Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Opinion & Editorial

There is no place for violence, or threats of violence or intimidation at our public meetings or in the political arena in general. The use of threats and intimidating remarks have no place in the public debate and should not be accepted. They are not examples of free speech, in fact they only serve to undermine free speech by suppressing the free expression of others.

Although they appear to be a manifestation of power and force, more often than not they spring from impotence. When people begin to use threats and intimidation in the political arena it is generally because they lack political power. It is the lack of political clout or influence, unltimately traceable to a lack of expressible reasons, or simply the inability to clearly articulate them, that leaves some people frustrated and prone to make threatening remarks. After all, if the majority, or the people in authority, won’t listen to them, well then…

But listening to reason is what politics is all about.  Not responding to threats.

Those who don’t want any zoning in the valley, for instance, presumably have their reasons. And nothing should prevent them from expressing those reasons. The current countywide zoning process certainly allows for it. And in the end, no matter what is decided in terms of zoning, a minority of the public still has the chance to veto it by petition once it is decided. That opportunity is built into the process.

So why feel the need to threaten or intimidate those who see some need for zoning and who are pursuing the long and arduous public process, even though a minority of voters could trash it?

The reasons for zoning are probably more obvious to people in the north end of the valley than they would be, perhaps, to those living in the Darby area. After all, it is in the north end of the valley that most of the major subdivisions (by major we mean almost equal in size to the Town of Stevensville) have been proposed. Those living in the south end of the valley, where the impacts of development have not been so profound, as it were, some good reasons for not zoning may seem more apparent.

The one group sees more clearly what might be lost in the face of complex zoning regulations. The other group sees, in startling clarity, what stands to be lost if no zoning occurs.

But the bottom line is that it should be a public debate, with reasons on both sides being mustered and weighed. And in that debate there is no room for threats or intimidation.

Many of us remember the days when the local militia wanted to stretch the limits of “acceptable speech” by threatening judges and sheriff’s officers with potential execution. It ended with a few people facing jail time. One was the Commander of the North American Volunteer Militia. He made the mistake of sending out a letter to Ravalli County voters stating that a few of our judges might soon show up in body bags and that was enough to land him before the courts.

For anyone at a public meeting these days to state that the Ravalli County planning staff or the County Commissioners should be lynched crosses the line and, given our recent history with the militia, it is hard for us to accept such remarks lightly. And, frankly, those types of remarks should not be accepted as part of the public dialogue.

Those who make such remarks at public meetings, even if they don’t really mean it, should be held just as responsible as the person boarding an airplane who jokes about hijacking it. Or the one who cries “Fire!” in a crowded theater. Some things, in some places, at certain times, are just not funny. In fact, they constitute a crime.

Zoning good for farmers/ranchers

Dear Editor,

My family owns and operates a 4th generation farm/ranch east of Corvallis.

 As I write this we are selling horse hay at nearly double the price of a few years ago. We have also started direct marketing 1300# grain fed steers, selling them at a premium price to local consumers. With the population growth in Missoula and the Bitterroot in combination with a strong desire by many people for local foods there is an unprecedented opportunity for direct marketing by western Montana’s farmers and ranchers. Commodities across the board are at all time highs. Wheat is over $10/bushel up from $4.00/bushel just a few years ago. Part of this is due to the ethanol boom, but much of it is also due to the improved economies of China, India, and other emerging markets. China has 1.3 billion people, India has 1 billion people, the United States has 297 million people. As the economies of these developing countries grow we will see continued demand for food and other commodities which means higher prices paid to US farmers.

The housing market nationwide is bad and is getting worse. For the last ten years people have run up credit card debt, then paid it off by getting a second mortgage on their home. This worked as long as home prices were rising, but now that they are flat or falling this doesn’t work so well any more. On the flip side, there still is a great deal of wealth in this country, so there is still good demand for recreational ranches and country estates.

My family feels blessed to own farm ground in the highly productive Bitterroot Valley. We strongly feel that the current zoning process will give us an opportunity to not only survive in farming and ranching, but to thrive. We strongly feel that if you own a large parcel of land in the Bitterroot that is bordered by other large parcels, that land is worth more money as a large parcel than if it is all carved up into 5 and 10 acre chunks.

There is a lot of misconception about zoning and the so called taking of private property rights. What zoning will do, if done right, is maintain or increase property values, allow you to stay in agriculture, allow you to sell off a few lots for high dollars, or allow you to sell your ranch to a wealthy person as a country estate. Your “401k” is secure with zoning, but is sure to decline in value without it.

Please step back and think about your ideal place to live. Imagine if there is a house on every 5 or 10 acres with their own septic and their own well. Is it really possible to irrigate this land with those small parcel sizes? Do you really think land values will keep going up if we keep doing what we are doing? Your taxes will go up because this growth does not pay for itself. People are not moving here for the great economy. Do you really think they will keep coming if we keep destroying our home? This valley is sure to implode on itself if we keep on the present course.

