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A couple of years ago when our daughter visited us here in Montana she went into our pantry, looked around, and said: “Where is the water?” I pointed to the tap over the sink and said: “Right there!” She said: “Oooeeeuuu, I can’t drink that.” I think she thought I was trying to poison her. I told her that we drink water from the tap, always and always have.

I come from the ’30s and ’40s in the last century when all we had was tap water but there was nothing wrong with it, even back then during the “dark ages.” Everybody from all over the USA drank tap water and thought nothing of it.

If you wanted bottled water, you could go to France and order Evian or Perrier.

Then the marketers figured it out. Some 50 million Frenchmen can’t be wrong and “voila,” we, in the USA, got into the bottled water business. We found that we can run a little water from tap maybe through some mundane process, call it pure and stick it into these little plastic bottles that the pigeons, raptors, sea creatures and other little beasts love to “chock” to death on and charge more for it per gallon than gasoline. It’s called “marketing.” The bottled-water industry convinced consumers that tap water was bad and only bottled water was good. Here come the “suckers.”

Now the supermarkets devote more space for bottled water than any other single product, except, maybe, wine and beer.

About the plastic bottles, oil companies and mining industry creating pollution are made responsible for clean-up. Maybe the bottling industry should be held responsible for disposal of their plastic pollution. Millions of plastic bottles are floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. You find them in the streets, parks, lots and overwhelming the dump sites. Nobody has figured out what to do about them. That’s not good. China no longer wants our plastic bottles. There is no market for the excess plastic.

Solution: Drink water from the tap, if everybody did there would be no need for more bottling plants. —Felix Dupuy, Whitefish

White will protect us

We have heard Jordan White speak publicly twice and have had a personal conversation with him. We have learned over the years how to discern with accuracy a man’s character.

We find Jordan White to be intelligent, reasonable, genuine, enthusiastic, hard-working, a great listener and communicator. We believe he will stand for what’s right and against what is wrong. He will take the side of the people against unlawful infringement by the powers that be.

In our previous location, we found out what it is like to live with a bad sheriff in charge. Corrupt and thick-skulled, that sheriff wouldn’t even listen to the famous principled Sheriff Richard Mack who flew up from Arizona to shed light on the situation and encourage him to do the right thing.

Based on our experience, we intensely want Jordan White to win. Beside his great character traits, he also has amazing credentials. He has been deputy sheriff, undersheriff, school resource officer, pilot, search-and-rescue specialist, EMT, deputy coronary. He has also owned his own business. There is an urgent need for Jordan White to be sheriff. —Kelli and Anthony Estrella, Marion

A vote for Brodehl

Our Flathead County commissioners have a lot of power to influence and make decisions that impact each one of our neighborhoods and communities. They act as the governing body of our county, so their voice is powerful.

During a critical time for our county to speak up as a unified voice against the Salish and Kootenai water compact to the Montana Legislature, one of our current commissioners declined. He is on the ballot again this year asking for our vote in the June 5 primary election.

Luckily, we have a better option. Randy Brodehl has made protecting personal property rights a pillar of his campaign. He will join with the other two commissioners to be a strong and united voice to Washington that the Flathead is a NO! on the water compact. This is just one reason why the primary election is so important this year.

There are a number of reasons why I am voting for Randy. He has demonstrated his commitment to others not only as a fireman and chief of Kalispell Fire Department, but also as a state legislator where he dealt with major issues of all kinds and proved he is who he says he is, a true conservative.

I believe Randy has the wisdom and experience to manage the county’s problems, the spine to be fair and the moral strength do what is right. Please don’t forget to vote on June 5. —Jeff Van Helden, Kalispell

Ham ends and water zoning: A voter’s parable

I am writing in support of the Egan Slough Initiative.

I lived in a rural Maine town next to the home of Poland Spring Water Bottling Co. when the Town Hall’s well went dry! Ha-ha! What a good source of entertainment that has been.

Flathead Valley’s water supply, property values and road conditions are but a few of the problems we will face if a water-bottling company is permitted here.

The present use of water, by farms and residents, returns to our ecosystem via filtration to be used again and again.

The water taken out of the valley in tanker trucks will not return.

