she gets in is she’s out of here.”

    And among the top 10 reasons why we cannot elect another Republican ticket: When Palin was attempting to get her ex-brother-in-law fired, she gave his personnel file to the guy she wanted to do the dirty work for her. He got fired by her for refusing because that request really crossed the line of all protocol for him. Another Cheney clone anyone?

    And the number one reason to avoid a McCain-Palin ticket at all costs: Todd Palin, secessionist extraordinaire, is behind Sarah everywhere she goes and she always includes him in her executive decisionmaking. I’m tempted to call this the “McPain and Failen” ticket, but I won’t.

    Kaiden Hall 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 31, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Milbrooke will fight for HD 70 in Helena

    Anne Millbrooke is an educator who deserves your vote for HD 70. It has been my privilege to see her tireless knock on doors these last six months, meeting the people of the district. She will have visited every neighborhood by the time of the election. She will continue working tirelessly for us in Helena. She will fight for good schools, public access to public lands and streams and good roads. She is very conscientious and has my enthusiastic support.

    Bonnie Andes 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 31, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Help change the world, get out and vote

MARJORIE SMITH Chronicle columnist Marjorie Smith is a Bozeman writer and editor and former member of the U.S. Foreign Service She can be reached at mcn net 

    What is left to say about this presidential election? That this is the most important election of our lifetime? Google that phrase and you’ll get two and a half million hits, with everyone from Rudy Giuliani to Bill Moyers declaring that the vote we’ll cast on Tuesday (or perhaps, in this day and age of early and expanded absentee voting, the vote we have already cast) will decide the future of the world. But then, as a few Google citations point out, that’s what some of the pundits say every four years But . this election is really, really important.

    Given the colossal mismanagement of our country by the administration of George W. Bush, it’s hard for some of us to believe that anyone would want to give a Republican candidate another four years to cudgel us with his ideology. And yet some of my friends and favorite relatives are voting for John McCain. I give them credit for their philosophical consistency, and I suppose they are as baffled by my choice to vote for Barack Obama as I am by theirs.

    Once upon a time, I really liked John Mc-Cain back when he really was a maverick, when he spoke the truth as he saw it: damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. In those days he reminded me a bit of my favorite president in U.S. history: Theodore Roosevelt.

    Roosevelt was a dynamic personality a great showman — but while he may have been the perfect president for his era, his time is long gone. These days, speaking softly and carrying a big stick gets a little scary when the big stick is a nuclear bomb. In the 21st century, we need a leader who has the intellect and temperament to carefully consider options while searching for solutions to the Pandora’s box of problems that face us. In his maverick days, John McCain’s impulsiveness was part of his charm. Now, imagining him as “leader of the free world,” his recklessness is worrisome. When the focus is national affairs, it is downright alarming. I cringe at the possibility that future Supreme Court justices might be chosen with the same cynical or whimsical impulse that picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. The possibility that she could be catapulted into the White House is chilling.

    Of course, there will be many more decisions on the ballot beyond the presidential choices. On the statewide level, we get to decide whether to re-elect our own “roughrider,” Gov. Brian Schweitzer (who has, one hopes, learned a great deal in the past couple of months, about reining in his ego, no matter how many states separate him from home). Perhaps Parkinson’s Law has been trumped by Schweitzer’s Law: If you do something really stupid, there will be someone with a cell phone pointed at you.

    Thanks to a bizarre Republican primary result, we’re almost certainly going to elect Max Baucus to a sixth term in the Senate -- his Republican challenger, 85-year-old perennial candidate Bob Kelleher, hasn’t been able to figure out how he won the primary in June.

    Meanwhile, we’ll surely send Denny Rehberg back to Washington for a fifth term in the House of Representatives. His Democratic opponent, John Driscoll, promised not to raise or spend any campaign money and recently promised to vote for Rehberg himself after Rehberg voted against the $700 billion financial bailout.

    It’s almost as though the presidential race has sucked all the energy out of other races. But many hardworking and sincere candidates are pounding the pavement, seeking our votes so they can go to Helena and slave in the Legislature as our representatives and senators. Other public-service oriented people are running for attorney general, state auditor, judgeships, public service commissioner, and county commissioner. Those of us on the progressive side are hoping for (and voting for) a Democrat majority in the Legislature in hopes of unseating the mean-spirited, divisive leadership that ensured that not much got accomplished in the 2007 sessions.

    Then there are the ballot issues: Should we invest state trust funds in the stock market? (I’d say that measure has the proverbial snowball’s chance in this hellish financial climate.) Should we expand child health care? Can we afford not to? Should we renew the six-mill levy for our university system? Again, can we afford not to?

    Many decisions to make. By next Wednesday, we’ll be poring over the election results and grabbing for the financial pages. The candidates will read their futures in the headlines, the rest of us will be hoping to decipher our own futures in the small print.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 31, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

McCain doesn’t get science, technology

    Sen. John McCain does not know enough about science and technology to be a competent president.

    At the first presidential debate last month, Sen. McCain complained that $3 million in federal funds was used for the research of grizzly bear DNA here in Montana. The senator forgot to mention that the funding was part of a bill he helped pass in 2003, and that he mocked the importance of DNA research on a threatened species, claiming it to be useful for “who’s that baby’s daddy?” cases in the wild.

    During debate two, Sen. McCain complained of federal spending on a $3 million “overhead projector” for the Chicago area Adler Planetarium. He repeated this statement in debate three, even after the planetarium released a letter falsifying McCain’s statements. The Adler letter explained that federal funding requests by the planetarium had been turned down and that planetariums do not use transparency projectors to do star shows. They continued to say that planetarium projectors are incredibly complex pieces of optical machinery that are important tools for science education.

    In July 2008, Sen. McCain was interviewed by Yahoo!news, and was asked the simplest of technology questions, “Mac or PC?” Sen. McCain replied, “Neither. I am an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get.” When asked by the New York Times shortly thereafter if he uses the Internet, Sen. McCain responded, “[Cindy McCain and Angela Buchanan] go on for me. I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself.”

    Fellow citizens, technology and science is a major contributor to economic progress. The world is rapidly advancing, and America needs to catch up. We cannot afford another scientifically ignorant and technologically illiterate president. Vote for Barack Obama.

