Vote Republican for
common sense solutions
It’s election season, also known as the season of misleading information. A prime example is what appears to be Montana Democrats’ main talking point on legislative races: “If the Republicans can flip just two more legislative seats, they’re coming after the constitution.”
What the Democrats fail to mention is that the Legislature cannot change Montana’s Constitution. It says right there in the constitution that any proposed amendments have to be voted on by Montana voters. At most, the Legislature can propose amendments for the voters to decide. A good example of that is the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this year to safeguard our privacy in the digital age. Republicans passed it in the Legislature over the objections of more than 20 House Democrats. Now, voters will get to decide whether the government is required to get a warrant before accessing our election communications.
Despite the Democrats’ fear mongering about make believe “threats” to constitutional rights, I don’t see voters approving changes to reduce or eliminate freedom of speech, personal privacy, tribal sovereignty, religious freedom, public education, a clean environment, civil rights, the right to bear arms, hunting and fishing rights, or public access rights, among others. Nor do I see Republicans proposing any radical changes like that.
What Montana Democrats are really saying is that they don’t trust Montana voters. Montana Democrats believe the government knows what is best for you and they don’t trust you to update our constitution if that’s what you want to do, whether regarding digital privacy or any other topic.
The Montana Democrats are spinning lies and nonsense because they know Montana does not support their far left liberal agenda of pushing woke policies destroying our families, culture, and schools. Montana doesn’t support their agenda promoting soft on crime policies, open borders bringing in dangerous drugs, and destroying our energy and natural resources economy while supporting OPEC oil and overseas mining employing child labor, not to mention Biden’s reckless spending and inflation.
With an unpopular agenda like that, I guess I’m not surprised Montana Democrats have resorted to trying to mislead Montanans about our own constitution. This November, remember, only you can change Montana’s constitution. But Montana Democrats will implement reckless policies if you vote for their candidates. Vote Republican for common sense solutions.
Submitted by Senator Greg Hertz
To Preserve our Way of Life we Must Preserve our Public Lands
In my years as a wilderness advocate, I’ve come to profoundly appreciate the values we derive from the public lands around us. There are, of course, the products and incomes provided by drilling, mining, logging, and grazing. But more important than such commercial uses are the benefits we all freely enjoy: the opportunity to hunt and fish, the protection of watersheds and stabilization of climate, and the preservation of an untrammeled natural world.
But we can’t assume public lands will always be here. The development pressures are intense, and we need leaders who will resist them. I’m supporting Monica Tranel for Congress because she’s such a leader. She’s a Montanan who knows that to preserve our way of life we must preserve public lands. She knows that they belong to all of us, and should not be sold. And she believes that public wellbeing should outweigh corporate interests.
As Interior Secretary, Monica’s opponent Ryan Zinke opened public lands to commercial exploitation by oil, gas and mining corporations. He still works for those interests, and those close ties mean that he will not be a guardian of public lands and interests. But Monica Tranel will be, and she deserves your support.
Submitted by Dale Harris
Your vote is important…But!
What is the most important issue of this midterm election? In a perfect world, this should be an easy question with an obvious answer. The climate crisis threatens the existence of our species and the rest of the living things on our planet, so, of course it is the preeminent issue for our time and should, needs to be the focus of the upcoming election. But we don’t live in a perfect world, unfortunately, there is something else that needs to be delt with in this election before we can work together to minimalize what humans have done to our planet.
The number one question you need to ask in this election is if the candidate respected the results of the last election. That alone should be a disqualifier that they are unfit for political office. Some candidates are still pushing the lie that the last election was stolen. Some have quietly swept it under the rug and want you to forget they supported the unsupported lie of the election being stolen. These types of candidates do not support a constitutional republic, do not support representative democracy, and certainly do not respect your voice. The numerous important issues facing this country, the devastating consequences of the climate crisis that is shrinking the window in our environment that allows us to thrive and live on earth, cannot be addressed until we have people in elected offices who respect the people. You can not cry foul and try to void a legally held election, simply because you lost the election. Well, you can actually, but you have no business holding public office. This country has representative leaders, not rulers. Lets keep it that way, vote for people who supported the results of the last election.
Submitted by Scott Rodich
Protect The Constitution
For the last 50 years, Montana’s constitution has protected some of the most basic and widely undisputed rights of Montanans. Here we have the right to live our lives without the government dictating how we should go about doing so and to thrive on our land.
Few states feel the need to protect the privacy of their citizens, but Montana is an exception. Through the decades, Montanans have benefited countless times from Article II, Section X of our constitution, with protections for online data, healthcare decisions, and LGBTQ+ relationships. The right to privacy was among the least debated provisions in 1972, and continues to hold undisputed value for many.
Few states are so proud of the landscape that surrounds them, Montana certainly has one that we can’t risk losing. Montana, rich in natural resources, has had a long history of corporations disregarding the people and the things they value, leading to environmental disasters. The right to a clean and healthful environment protects the air, water, and land of this state, it protects the health of every Montanan, and importantly, it offers damage prevention rather than damage control. Not only does the constitution preserve this land, but it protects the right to access waterways and citizens’ ability to use the land of their own state.
The risk of another constitutional convention means the risk of losing things we value, personal privacy and the beautiful land we live on. Put your vote towards people who will protect this document.
Submitted by Lisa Venckus