The Egan Slough Initiative will ensure a plentiful supply of clean water for us, the residents.

A “Just Because” attitude to keep the present zoning will create irreversible problems.

It reminds me of the story of “The Easter Ham.”

The family had gathered for the weekend.

The cooks were in the kitchen preparing the feast.

Ma said to Jackie, “Fetch that ham from the fridge, take this big knife and cut two inches off from each end.”

While following Ma’s directions, Jackie asked, “Ma ... why do you want to cut the ends off the ham?”

Ma answered, “I don’t know. It’s how I learned to prepare it from Grama. Ask her!”

“Grama, why do we cut the ends off the ham?”

“Beats me. Thats how G.G. (Great Grandmother) did it. Go ask her.”

So Jackie went out to the porch swing and said, ”GG, why do we cut the ends off a perfectly good ham?

Great Grandmother, a source of wisdom and practical thinking, answered, “Well Dear, in the good old days we didn’t have much of an assortment of cookware as you all do today. We had one baking dish and it was ‘this long,’ and the ham was ‘THIS LONG,’ so we cut a little off each end so it would fit in the pan.”

The moral of this story is: “Just because we have been doing things a certain way for so long does not mean it’s right. Circumstances change and we must be able to adjust to those changes for the “greater good.”

Vote FOR the initiative for now and for Flathead Valley’s Future. —Linda Walthers, Bigfork

Communities depend on water, so protect it

The Flathead Valley is encircled by mountain ranges. As residents we are both acutely aware of these mountains and what they mean: recreation, jobs, beauty; but they can also be easy to ignore as they stand over our landscape, apparently unchanging, as we go about our daily lives. But the mountains are the water towers for our communities, holding the snowmelt and rain runoff that recharges our aquifers with each storm.

This valley’s population has increased by more than 25 percent in the last decade to about 70,000 people who rely on this groundwater in our deep aquifer. As we experienced the past two years, even a single year of drought can affect us — water levels in Flathead Lake lowered by a foot in early July 2016, affecting farmers, business owners and residents dependent on the flow of water.

As the Western states continue suffering through drought, I can’t help but be concerned about the consequences of allowing a water-bottling plant that could dramatically draw down the aquifer we all depend on under the theory that it should recharge through snowmelt eternally into the future. Other communities with bottling plants have experienced only detrimental results on their water supplies, including needing backup wells for municipal water; all while the bottling plants continue to pump.

Communities are created and sustained through water. It supports not only us, but also the animals and plants that call this ecosystem home. If we don’t protect our resources now, the effects will be felt for generations to come. For that, and many other reasons, I urge my fellow residents to vote FOR the Egan Slough Initiative to protect our community’s recreation opportunities, jobs, and our own well-being. —Amy Dempster, Kalispell

Olszewski for Senate

Let’s not send another attorney to the U.S. Senate. We need more diversity.

Health-care and prescription drug prices have gone through the roof. Dr. Olszewski understands that American families and seniors struggle daily with these enormous prices.

Dr. O is experienced in politics. He represented House District 11 and then was elected to the Montana Senate, District 6 where he served on five committees: Public Health, Welfare & Safety; Agriculture; Finance and Claims; Rules and he also sponsored 13 bills — 10 of which passed.

Dr. O is presently serving as a health-care policy adviser in Washington, D.C.

Dr. O served 13 years in the Air Force.

Dr. O has worked 20 years as an orthopedic surgeon here in Flathead County.

Dr. O and his wife are certified foster parents.

There is not a single other contestant in this U.S. Senate race, including our current senator, who is as well qualified to represent Montana as Dr. Olszewski is.

His quote speaks volumes: “I am not in this race to be somebody; I am in this race to do something” —Elsa Putzier, Bigfork

‘Water is for fighting’

“Whiskey is for drinkin’. Water is for fightin’” It’s the old saying in Montana and the words are no more telling than right here in the Flathead where a bottling-plant developer wants to steal our water.

Water is for everyone, not just those greedy enough to seek it out and profit from it. Make no mistake, if the Egan Slough bottling plant is allowed, there will be hordes more profiteers moving to Montana to mine our state’s most valuable resource.