    Lee Hall 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 29, 2008;

Section:Front Page;

Page Number:A1

POLITICAL CONNECTIONS

For some Bozemanites, McCain, Obama are more than talking heads

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer

Those who have attended a Barack Obama event in Bozeman have probably heard Kristin Taylor’s story before. In the mid-1990s, Taylor was a law student at the University of Chicago, where Obama taught constitutional law. She took a seminar course on racism and the law from the young professor, and was immediately struck by his ability to balance many ideas at once. One fateful day that semester, Taylor met with Obama during his office hours to discuss the class. Afterward, she called her husband. “You know my new professor with the funny name?” she remembers asking him. “He’s definitely going to be president some day.” Taylor, 41, now lives in Bozeman with her husband and two children. She has been a tireless advocate for Obama throughout his 19-month candidacy. Taylor is one of a small club of locals who know the presidential candidates by more than just their news sound-bites, legislative records and memoirs. The Gallatin Valley is also home to a former roommate of John McCain’s and Obama’s sixth-grade teacher. And while all their experiences with the presidential hopefuls are quite different, they share a passion to see their teacher, pupil or friend tapped for the Oval Office by the American people next Tuesday.

McCAIN’S ROOMMATE

Roy Garrigues said rooming with McCain gave him a different outlook on life. The two men shared an apartment in Orange Park, Fla., between 1975 and 1976, shortly after McCain returned from Vietnam. McCain had been held as a prisoner of war for fiveand-a-half years in Vietnam, during which he was subjected to harsh torture, enough to break a man’s soul, Garrigues said. But the years as a POW had another effect on McCain, Garrigues said. “He would always be so cheerful in the morning,” he recalled. “He would always be up and around and cheerful. I asked him why that was.” When overseas, McCain told Garrigues, “I would wake up in the mornings and I would have tears in my eyes. I would be so thankful they hadn’t started beating me yet.” Garrigues said that has stuck with him. “To this day, when the alarm goes off, I get up and I have a half-way cheerful attitude, and I get going,” he said. “I never saw that guy hang around a feel sorry for himself.”

OBAMA’S TEACHER

Joan Marie Florence retired in 1996 from the private Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she taught sixth-grade English. Florence, who now splits her time between Bozeman and Hawaii, recalled that in her second year at the school, a student entered her class who was especially memorable. “There was something special about him. He was destined for greatness,” she said. That was Obama. He went by Barry then, and Florence said many of the lessons young Barry learned at Punahou School define his campaign today.

    Students “get plenty of practice expressing their feelings there,” she said.

    Change was encouraged.

    “That’s one of the big things about the school,” she said. It taught that “change is the only thing you can count on. Change is a positive force.”

    Students also learned that, as graduates, they were expected to contribute to their society.

    “An important thing Barack learned there is if you are lucky enough to have a quality education, it is your duty to give back,” she said.

    Florence said she still has the yearbook from that year, which has a small note from Obama.

    “You’re a cool teacher. Have a great summer. Love, B.O.,” it reads. Beside it is a smiley face with a ‘fro – a self-portrait of sorts.

P U L L I N G F O R T H E I R M A N

    Florence said knowing what she does about Obama’s education, as well as how he has impressed those around him give her resounding confidence in the candidate.

    “That boy’s got heart,” she said.

    From his point of view, Garrigues said, McCain’s the man for the job. And knowing McCain personally only reinforces his conviction.

    “I hate to say it, but even if he was a Democrat, I’d still be for John,” he said. “He’s my friend.”

    Garrigues is also a veteran, having served in Vietnam, Somalia and Operation Desert Storm. He said veterans are going to come out strong for McCain, and doubts that recent polling has captured the extent of that vote.

    “You can have attitudes about the economics of this and that, but it all come down to, we went through the crap together,” he said.

    Taylor, who grew up New York, said all of her relatives were Hillary Clinton supporters in the Democratic primaries. She may have supported the New York senator, too, had it not been for that seminar she took with Professor Obama.

    So, instead, she began fighting for the Illinois senator as soon as he announced his candidacy in February 2007.

    Inevitably, the story of what she told her husband after meeting with Obama comes up, she said.

    “I’ve literally told that story hundreds and hundreds of times,” Taylor said.

    Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com or 582-2665.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 28, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

What has happened to the Republican Party?

    Something has happened to my party over this past decade. I was born and raised a Republican. I am a conservative person who deplores waste and reckless impulsive behavior. Radicalism in either direction is out of my comfort zone. Therefore I seek balance in my life which reflects my beliefs.

    Barack Obama is a person that gives me hope that somehow our nation will find its way with sensible solutions and actions. This man has never represented himself as his adversaries attempt to depict. There is a truthfulness about him which I trust. I also see this man as an intelligent decent human being who has acquired a broad understanding of other cultures and beliefs. He claims not to be perfect but there is a certain depth of character which he possesses As former . Republicans from Alaska, we are in touch with many friends up north. We hear that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are in the favor of most, enough said.

    Leslie Egloff 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 23, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

GOP admin not providing for troops

    Lucas Hines is a Marine corporal who enlisted in 2006. In training he qualified for assignment to one of the elite Striker groups and was immediately assigned to Iraq. He is now on his second deployment. I first met him 12 years ago when he was about 10 years old. He had accompanied his father on one of our Alcan 5,000 mile Winter Rallies, and he asked me to photograph him with his snowboard at the Arctic Circle sign on the way to Deadhorse.

    I just got a letter from his mother, listing supplies that he and his buddies need. She is sending a package, as are we. Here is a partial list of items that our government cannot seem to provide for combat forces. Baby wipes and handwipes. The troops are often miles and days away from basic personal sanitation facilities. White cotton socks. Energy bars, snacks, jerky, trail mix, powdered drink mix packets. Basic toiletries such as soap, shampoo, etc,. Large ziplock bags to keep dust out of everything, and chemical hand and foot warmers. The address is: LCP Hines, L.C., first LAR. C.CO., Unit 40610, FPO AP 96426-0610.

    I will be sending a package this week. And I find it unbelievably criminal that our Republican administration can start wars halfway around the world but cannot provide socks and wipes and energy food to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day. At least he is fighting from one of the Striker vehicles and not one of the Humvees that were sent into combat with no protection from mines and IED explosives.

