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Voting is a privilege

This is a letter of congratulations to Robert Welch of Kalispell for being a first-time voter.

Robert, you have just accomplished by voting a very important part in becoming a participant in the government of the greatest free country on earth. In voting, you have exercised your right as a citizen of this fine country. You can be proud of that!

In the opening lines of your letter on April 30, you say “your vote never counted because you were poor, white and unfortunately, an American.” You went on to say how you hate rich politicians “because they have controlled the world too long.” You certainly can say something like that in our beautiful FREE country of America. You may want to keep in mind to make a statement such as that, in some countries you could be lodged in jail or in some cases, executed.

Don’t worry about being poor, Robert; I’m sure you’re not alone there. However, in America you have the never-ending opportunity to search for a better paying job, perhaps go into business for yourself. A lot of people have done just that and are doing just fine because they took the plunge. You didn’t say how old you were, however in voting for the first time you have taken a very important step toward making a better life for yourself and your family.

My father was born in 1879, if he were alive today he would be 138 years old. He was a landed immigrant in 1900. By the time he was 17 years old he had been twice around Cape Horn in a square rigged sailing ship. He was 21 years old when he landed in New York and went through legal immigration at Ellis Island. Was he poor? Yes, he was, but that didn’t bother him and he went on to have a good life here in the United States. He always said that “voting was a privilege and not to take it lightly.” Good luck Robert! —Jerry Fisher

Proud to vote for Gianforte

We can proudly say, after years of knowing Greg and Susan Gianforte, that Greg is far and beyond the best qualified candidate for U.S. Congress representing our great state of Montana. He is an “American First” citizen and will be on “Montana’s Side”

Greg and Susan, his wife of 28 years, raised their four children in Bozeman backpacking and hunting on Montana’s public lands. One of the most rewarding experiences of their lives together has been exploring our public lands and passing along these Montana traditions.

 The Gianfortes founded RightNow Technologies over 20 years ago in the same Bozeman home that they raised their family and grew the company into the city’s largest commercial employer and one of the state’s most successful businesses. Greg created over 500 high-paying Montana jobs!

 Greg Gianforte believes we need to get Washington out of the way so our economy can prosper, high-paying jobs can be created, greater opportunities can exist, and our Montana way of life can be protected.

Having served in the armed forces for 32 years, I know that we need a strong and well-funded military to protect America and its citizens, which Greg Gianforte supports and Rob Quist does not!

We ask “Montanans” to support and vote for Greg Gianforte. You will be proud of him to be our U.S. representative from Montana. It is all about our future for our family and children! —Paul and Muffin Vallely, Bigfork

Quist has dead aim

The special election to replace Ryan Zinke has generated a lot of talk about what makes “Montana values,” and which of the candidates best exemplifies them. This sort of thing opens the door to a multitude of opinions and interpretations, ranging from thoughtful and astute to downright goofy.

Place of birth, financial status, religion, education and political philosophy are among the issues put forth as useful criteria. I believe there is a much simpler one.

An old saying suggests that a person’s real self is shown not only by what they do, but also how they do it. Television ads are revealing here. When going out to murder a TV set, Mr. Gianforte chooses a very expensive, foreign-made shotgun to ensure a colorful but unfocused blast of glass. Rob Quist makes a clean shot dead center with an old lever-action American-made rifle.

To me, that shows the difference. —John E. Taylor, Whitefish

Vote for independent leadership

Let me see if I understand this correctly. Montana is the fourth largest state (146,000 plus square miles) with a population of slightly more than 1 million people represented by three members in Congress.

Now we are asked to consider one candidate who was previously the employer of one of the current members representing us in Congress. Not only did the two of them retire as multi-millionaires from their firm when it was sold, but they live in the same town (neighborhood?) and they share scepticism regarding established science regarding the Earth’s age. It comes as no surprise they are both climate change doubters.

The point is, given Montana’s vast size, population scarity and wide range of diversity of its people, is it really in our best interest to have two peas from the same pod casting two of our three votes in Congress on issues of great significance to all our people? It is my suggestion that separate and independent views are preferable to an echo. —Bob Hendricks, Polson

Mussolini in the White House?

Most of you don’t remember Benito Mussolini; well you now have him in the White House; yes, you Montanans voted him back to life.

There is a stunning resemblance to his mannerisms and speech. Mussolini declared war on the Greeks and got his fanny kicked until Hitler came in. No one is going to save us from the beating Isis is giving us. It’s costing upwards of $2 million for every dead Isis fighter and they quickly replace the dead with two more fighters. Why this madness? It’s called war profit for the 1 percent. —Walter Deets, Kalispell