Want to do something about it? Vote FOR the Egan Slough Initiative to protect our valley from industrial plundering. —Michael Ober, Kalispell

Brodehl for commissioner

Please join me in voting for Randy Brodehl for county commissiner this primary election, either with an absentee ballot or on election day, June 5. Primary elections have a significant impact on the final outcome of the leadership for our community. While every position is important in some way, the local seats being contested will undoubtedly have the biggest effect on our everyday lives.

This is particularly true for the county commissioner seat. Three of the candidates have stressed their conservative values as a main running point. Conservative voters would do well do look beyond the rhetoric of campaign strategies, and peer into their background.

Krueger’s history as commissioner simply doesn’t back up his conservative claim. With his support of the Salish and Kootenai water compact, he effectively threw Flathead County property owners under the bus.

Jay Scott may not have a political background for voters to scrutinize, but they do have his history in public service as fairground manager. The fact that the Fair Board fired Scott and then his subsequent lawsuit against Flathead County doesn’t bode well. I believe Scott was terminated because of serious inconsistencies which were revealed in an audit of the fairgrounds financial records. Scott’s lawsuit against the county doesn’t indicate that he has the Flathead County taxpayers’ best interest at heart.

Randy Brodehl has a long standing history in politics, public service, and private enterprise. His resume is impeccable. His background in budget management, public safety, and conservative principles make him by far the most qualified person running for Flathead County commissioner this election. —William Breckenridge, Kalispell

Re-elect Garner in HD7

It is my privilege to once again support Frank Garner in his election for House District 7. Frank is a longtime friend and he has my unwavering confidence and appreciation.

Many of you know me and recognize that I don’t often write these kind of letters and I that I don’t often offer my support to just anyone. I want you to know Frank has earned my support by solving problems while making hard decisions to help support balanced budgets and with his thoughtful approach to serving this state. Something I wish the folks in Washington worked harder at.

I know Frank will continue to make the hard decisions that are necessary in his role as a legislator, while still finding ways to solve problems and invest in our future. I hope you’ll join me in supporting his continued service and send him back to represent us in the Legislature. —Su Dupont, West Glacier

Bottling Flathead water? Please think again ...

In addition to the potential disruption of the ecological integrity of our Flathead Valley aquifer, we cannot ignore the environmental impact other aspects of the Montana Artesian Water Company will have, such as the pollution, energy expenditure and damage plastic water bottles can do the land surface, lakes, rivers and oceans.

Let me back up a bit.

Our human biology is composed of at least 70 percent water. Water is the most essential element to life as a human being. It’s no different for our planet Earth. Approximately 0.7 percent of that fresh water is underground.

Unlike ever before, we now place tremendous demand upon potable water, perhaps greater than nature’s ability to replenish.

If we include brushing teeth and flushing toilets, a typical household uses about 100 gallons of water per day. If we include the water it takes to grow food and manufacture clothes and the water it takes to make energy, the average household consumption of water goes up to 5000 gallons per day. On average, we consume 370,000 gallons per person per year when we include farms, watering lawns, mining and industry.

This simply can’t continue. There is no substitute for fresh, clean water — like we have here in the Flathead Valley.

Studies of water-bottling operations are now available. We know how much energy it takes to produce bottled water in plastic. It takes oil to make plastic bottles. It also requires energy for bottle manufacturing, cleaning, filling and capping, sealing, transportation, packaging, refrigeration, etc. It takes not only lots of oil to make plastic bottles, it also takes extra water. It takes an average of two liters of water to make one liter of drinking water. The content of that water and where that extra water ends up has yet to be accounted for. It takes over 2,000 times more energy to make and fill plastic water bottles than it takes to make tap water.

Unfortunately, we recover only about 5-10 percent of the plastics we produce. The rest ends up in landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans.

While it may seem that fresh bottled water is a smart economic investment, the potential impact and cost to the environment, including our invaluable Flathead natural resources, surpasses any profit. Our kids and generations to come will inherit that impact and cost.

The Flathead Valley is the treasury of a precious water resource. It is imperative that we protect it, not only for us now, but for generations to come.