    I have other good reasons for voting Democratic this year, but when I have to send socks and jerky and wipes to a young Marine, I want other citizens to know and share my rage.

    Jim Elder 
    Manhattan

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 27, 2008;

Section:The Big Sky;

Page Number:A6

FOR

- Levy preserving Montana’s future

    Passage of the 6-Mill Levy is about the future of our children and of our state. This is a time for rational, sober thought, not wild claims and man-underthe–bed conspiracy theories about government spending. The 6-Mill levy is not a new tax and it is not a tax increase. It is the same tax we have been paying and benefiting from for 60 years.

    I’ve been a member of the Board of Regents for nearly four years, and in that time have attended about twenty Regents’ meetings, plus numerous interim legislaserving over 42,000 students and employing almost 10,000 people. It is the single largest driver of economic development in our state. In any business that size, whether in private industry or in the university or government world, there will always be some areas that need improvement. But the solution is not to send messages, the solution is to roll up your sleeves, get the facts and solve the problem. We have students to educate; we don’t have time to send messages.

    Remember when you were growing up and your Mom said tive committee meetings and budget meetings with both the legislative and executive branches. In this time, I have been greatly impressed and have become proud of the level of frugality and accountability exhibited by the University System. The irrefutable evidence is that the Montana University System is one of the most efficient and productive higher education systems in the nation.

    The University System’s efficiency is best illustrated by two simple facts: 1) the University System spends a smaller amount of state funds per student than nearly any other state in the nation; and 2) the University System produces more bachelor’s degree recipients per 100 students enrolled than any other state in the nation. Think of it, more than any other state. A highly respected state senator recently attended two of our Regents meetings and commented that he wished every legislator could attend these meetings to see just how much effort goes in to managing the system. The Montana University System delivers a lot of bang for the buck.

    Those opposing the levy claim a message needs to be sent to curb mismanagement. When considering all sources of income, including state money, tuition, federal grants and research dollars, the University System is indeed a billion dollar enterprise you were known by the company you keep. Mom was right. The 6-Mill Levy is supported by, among others, the leaders of Republican and Democrat parties, BlueCross/ BlueShield, the Association of Realtors, State Chamber of Commerce, Farm Bureau Federation, Farmer’s Union, Inn Keepers Association, Medical Association, Motor Carriers Association, Pharmacy Association, School Board Association, Tavern Association, Taxpayers’ Association, First Interstate BancSystem, Inc., MEA-MFT, the Washington Corporation, the Bankers Association, and many other groups and individuals.

    The opponents of the levy are right in one respect. Montanans should send a message, the same message they have been sending for 60 years. Montana’s continuing support for the 6-Mill Levy sends a message that says we will not let China or India become the economic drivers of the world because we as a country and as a state chose to not support higher education. It sends a message that says we’re looking forward and not to the past. The message we must send is a vote in favor of the 6-Mill Levy.

    Steve Barrett is a retired attorney and businessman living in Bozeman. He is currently the chair of the Board of Regents of the Montana University System.

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 19, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

Health care is a right, support Initiative 155

    This November Montanans have the opportunity to vote directly on a great healthcare policy. Initiative 155, the Healthy Montana Kids Plan, is an expansion of two existing, efficient, and effective healthcare programs, CHIP and Children’s Medicaid. When I-155 passes it will open access to healthcare for up to 30,000 Montana children who are currently uninsured.

    By offering children access to primary and preventive care, children can get the medical help they need before illnesses become serious and far more costly. Creating a situation where there can be early intervention when kids are sick is the humane thing to do, but it is also the smart thing to do for the health and well-being of all of us.

    I’ll be voting for I-155 because I believe that healthcare is a human right — not a privilege for those who can afford it — but a right that should be available to everyone, and especially our most vulnerable members of our community. By covering 30,000 children in our state we are taking a step in the right direction. Please join me in voting “yes” on I-155.

    Bethany Letiecq 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 12, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A6

We can’t afford a stubborn president

    McCain brags about the troop surge in Iraq. He did promote it when almost no one else did, except our president, but he is now insisting the surge is a path to “victory.”

    Recall how the surge came about. By 2006, most Americans had tired of this endless war begun on false premises. Obama and most others wanted an orderly withdrawal that might take a year. Instead, Bush and Mc-Cain wanted to commit more troops (and money), which was to last three to six months. The decider decided on the Bush/ McCain plan, of course.

    But the surge, too, is a withdrawal plan. It won’t get the Sunni and Shia on the same page, or turn this disastrous policy into “victory” as McCain is claiming. Even Bush stopped talking about “staying the course” and “complete victory.”

    The surge will soon be two years old. Back in 2006, it was unthinkable that Bush would leave this mess to the next president.

    How many lives, wounded and dollars has the surge cost, that withdrawal back then would have avoided? All of this so Bush can go into the sunset without his head you know where … and, apparently, so McCain can run for president.

    While chaos in Iraq has lessened some, we don’t really know the reasons, or for how long. Our generals say the situation remains very “fragile.” How many Americans know we are bribing Sunnis to not fight, with $800,000 “wages” daily?

    What we do know is that, if elected, McCain will continue this senseless intervention in Iraqi’s quagmire until “victory,” and remain there even after that. Obama, on the other hand, has pledged to get us out. We, and our economy, can’t afford another stubborn president. Finally, Nov. 4, the voters can be the “decider.”

Mike Gettelman Big Sky

Ashamed to be a lifelong Republican

    As a lifelong Republican, today I experienced the deepest of shame when Gov. Sarah Palin so much as said Barack Obama is a friend to terrorists. Such an accusation shows the abject desperation of the Republican cause at the executive level that I can no longer abide the notion of a continuation of Republican administration.

    It is time the Republicans are out of office until they find their moral roots. Republicans have become the most immoral and unethical of people while claiming to trying to maintain conservative morality.

    They will use any dirty tactic they can while their hands are tarnished with scandal after scandal as long as they get money. They claim to be fiscally conservative while the national debt is so high the national debt clock has to be upgraded to go beyond $10 trillion. They bail out high-priced executives while doing nothing for the middle and lower classes.

