Letters to the editor Oct. 4

Re-elect incumbents

Experience matters. Understanding how our City Council works is essential to avoid bad decisions and lawsuits.

The three incumbents running for the Whitefish City Council are effective, reasonable and thorough. All have shown great leadership and are hardworking individuals. They are not single-issue candidates nor do they have any axes to grind. At every council meeting, they are prepared and well-versed on the issues.

Rebecca Norton, Frank Sweeney and Steve Qunell deserve your vote in the upcoming election. I hope you will join me in electing them to another term.

— Jan Metzmaker, Whitefish

Heroes do deserve better

In response to Lola Zinke’s opinion piece “Our Heroes Deserve Better” in the Sept. 27 issue of the Whitefish Pilot, I could not agree with her more that it is disgusting that certain lawmakers “are willing to sacrifice our troops for political gain.”

Ms. Zinke knows firsthand of the dedication and sacrifice our troops demonstrate both in war and in peace to keep our country protected and free.

The defense funding bill is critical to our nation’s security and to the welfare of the military families who depend on it for their livelihood. However, laying the blame for the republican defense spending bill legislation being blocked at the feet of the “Democrats and five self-serving individuals” is severely misguided.

To quote BBC News’ North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher…

“Military expenditures are usually one area that garners broad bipartisan support in Washington - few politicians want to be seen as soft on national security, and big military contracts are often a way legislators can direct federal money - and jobs - to their home constituencies. Conservative Republicans, however, have been focused on using the defense legislation to advance hot-button cultural and social priorities, including limiting government support for abortion and transgender health services.”

Republican congressmen are responsible for undermining the defense spending bill by adding controversial social issues to a bill that should be a stand-alone sacrosanct fiscal obligation to our nation’s security and to those men and women serving with their families in the armed services.

The House adopted an amendment from Texas Republican Ronny Jackson that would block funding for a Defense Department policy to reimburse service members for travel expenses related to seeking abortions. The House also approved amendments from Republicans Matt Rosendale of Montana and Ralph Norman of South Carolina to block funding for health care for transgender service members.

U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz have credited Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing blockade of Defense Department nominees over the Pentagon’s abortion policy for inspiring the House members to distort and pervert the defense spending bill with unrelated and hotly debated social issue amendments dooming our country’s fiscal and moral obligation to our troops and their families. And I agree again that “the actions of a few harm the many. Our heroes deserve better.

— Dr. Doug Pitman, Whitefish

Misplaced spending

Let me tell you why I voted against the Whitefish High School bond.

The bond will raise our taxes by an average of $146.59+ for every property owner (and their renters) every year for 20 years. Importantly, of the $33.7 million, $22.1 million is for classrooms and labs. I fully support that $22.1 million. But $11.6 million is for new athletic facilities.

To be blunt, your kids will not be going to the Olympics because they get these facilities. They can learn the value of teamwork without this. One-third of the levy is in support of bleachers and permanent bathrooms.

The bond will avoid the costs of, “We have to fertilize, and we have to mow, and we have to stripe, and we have to put goalposts in and then take them down” for $11.6 million.

As a father of three, who for over 10 years coached and refereed kids soccer, I contend this is grossly misplaced spending.

Please remember this editorial when you complain about your property taxes.

— David Martin, Whitefish