Please vote in favor of the Egan Slough Initiative 17-01. —Todd Schlapfer, Somers

Here’s an idea — drink tap water, not bottled

A couple of years ago when our daughter visited us here in Montana she went into our pantry, looked around, and said: “Where is the water?” I pointed to the tap over the sink and said: “Right there!” She said: “Oooeeeuuu, I can’t drink that.” I think she thought I was trying to poison her. I told her that we drink water from the tap, always and always have.

I come from the ’30s and ’40s in the last century when all we had was tap water but there was nothing wrong with it, even back then during the “dark ages.” Everybody from all over the USA drank tap water and thought nothing of it.

If you wanted bottled water, you could go to France and order Evian or Perrier.

Then the marketers figured it out. Some 50 million Frenchmen can’t be wrong and “voila,” we, in the USA, got into the bottled water business. We found that we can run a little water from tap maybe through some mundane process, call it pure and stick it into these little plastic bottles that the pigeons, raptors, sea creatures and other little beasts love to “chock” to death on and charge more for it per gallon than gasoline. It’s called “marketing.” The bottled-water industry convinced consumers that tap water was bad and only bottled water was good. Here come the “suckers.”

Now the supermarkets devote more space for bottled water than any other single product, except, maybe, wine and beer.

About the plastic bottles, oil companies and mining industry creating pollution are made responsible for clean-up. Maybe the bottling industry should be held responsible for disposal of their plastic pollution. Millions of plastic bottles are floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. You find them in the streets, parks, lots and overwhelming the dump sites. Nobody has figured out what to do about them. That’s not good. China no longer wants our plastic bottles. There is no market for the excess plastic.

Solution: Drink water from the tap, if everybody did there would be no need for more bottling plants. —Felix Dupuy, Whitefish

White will protect us

We have heard Jordan White speak publicly twice and have had a personal conversation with him. We have learned over the years how to discern with accuracy a man’s character.

We find Jordan White to be intelligent, reasonable, genuine, enthusiastic, hard-working, a great listener and communicator. We believe he will stand for what’s right and against what is wrong. He will take the side of the people against unlawful infringement by the powers that be.

In our previous location, we found out what it is like to live with a bad sheriff in charge. Corrupt and thick-skulled, that sheriff wouldn’t even listen to the famous principled Sheriff Richard Mack who flew up from Arizona to shed light on the situation and encourage him to do the right thing.

Based on our experience, we intensely want Jordan White to win. Beside his great character traits, he also has amazing credentials. He has been deputy sheriff, undersheriff, school resource officer, pilot, search-and-rescue specialist, EMT, deputy coronary. He has also owned his own business. There is an urgent need for Jordan White to be sheriff. —Kelli and Anthony Estrella, Marion

A vote for Brodehl

Our Flathead County commissioners have a lot of power to influence and make decisions that impact each one of our neighborhoods and communities. They act as the governing body of our county, so their voice is powerful.

During a critical time for our county to speak up as a unified voice against the Salish and Kootenai water compact to the Montana Legislature, one of our current commissioners declined. He is on the ballot again this year asking for our vote in the June 5 primary election.

Luckily, we have a better option. Randy Brodehl has made protecting personal property rights a pillar of his campaign. He will join with the other two commissioners to be a strong and united voice to Washington that the Flathead is a NO! on the water compact. This is just one reason why the primary election is so important this year.

There are a number of reasons why I am voting for Randy. He has demonstrated his commitment to others not only as a fireman and chief of Kalispell Fire Department, but also as a state legislator where he dealt with major issues of all kinds and proved he is who he says he is, a true conservative.

I believe Randy has the wisdom and experience to manage the county’s problems, the spine to be fair and the moral strength do what is right. Please don’t forget to vote on June 5. —Jeff Van Helden, Kalispell

Ham ends and water zoning: A voter’s parable

I am writing in support of the Egan Slough Initiative.

I lived in a rural Maine town next to the home of Poland Spring Water Bottling Co. when the Town Hall’s well went dry! Ha-ha! What a good source of entertainment that has been.

Flathead Valley’s water supply, property values and road conditions are but a few of the problems we will face if a water-bottling company is permitted here.

The present use of water, by farms and residents, returns to our ecosystem via filtration to be used again and again.

The water taken out of the valley in tanker trucks will not return.