    As long as Republicans hold national offices of control they will feed themselves while disregarding the nation. The age of the conservative Republican talk radio dream has gone bust by the corruption of the politicians the grassroot Republicans have elected on the national level.

    Once again, I state this opinion as a lifelong Republican.

    Cory Granot 
    Bozeman

GOP disregarding the right to vote

    Montanans are registering in record numbers this year, and it’s more than just young voters amped-up on Barack Obama. Many of us know we live in a state where just three votes determined the make-up of the last state legislative session, or that about 3,000 votes determined the fate of the U.S. Senate in 2006. Most Montanans are proud of our accessible democracy, and we’re excited to make a difference on Nov. 4.

    The Montana Republican Party knows that Montanans will make their voices heard in record numbers this November and the GOP is scared of what that means. That’s why they’ve challenged almost 6,000 voters in mostly Democratic leaning counties. Their shenanigans are an attempt to wreak havoc on the electoral process, made evident by timing their challenge days before absentee ballots are mailed, and days before the close of early voter registration. Based on GOP executive director Jacob Eaton’s reasoning, are there no voters in Flathead, Custer or Gallatin counties that meet his challenge? Really? None at all?

    The MT GOP is led by corrupt fraternity brothers and train conductor wannabes with penchants for political theater. They are exercising a blatant disregard for our right to vote ... a right that American troops have died to protect, a right that the long battle for civil rights has fought to ensure and a right that thousands of organizers have worked tirelessly to preserve. Their actions are reprehensible, desperate and unpatriotic, and will not easily be forgotten.

    Jamee Greer 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Oct 5, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

Obama will fix what Republicans broke

    We are a group of communityminded, older women who enthusiastically support Barack Obama for president. We applaud his specific proposals on many issues that affect us, such as Social Security, health care and retirement savings. We were alarmed when George Bush and John Mc-Cain pushed privatizing Social Security, which Barack Obama has never supported. What if large sums of Social Security had been invested in Wall Street stocks today?

    Most of us are covered by Medicare, but as fewer physicians can afford to accept Medicare reimbursement, access is compromised. Even so, we are lucky compared to our children and grandchildren who cannot afford any health insurance. Barack Obama is committed to affordable and portable health insurance for all. Obama also advocates allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower-cost drugs, a process which is prohibited under the current Bush plan.

    The safety of our retirement savings, including pensions, annuities and IRA accounts, are dependent not only upon our own and former employers’ wise investment decisions, but also on a well-regulated financial industry. As former middle-income wage earners, we are now worried about our financial futures. John McCain has a lifelong philosophy against regulation and oversight of markets. His apparent switch in the last few days is unconvincing. Barack Obama on the other hand stands for reforming corporate bankruptcy laws to protect workers and retirees. On Sept. 23, speaking about the Wall Street bailout, he said, “We cannot give a blank check to Washington with no oversight. No oversight and no accountability is exactly what got us in this mess in the first place.” We strongly support the Obama-Biden ticket which would be a major change from the last eight years of reckless Republican incompetence, including the present financial disaster.

Helen Alexander, Barbara Kligerman, Molly Richardson, Karen Tkach BozemanSupport Millbrooke, future of the Valley

    If you care about the future of the Gallatin Canyon and Valley, now is the time to support Anne Millbrooke for the open seat in House District 70, located in the southwestern part of Gallatin County.

    Anne will work for access to public lands and streams from public bridges. Adequate funding for public schools and community health initiatives are high on her work list. Through her years living in the Gallatin Valley, she has volunteered in public service activities and children’s immunizations programs at the county public health department. She is a worker who realizes “there are legitimate public needs but on the other hand taxpayers’ dollars are limited. Therefore we must spend public monies responsibly and require accountability,” she says.

    Anne has taught history in Alaska and holds a private pilot’s license as she served as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. Anne was born in western Oregon and raised on the coast of Washington state. She owes her hard work ethic and efficiency to a frugal Finnish-American upbringing. Anne earned her bachelor’s degree at Boise State, her master’s at the University of Wisconsin and her doctorate in history at the University of Pennsylvania. Now a freelance writer, she wrote an award-winning book on aviation history and another book, on communication in the aviation profession, will soon be released.

    Joe Gutkoski 
    Bozeman

A vote for McCain is a dangerous dice roll

    Sarah Palin is just the tip of the iceberg, John McCain’s first shot at a truly presidential decision, and he blew it. As a former Alaskan, I followed Palin’s mayoral stint in Wasilla, and was spewout-the-coffee flabbergasted when I heard that he had picked her as his running mate.

    Knowing her career, let’s just say I didn’t have particularly high expectations for her, but the Katie Couric interview was so pathetic, you had to feel at least a little sorry for her; almost anybody who took a civics class and reads a newspaper would have gotten through Couric’s softball interview with less gibberish and nonsense.

    But it’s not just about Palin anymore. McCain has settled into a campaign routine of lurching from one publicity stunt to another, saying one thing one week and contradicting himself the next (Exhibit A: the economy is strong; the economy is in crisis.), with his famous hairtrigger anger ready to explode any minute. Sorry, but this man is not presidential material. A vote for McCain is a dangerous roll of the dice.

    Dean Littlepage 
    Bozeman

Sen. Obama respects rights of gun owners

    As a hunter and gun-owner for 60 years, I will neither register nor give up my guns. Further, I believe if guns were banned only criminals (and hardnoses like me) would have them. So I Googled Obama and gun control and found nothing to justify Heier’s claim (Chronicle, Sept. 27) that “Obama wants your guns — all of them.” That’s an opinion unsupported by fact. Instead, the Web site documents Obama’s repeated support for gun rights.

    The same Web site details McCain’s position on guns. He’s not a gun owner but his voting record appears dictated by the National Rifle Association. I belonged to the NRA since childhood but quit when they advocated for unrestricted assault weapons access and, worse, ridiculed those who fear or have no interest in guns. Disagree, fine, but don’t ridicule. In America we are all entitled to our opinions. I now see the NRA as un-American.

    Obama is also not a gun guy so he can’t truly understand our passion for guns and hunting, just as non-hunter friends and family sometimes don’t get it. But Obama’s whole life reflects deep respect for others’ opinions and rights, and his devotion to our Constitution. Moreover, he sees — as should every responsible gun owner — the connection between gun rights and gun violence in our society, and supports attempts to resolve this problem, such as cracking down on irresponsible dealers selling handguns to criminals or gang members. Unlike McCain, he would also ban the sale of assault weapons and armor-piercing ammo. So would I. So would law enforcement agencies. Freedom can only survive if we are respectful of each other and responsible for our actions as they affect our community. Disregard for public safety leads not to wider freedom, but to chaos.

Bob Roughton Belgrade

Pomnichowski works for all Montanans

    JP Pomnichowski is unquestionably the most effective legislator House District 63 has known in the 36 years I’ve lived in Bozeman.

    JP’s wide range of personal experience serves her on many issues of importance to Montanans:

    As a firefighter/EMT for the Bridger Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, she knows the costs and dangers of building homes in the wildland/urban interface. She has worked with state agencies on guidelines for defensible space around structures and with city and county planning for fire stations, services, and infrastructure. She voted for SB 201, which adds fire protection to the requirements for cities’ growth plans.

    As an EMT and health worker and manager in hospitals and surgery centers, JP is knowledgeable about health care issues and costs. She has carried and voted for legislation to expand insurance pools for small businesses, funding for CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), and other health assistance efforts.

    As member and chair of the Bozeman Planning Board, Zoning Commission, and Southeast Neighborhood Association, JP brings extensive knowledge of land-use planning and legislation, vital to orderly and forward-looking growth management.

    JP has been called the Legislature’s No. 1 Water Wonk, an expert on water quality and conservation. She co-wrote and co-sponsored House Bill 831 to preserve and protect Montana’s water quality and quantity, a major change in water law.

    JP listens to her constituents. Ask a question or send a comment, and her reply will be thoughtful, thorough — and amazingly quick.

    And JP isn’t in Helena simply to thwart the opposition. She’s pragmatic and realistic, willing to reach across the aisle to find a solution, as she did in cowriting and sponsoring HB 831, the water law, with a Republican representative.

    JP will continue to work to find solutions that will work for all Montanans. Please give her your vote.

    Anne Banks 
    Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 28, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

Obama will work for the American people

    The Republican Party tells us that John McCain’s a maverick and that Sarah Palin is a reformer. Not true. McCain like Bush says what people like then does what corporations want. McCain’s campaign is run by lobbyists and funded by big corporations. He’s voted with Bush consistently, against raising the minimum wage, against benefits for veterans, for tax breaks for big oil and companies that ship jobs overseas, and against renewable energy initiatives.

    Gov. Palin hired a lobbyist as mayor of Wasilla to get congressional earmarks. She ran for governor as a supporter of the “Bridge to Nowhere.” As governor she kept Alaska the top state for per capita earmarks. She wants to give the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil, and opposes Endangered Species status for polar bears because it would limit drilling.

    Republicans turned mortgage companies loose to rip off homebuyers and now our credit system is in collapse. Tax breaks for corporations have not trickled down because corporations have taken the money and jobs overseas. McCain thinks the Iraq War was a good idea and will keep us there for the foreseeable future. Now our debt for the war and the bailout threatens our economy and security.

    When Republicans talk about getting the government out of the way of private enterprise they really mean ending regulations that protect individuals from predatory lending, environmental pollution, and cost-gouging by oil, pharmaceutical and utility companies.

    Barack Obama’s campaign is funded by over two million Americans. He will work for ordinary Americans as president. His economic policies will enable individuals and small companies to build a renewable energy future and grow a resilient and strong economy from the bottom up.

    The only way to get honest government is to stop voting for politicians that consistently, purposefully misrepresent themselves.

    Nike Stevens

Voting pocketbook, voting for Obama

    I just had it explained to me why someone would vote for Mc-Cain/Palin. Under the Bush tax cuts and if you were an “average” wealthy person earning between $6 and $7 million per year, you would keep the $600,000 deduction, and you would also get another $200,000 per year with the McCain tax cut.

    If Obama is president, he would eliminate the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, but decrease taxes for families making under $250,000 per year.

    I’m in the under $250,000 category, so I guess I’ll vote for my pocketbook interests and vote for Obama.

    Suzanne Elder

    Manhattan

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 21, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

    Much has been made of the matter of experience in the presidential campaign, but little or nothing has connected the quality of the candidates’ judgment and their rhetoric. Let’s briefly compare McCain’s rhetoric and his choice of Sarah Palin with Obama’s in his choice of Joe Biden.

    McCain called Palin “the most marvelous running mate in our country’s history.” He seems to know nothing about American history, since John Adams was our first vicepresident, Thomas Jefferson our second, and Theodore Roosevelt our 25th. Palin, mayor for only six years of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 9,780), and governor of Alaska (pop. 670,000) for less than two years, was vetted in less than 24 hours and snapped up immediately by McCain to mollify his far-right base. Yet McCain claims to put “Country First.”

    Obama set up a committee to search for vice-presidential candidates on June 3. In his announcing Joe Biden on Aug. 25 as his choice, Obama said, “He’s an expert on foreign policy whose heart and values are rooted firmly in the middle class.” Biden has been in the Senate since 1972, is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Justice. Biden wrote the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1994 and renewed in 2000 and 2005, which set up the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Enough has been said to indicate that the quality of Obama’s carefully considered judgment and his rhetoric match his VP choice perfectly.

    We need a president who is backed up by the most qualified vice-president, a president whose judgment is not rash and whose rhetoric matches his claims, one who chose his running mate with deliberation on the widest not narrowest of grounds, whose running mate represents all Americans, not just a political base.

    As a lifelong Republican who has always voted for the Republican nominee for president, I am deeply frustrated by Sen. Mc-Cain. I was ready to vote for “Country First” McCain but that was before he changed his positions on tax cuts for the rich, running a respectful campaign, and before his VP candidate selection.

    McCain clearly did not put country first when he selected Palin as his VP. Having a person with her limited qualifications a heartbeat away from the presidency when the president would be a 72-year-old with a history of reoccurring cancer is not putting country first. He now supports the Bush tax cuts for the rich that he voted against when they were initially passed. The country is effectively putting the cost of two wars on a credit card for our children and grandchildren to pay off. Finally, the continued use of lies in campaign ads after independent organizations like FactCheck.org have said the claims are false, shows how low the Mc-Cain organization is willing to go.