The Egan Slough Initiative will ensure a plentiful supply of clean water for us, the residents.

A “Just Because” attitude to keep the present zoning will create irreversible problems.

It reminds me of the story of “The Easter Ham.”

The family had gathered for the weekend.

The cooks were in the kitchen preparing the feast.

Ma said to Jackie, “Fetch that ham from the fridge, take this big knife and cut two inches off from each end.”

While following Ma’s directions, Jackie asked, “Ma ... why do you want to cut the ends off the ham?”

Ma answered, “I don’t know. It’s how I learned to prepare it from Grama. Ask her!”

“Grama, why do we cut the ends off the ham?”

“Beats me. Thats how G.G. (Great Grandmother) did it. Go ask her.”

So Jackie went out to the porch swing and said, ”GG, why do we cut the ends off a perfectly good ham?

Great Grandmother, a source of wisdom and practical thinking, answered, “Well Dear, in the good old days we didn’t have much of an assortment of cookware as you all do today. We had one baking dish and it was ‘this long,’ and the ham was ‘THIS LONG,’ so we cut a little off each end so it would fit in the pan.”

The moral of this story is: “Just because we have been doing things a certain way for so long does not mean it’s right. Circumstances change and we must be able to adjust to those changes for the “greater good.”

Vote FOR the initiative for now and for Flathead Valley’s Future. —Linda Walthers, Bigfork

Communities depend on water, so protect it

The Flathead Valley is encircled by mountain ranges. As residents we are both acutely aware of these mountains and what they mean: recreation, jobs, beauty; but they can also be easy to ignore as they stand over our landscape, apparently unchanging, as we go about our daily lives. But the mountains are the water towers for our communities, holding the snowmelt and rain runoff that recharges our aquifers with each storm.

This valley’s population has increased by more than 25 percent in the last decade to about 70,000 people who rely on this groundwater in our deep aquifer. As we experienced the past two years, even a single year of drought can affect us — water levels in Flathead Lake lowered by a foot in early July 2016, affecting farmers, business owners and residents dependent on the flow of water.

As the Western states continue suffering through drought, I can’t help but be concerned about the consequences of allowing a water-bottling plant that could dramatically draw down the aquifer we all depend on under the theory that it should recharge through snowmelt eternally into the future. Other communities with bottling plants have experienced only detrimental results on their water supplies, including needing backup wells for municipal water; all while the bottling plants continue to pump.

Communities are created and sustained through water. It supports not only us, but also the animals and plants that call this ecosystem home. If we don’t protect our resources now, the effects will be felt for generations to come. For that, and many other reasons, I urge my fellow residents to vote FOR the Egan Slough Initiative to protect our community’s recreation opportunities, jobs, and our own well-being. —Amy Dempster, Kalispell

Olszewski for Senate

Let’s not send another attorney to the U.S. Senate. We need more diversity.

Health-care and prescription drug prices have gone through the roof. Dr. Olszewski understands that American families and seniors struggle daily with these enormous prices.

Dr. O is experienced in politics. He represented House District 11 and then was elected to the Montana Senate, District 6 where he served on five committees: Public Health, Welfare & Safety; Agriculture; Finance and Claims; Rules and he also sponsored 13 bills — 10 of which passed.

Dr. O is presently serving as a health-care policy adviser in Washington, D.C.

Dr. O served 13 years in the Air Force.

Dr. O has worked 20 years as an orthopedic surgeon here in Flathead County.

Dr. O and his wife are certified foster parents.

There is not a single other contestant in this U.S. Senate race, including our current senator, who is as well qualified to represent Montana as Dr. Olszewski is.

His quote speaks volumes: “I am not in this race to be somebody; I am in this race to do something” —Elsa Putzier, Bigfork

‘Water is for fighting’

“Whiskey is for drinkin’. Water is for fightin’” It’s the old saying in Montana and the words are no more telling than right here in the Flathead where a bottling-plant developer wants to steal our water.

Water is for everyone, not just those greedy enough to seek it out and profit from it. Make no mistake, if the Egan Slough bottling plant is allowed, there will be hordes more profiteers moving to Montana to mine our state’s most valuable resource.