    Instead of “Country First” it appears that Sen. McCain is quite willing to put country, fiscal responsibility, and honesty behind getting elected.

    Steve Lewis

    Manhattan

Obama can do more than read a teleprompter

    I am prompted to write in response to Chip Gibbs’ letter published in July in which he stated that “The Democrats have nominated a man to be the leader of the free world whose only qualification is that he can read a teleprompter well.” Mr. Gibbs is free to like or dislike the policies of Obama and to vote his conscience. But his statement cannot go unchallenged.

    Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School and was president of the Harvard Law Review. Despite the fact that he could have named his price to work for corporate America, he choose to spend three years as a community organizer in which he created a voter registration drive that registered 150,000 new voters. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years, suggesting that he might actually know something about the U.S. Constitution. He served eight years as an Illinois state senator representing a district with over 750,000 people. He was chairman of the Illinois Senate’s health and human services committee.

    More recently he has spent four years in the United States Senate, representing a state of 13 million people. According to the Library of Congress, Obama sponsored 152 bills while serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees.

    And by the way, when he spoke before a packed audience here in Bozeman, he did not stand behind a lectern. There was no teleprompter. He walked back and forth across a large stage, speaking passionately in very specific terms about what his policies will be when he becomes president.

Jack Kligerman Bozeman

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 7, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A5

Mortgage mess is Gramm’s fault

    John McCain’s old chum, Phil Gramm, former U.S. senator from Texas, now a Swiss bank executive, co-chairs Mc-Cain’s presidential campaign and advises him on matters of economics. Gramm appears to be a shoo-in for Secretary of the Treasury if McCain is elected president.

    In the 1990s, Gramm, then chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, routinely underfunded the Securities and Exchange Commission. As the SEC’s workload increased 80 percent, SEC’s staff was allowed an increase of just 20 percent. In 1999, Gramm got a bill passed that tore down the regulatory walls between commercial banks, investment banks, insurance companies and security firms, resulting in merger mania.

    Gramm pulled off his cleverest move for his friends in the financial services industry (who donated millions to him over his 24-year congressional career) in mid-December 2000. Into a $384 million omnibus spending bill, Gramm slipped a measure called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. It contained a provision — lobbied by Enron — that exempted energy trading from regulatory oversight. That allowed Enron to trash the California electricity market, and cost consumers billions before it collapsed. Eight years earlier, Gramm’s wife, Wendy, then Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairwoman, pushed through a rule excluding Enron’s energy futures contracts from government oversight. She later joined Enron’s board, and earned salary and stocks worth more than $1 million.

    Unregulated credit default swaps were enabled by Gramm’s 2000 bill that deregulated a $62 trillion market, so loans, mortgages and everything from your checking account to your pension fund were bought and sold like bets. This flimflam by Gramm was at the heart of the subprime mortgage meltdown. A vote for John McCain for president is a vote for Phil Gramm for Secretary of Treasury. Think about it.

Norman Bishop Bozeman

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 7, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A5

McCain’s choice for VP shocking

    It’s shocking to me that John McCain would agree to Sarah Palin as the vice presidential candidate for the GOP. I am aghast to learn that for potential president of our great nation he went ahead and chose someone whom he virtually didn’t know. The reports have it that he met her only once before his choice and then spoke with her on the phone. What leader in his right mind would choose for this country and the world a person with whom he was virtually unacquainted.

    McCain will be 76 at the end of his term. During his time in office he could be ripe for a stroke, for Alzheimer’s, or a reoccurrence of melanoma. Looking at it from a worst case scenario, there is the potential for our nation and the free world to be led by Sarah Palin, a virtuous mother of five, a popular right-wing talk radio commentator, and one whose national administrative experience has been limited to less than two years as governor of Alaska.

    What can we make of John McCain’s judgment? Is judgment not an important issue?

    June Billings Safford 
    Bozeman

 

This comment from Laurie, a Democrat county chair in Texas: Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?  What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair with her while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?  What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?  (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption
in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?  What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would b e as close as they are?  This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Backgrounds:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. Vote accordingly.  

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 7, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

U.S. can’t afford another Bush

    Vote Obama/Biden. We can’t afford another eight years of Bush-style leadership. Obama’s energy plan will begin to restore our deteriorating infrastructure and economy. He’ll use the oil companies’ record profits to provide an emergency energy rebate to families. He’ll work with private industry to put American-made plug-in hybrids on the road quickly and with Congress to set aggressive standards for fuel efficiency.

    He’ll invest $150 billion over 10 years to help develop a clean energy economy, focusing on the next generation of biofuels, solar and wind power. He’ll support responsible domestic oil and coal development as a bridge to a fossil fuel-free future. He’ll implement a carbon capand-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He’ll invest $60 billion over ten years in a national infrastructure redevelopment fund that will stimulate infrastructure development. These investments will create millions of high-paying jobs and enhance our security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and strengthening our economy.

    Naysayers say we can’t afford it; I say bull. We are a can do country. When our highway system threatened our security and economic growth, President Eisenhower and Congress worked to pass the Federal Highway Act of 1956 to create the interstate highway system we have today. When the Soviet Union beat us into space and threatened our technical leadership in the world, President Kennedy and Congress worked together to create the Apollo program. Initially, these programs cost $25 billion and $23 billion, a monumental investment in years when the total national budget was only $75 billion and $100 billion, respectively.

    This amazing bipartisan feat enabled us to develop the infrastructure and technology that resulted in an economic miracle that has made us the envy of the world. By electing Obama/Biden and congressional leaders who will work together, we can continue to lead the world.

    Roy Reynolds 
    Big Sky

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Sep 3, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

Bring America back with Obama/Biden

    The significance of this election cycle is near fever pitch, reflected by the national majority dissatisfied with the course of our nation. After eight years of Republican malpractice our country is mired with an enormous national debt, two open war fronts and a real energy crisis to name but a few, making clear our need to enact meaningful change by electing the ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden this November.