Want to do something about it? Vote FOR the Egan Slough Initiative to protect our valley from industrial plundering. —Michael Ober, Kalispell

Brodehl for commissioner

Please join me in voting for Randy Brodehl for county commissiner this primary election, either with an absentee ballot or on election day, June 5. Primary elections have a significant impact on the final outcome of the leadership for our community. While every position is important in some way, the local seats being contested will undoubtedly have the biggest effect on our everyday lives.

This is particularly true for the county commissioner seat. Three of the candidates have stressed their conservative values as a main running point. Conservative voters would do well do look beyond the rhetoric of campaign strategies, and peer into their background.

Krueger’s history as commissioner simply doesn’t back up his conservative claim. With his support of the Salish and Kootenai water compact, he effectively threw Flathead County property owners under the bus.

Jay Scott may not have a political background for voters to scrutinize, but they do have his history in public service as fairground manager. The fact that the Fair Board fired Scott and then his subsequent lawsuit against Flathead County doesn’t bode well. I believe Scott was terminated because of serious inconsistencies which were revealed in an audit of the fairgrounds financial records. Scott’s lawsuit against the county doesn’t indicate that he has the Flathead County taxpayers’ best interest at heart.

Randy Brodehl has a long standing history in politics, public service, and private enterprise. His resume is impeccable. His background in budget management, public safety, and conservative principles make him by far the most qualified person running for Flathead County commissioner this election. —William Breckenridge, Kalispell

Re-elect Garner in HD7

It is my privilege to once again support Frank Garner in his election for House District 7. Frank is a longtime friend and he has my unwavering confidence and appreciation.

Many of you know me and recognize that I don’t often write these kind of letters and I that I don’t often offer my support to just anyone. I want you to know Frank has earned my support by solving problems while making hard decisions to help support balanced budgets and with his thoughtful approach to serving this state. Something I wish the folks in Washington worked harder at.

I know Frank will continue to make the hard decisions that are necessary in his role as a legislator, while still finding ways to solve problems and invest in our future. I hope you’ll join me in supporting his continued service and send him back to represent us in the Legislature. —Su Dupont, West Glacier

Bottling Flathead water? Please think again ...

In addition to the potential disruption of the ecological integrity of our Flathead Valley aquifer, we cannot ignore the environmental impact other aspects of the Montana Artesian Water Company will have, such as the pollution, energy expenditure and damage plastic water bottles can do the land surface, lakes, rivers and oceans.

Let me back up a bit.

Our human biology is composed of at least 70 percent water. Water is the most essential element to life as a human being. It’s no different for our planet Earth. Approximately 0.7 percent of that fresh water is underground.

Unlike ever before, we now place tremendous demand upon potable water, perhaps greater than nature’s ability to replenish.

If we include brushing teeth and flushing toilets, a typical household uses about 100 gallons of water per day. If we include the water it takes to grow food and manufacture clothes and the water it takes to make energy, the average household consumption of water goes up to 5000 gallons per day. On average, we consume 370,000 gallons per person per year when we include farms, watering lawns, mining and industry.

This simply can’t continue. There is no substitute for fresh, clean water — like we have here in the Flathead Valley.

Studies of water-bottling operations are now available. We know how much energy it takes to produce bottled water in plastic. It takes oil to make plastic bottles. It also requires energy for bottle manufacturing, cleaning, filling and capping, sealing, transportation, packaging, refrigeration, etc. It takes not only lots of oil to make plastic bottles, it also takes extra water. It takes an average of two liters of water to make one liter of drinking water. The content of that water and where that extra water ends up has yet to be accounted for. It takes over 2,000 times more energy to make and fill plastic water bottles than it takes to make tap water.

Unfortunately, we recover only about 5-10 percent of the plastics we produce. The rest ends up in landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans.

While it may seem that fresh bottled water is a smart economic investment, the potential impact and cost to the environment, including our invaluable Flathead natural resources, surpasses any profit. Our kids and generations to come will inherit that impact and cost.

The Flathead Valley is the treasury of a precious water resource. It is imperative that we protect it, not only for us now, but for generations to come.

Please vote in favor of the Egan Slough Initiative 17-01. —Todd Schlapfer, Somers