    Vice presidential power, though currently abused, continues to evolve in both scope and responsibility — take, for instance, the role of a VP in foreign policy outcomes. The decision to choose Joe Biden as VP absolutely reflects the sensibility of the Obama campaign, as Sen. Biden has a storied history of national service with as strong an understanding of foreign policy as anyone. Yet Joe Biden is also long tested as an advocate for public education, the rights of women, constitutional protections and an American economy sustained by American jobs. And just as Barack Obama is both independent and strong willed, so too is Joe Biden. Together, their ticket represents our best voice to forge ahead in an increasingly complicated world.

    Though our politics, in certain ways are inching towards spectator sport, full of predictions and personal favorites, by adding Joe Biden as VP the Democrats have put together a strong, pragmatic ticket at a time when experience and fresh ideas are the exact qualities our nation needs. Let’s bring America back by electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden this November.

Nate Schulfer Bozeman

 

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Aug 28, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

Obama progressive on women’s issues

    Sen. Barack Obama is very progressive on women’s issues. Sen. Obama voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, supports expanding the Family Medical Leave Act, will strengthen Social Security without privatization, will fully implement the Women Owned Businesses contracting act, is a champion for a woman’s right to choose, and will sign the Freedom of Choice Act, voted in favor of requiring health plans to cover prescription birth control, is a co-sponsor of the Equal Equality Amendment, and supports full funding of the Violence Against Women Act.

    Sen. John McCain is against all of these issues except for Violence Against Women.

    The Business and Professional Women’s Organization Political Action Committee (BPW/PAC) board of directors has voted to endorse Barack Obama for president, after a thorough investigation of both men’s positions and voting records. BPW/PAC supports federal candidates who will be strong advocates for equity for all women in the workplace.

    The BPW/PAC is the only women’s organization with a PAC, which is supported directly by BPW members who contribute specifically to the PAC. Barack Obama told us BPW members in a letter to the membership: “As president, I will dedicate myself to improving the lives of women through pay equity, access to education, investment in womenowned businesses, policies to help manage work-life balance, affordable healthcare, reproductive choice, and violence prevention.” I urge Montanans to actively support and vote for Sen. Barack Obama as president of the United States.

    Pat Simmons 
    Bozeman

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Aug 13, 2008;

Section:Nation;

Page Number:A4

Dems. can get U.S. on the right track

    It was announced yesterday that consumer prices rose faster than predicted, the most since 1991. That was on the same day that we learned that our wages dropped for the third straight month, the biggest drop in four years. Fortunately there wasn’t any news about housing costs and foreclosures yesterday, or people would have flocked to the bars to drown their sorrow. But, of course, they couldn’t afford it anyway.

    Where’s the good news? The only light at the end of the tunnel that I see is an election in November. This will be our opportunity to “throw the bums out.” The Republican administration only promised “less taxes, smaller government.” Perhaps they should have considered how they would govern, and consider what the American people expect from their government. When the CEOs of all the major American airlines send out e-mails asking their customers to call their congressional representatives and ask them to regulate oil speculators so that they can stay in business, it’s a very bad sign. Contrary to the Republican belief that only the so-called welfare state is interested in government services, the wealthy CEOs of the major airlines are asking for better government.

    Montana has its own example of government not working. The Department of Environmental Quality, DEQ, is so understaffed that it cannot complete the required review of gravel pit applications in the time period set by law. So, a judge in Helena steps in, in response to a lawsuit filed by the gravel pit owner and grants the permit, without any review.

    The mantra of “less taxes, smaller government” is clearly not working. The majority of Americans, when polled, say that our country is moving in the wrong direction. Let’s get it moving in the right direction by voting for our Democratic candidates in November.

    Lynea Seher 
    Bozeman

 

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Aug 11, 2008;

Section:Opinion;

Page Number:A4

Stay on the right track, vote Dems

    The 6 mill levy that partially funds the state university system is again on the November ballot. Although the 6 mill levy has passed every 10 years since 1948, Republicans are once again out to defeat it. One of the most important innovations in our country’s history was the establishment of the land-grant college system of which Montana State University is a part. In 1993, MSU celebrated its 100th anniversary. The principal assets of the land grant schools were a high level of education and affordability. In the 15 years since 1993, Republican Legislatures

    seriously . Montana State University still offers a high level of education, but even with the 6 mill levy, affordable it is not.

    In the 1992-93 session the state Legislature appropriated a little over $39 million for MSU. That supported about 70 percent of the total cost of student education. Student tuition made up the other 30 percent. For 2006-07 the state Legislature appropriated a little over $40 million for MSU even though state revenues have more than doubled since 1993 and enrollment has increased substantially. Recent appropriations support only 30 percent of the cost of student education while student tuition now contributes 70 percent, a complete reversal in just 15 years.

    Education is the key to Montana’s future. Making it less accessible or burdening students with massive debts upon graduation condemns Montana to lag behind the rest of the nation. Why has this shameful trend occurred? Think Republican. The last Legislature made a modest beginning to reverse this destructive trend. It will be a long climb back to a sensible ratio of state funds and student tuition.

    How do we keep the next Legislature on a proper track? Pass the 6 mill levy again and Think Democratic.

    Thomas R. Wessel 
    Bozeman

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Aug 4, 2008;

Section:Front Page;

Page Number:A1

Whose side are you on? Exhibit rolls out rare remnants of Montana’s labor movement

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer 

    Mary Alice McMurray’s favorite piece in a Montana labor movement exhibit on display through today in Bozeman is the front page of a 1903 Anaconda Standard.

    On June 7 of that year, the daily newspaper ran a full page, allegorical etching of a worker and capitalist being brought together by an Athena-like woman who is underscored by the word “Union.”

    McMurray said she enjoys it because the drawing shows the role unions can play in our economy.

    “The Union brings them (capitalist and labor) together,” she said.

    The exhibit is set up in the main hall of the Gallatin Labor Hall on West Mendenhall. Along with historical newspapers, union charters, black boxes and “noncommunist pledges” line the tables in hopes, the curator says, that Bozeman residents will gain a better understanding of unions and their role in Gallatin County and Montana.

    To be sure, the labor movement in Gallatin County was quieter than in Butte, Elizabeth Darrow said, because the Bozeman area has always been agriculturally based.

    But “there have been unions here, similar to any place,” she said, and it was a history worth examining given the decline of unions recently.

    Gallatin County’s history with unions began in the 1880s, Darrow said, and the town saw its first strike in 1886 at a coal mine.

    “I think there’s always a need for a labor movement to balance” business interests, Darrow said. She aims to “educate and encourage people that the unions aren’t the problem.”

    McMurray, a representative for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, echoed Darrow.

    “I hope (visitors) get an understanding that there are unions in Montana and in Gallatin County and how hard they had to work to be around the help the working person,” she said.

    Today, nine unions use the Gallatin Labor Temple, which has been occupied by the unions since 1949, McMurray said.

    Throughout American history, unions have spurred contentious and at times deadly debate. Few stories underscore that better than the early morning hanging of labor organizer Frank Little in Butte.

    Some business owners have opposed unions purely on the grounds that they eat into their profits. Others have made more nuanced arguments that unions reduce the total number of jobs available, thus hurting workers, not helping them. Also, graft has maimed the reputations of many unions.

    But McMurray, Darrow and memorabilia on display are soundly pro-union.

    “Unions have had a really bad rap,” Darrow said. “It’s worked to big corporations’ benefit.”

    For 35-year union man Randy Berndt, the exhibit helped him understand the labor movement as a whole.

    “You’d think a person would have a lot of knowledge” after being the union so long, he said. “But this has broadened my view on all of it.”

    The exhibit will be open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com or 582-2665.

 

July Fourth is the holiday to celebrate the founding of our country.  The Constitution and Bill of Rights shape our daily lives because they created – and continue to create – our democratic government. We the people are responsible for the evolving shape of our government. For years braying conservatives insist taxes are the worst evil that can befall us.  The deafening repetition of that lie has cut social programs for the neediest to the bone.  Now the resulting policies affect even people who're better off. Taxes are not necessary only for military and public safety needs.  They are necessary to keep the country functioning.  The island dwellers in Livingston who couldn't go home because their bridge washed out are front line casualties of decades of neglect of basic maintenance of public infrastructure.  The crisis was handled by a temporary replacement by the military. This emphasizes that our taxes are used to create a standing army.  They are not going into needed services. Another example of misuse of taxes are the property owners victimized by cuts in the funding of Montana's Department of Environmental Quality.  Two decades of Republican rule deliberately gutted DEQ, which could've saved homes from development ravages.  It is sad that it has taken gravel pits in their backyards to demonstrate the error of electing representatives with the single goal of slashing taxes.  Our representatives should protect us from forces that rip the fabric of our daily lives.  Unchecked development is a greater threat to our pursuit of happiness than taxes. 

Fortunately, this is an election year.  We hold the power to elect people with a mature sense of what our government should do for us.  Protect us from foreign invasion, of course.   Keep us from supporting our access to services, never.  Be sure to vote.
--
Carol Stahl

 

Publication:Bozeman Daily Chronicle;

Date:Jun 10, 2008;

Section:Nation;

Page Number:A3

County sending four delegates to Democratic Convention

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer 

    Four Gallatin County Democrats were tapped to go to the party’s national convention in Denver in August, tying Missoula for the biggest contribution to Montana’s 29-person delegation.

    Statewide, 20 voting delegates and four alternates were chosen during the state convention held in Helena on Sunday. Nine of the elected delegates are pledged to presumptive nominee Barack Obama. Seven are pledged to Hillary Clinton. One unpledged delegate was elected Sunday, a Lake County woman who has put her support behind Obama.

    Including superdelegates – party insiders who include the governor, U.S. senators and party leaders and who have a free hand in who they support at the convention – 18 of Montana’s 25 delegates are pledged to Obama or have thrown their support behind him. All of the remaining seven are pledged to Clinton.

    From Gallatin County, Obama organizer Kristin Taylor, state Sen. Larry Jent, state Rep. JP Pomnichowski and Anthony Jackson, an aide to U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, were chosen to attend the convention. All but Pomnichowski were elected to support Obama, and both Pomnichowski and Jent are two of the four alternates sent as part of the delegation.

    Gallatin County sent 18 people to the state convention.

    Pomnichowski said the heavy representation from the Gallatin Valley is a feather in the county’s cap.

    “Bozeman has got it going on,” she said. “We are doing things first in this state.”

    She said she was driven to run for a delegate seat by the excitement surrounding the primary this year, one of unprecedented length that ended in Montana.

    “It’s a banner year,” she said. “A convention like this is such a huge event I don’t know how many opportunities you get like this.”

    Both Pomnichowski and Jent emphasized the importance of the convention being held in Colorado, a Rocky Mountain state.

    “The road to the White House this year goes through the Rocky Mountains,” Jent said. “If (Obama) wants to win this thing, he needs to” emulate Rocky Mountain Democrats who have been successful in recent years.

    Another Gallatin County Democrat snagging honors was Anne Millbrooke, a Democratic candidate for House District 70. Millbrooke was elected without opposition as one of Montana’s three presidential electors. The presidential electors will cast Montana’s three Electoral College votes if Obama is successful in November, according to a written news release from the party.

    Delegates are necessary for securing the party’s nomination, and neither candidate had enough until after Montana and South Dakota held their primaries and a flood of superdelegates announced their support for Obama. That included five of Montana’s eight superdelegates, who announced their support shortly after the polls closed in Montana.

    Also pledged to Clinton in Denver are: Diane Sands, Missoula County; Scott Martin, Missoula County; Nancy Anderson, Cascade County; Carl Donovan, Cascade County; Carol Williams, Missoula County; Kim Gillan, Yellowstone County; and Julie French, Sheridan County.

    Also pledged to Obama in Denver are: Michelle Reinhart, Missoula County; Jason Smith, Lake County; Laura McGee, Cascade County; Ryan Rusche, Cascade County; Raphael Graybill, Cascade County; Joan Vetter Ehrenberg, Flathead County; Kathleen Driscoll, Ravalli County; and, as alternates, Christina Quijano of Carbon County and Jorge Quintana of Lewis and Clark County.

    Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com or 582-2665. The Associated Press contributed to the article.