We have a once in a lifetime chance to guide our valley’s growth and in the process we can make the Bitterroot a better place to live for farmers, builders, businesses, rural and town residents, and even real estate agents. With thoughtful, long range planning, everyone can win and you will see the economy of this valley become stronger than you could ever imagine.

What do you want to leave your grandkids? If we continue with the status quo you will leave them a mess. Leave your grandchildren a legacy. Support zoning and support larger parcel sizes for agriculture. The future of your grandchildren depends on it.

Andy Maki
Corvallis

Juvenile rant

Dear Editor,

A recent juvenile rant that appeared in Bitterroot Star Letters to the Editor on 27 February was amusing. It may have also appeared in other valley publications. The writer referenced a recent meeting at the Wally Weber ranch in Corvallis. He suggests that the gathering “bought into a long line of crap” coming from real estate interests and millionaire developers. He further writes of “stoolies” and “pimps.” One could assume he may have a background of association with these types, as it takes one to know one.

However, he was not in attendance at the meeting and does not have firsthand knowledge of what was said. There were a number of millionaires at the meeting. They are ranchers with that amount of value in their operations but their assets are generally not liquid. Those individuals are determined to protect the investment in their operations from some out of state scissorbill immigrant who wants to dictate to lifetime Bitterroot land stewards what they can, or cannot, do with their property. The “millionaire developers” he referred to are both native Bitterrooters, having grown up with agricultural backgrounds in the Hamilton and Darby areas.

The southern border of the US certainly needs attention to keep out undesirables, but perhaps Ravalli County should have a screening process to monitor the number of socialistic-minded immigrants infiltrating our county. Of course, the public can easily recognize them once they are here.

Although it is difficult to legislate against ignorance and arrogance, I suggest to Herr Linkenhoker that he obtain a high potency anti-drivel medication and have a nap and an enema before attempting another embarrassing journalistic failure.

David S. Hurtt
Florence

Mullan Road ‘takings’ comes to the ‘Root

Dear Editor,

If you’re a rancher, you’ve probably heard about the infamous “Mullan Road private property takings” that victimized landowners west of Missoula a few years ago. A number of ranchers were forced to sell their land because their property taxes skyrocketed and they were unable to pay them.

This deliberate, well designed land grab was played out for the benefit of the building industry, and land developers were the recipients of the very land “taken” from the stunned, unsuspecting ranchers and farmers. The developers, with the blessings of Missoula government, “took” these lands and began building thousands of new homes, at taxpayer expense, and that is what you will find today, on Mullan Road.

Unfortunately for us, this takings land grab is now coming to the Bitterroot, courtesy of Hamilton Mayor Jessica Randazzo and her recently elected City Council.

On February 8, Mayor Randazzo announced the approval of a $550,000 sewer lift station on Fairgrounds Road. The high cost of this lift station is directly tied to the massive Area III housing project that will eventually drop 1,200 new houses onto what is now prime agricultural open land, directly north of Hamilton High School.

This is taxpayer subsidized pork for the benefit of wealthy developers whose intent is to turn this valley into an urban nightmare. As in Missoula, property taxes will skyrocket in order to pay back the state and federal government “loans” that are being used to build the lift station and subsequent facilities, and current land owners will find themselves unable to pay the voluminous property taxes, and will be forced to sell their lands to pay them.

This unethical use of taxpayer money is just the beginning and you will see greater and greater expenditures over the next few years. You will eventually end up in the “crosshairs” of the Mayor, if you own land in and around Hamilton.

This all adds up to private property takings on a massive scale, that the majority of Ravalli County citizens do not want, and they have said so at the ballot box, several times.

Before you know it, we all live in a big city, with traffic backed up for miles, living in a sea of humanity, with unwilling ranchers and farmers separated from their lands, and asking themselves, how could this possibly happen in America?

Just say no to the Mayor. Call her at 363-2101.

Chris Linkenhoker
Corvallis

Flatiron and the airport

Dear Editor,

How about the planned mega residential development named Flatiron situated east of Hamilton and off the approach to the southern end of the planned new expanded faculties and longer county jetport runway and under the non-controlled aircraft traffic pattern. There is one great opportunity to turn our world upside down and turn law litigators into millionaires. Any malarkey you may hear about the compatibility of Flatiron and the county jetport is just that. Both developments may survive for a while but eventually one will go away.

I expect the millions of taxpayer dollars wasted on the airport will be just that, wasted. Today the aviation community and the federal government have a head start of decades but the best for the most will be in Flatiron. However, don’t for a minute forget the bright promise of our beautiful double runway county airport, a runway for light aircraft and a new longer runway to accommodate our fleet of corporate jets.

It just happens the planned runway separation is adequate. With the new jet terminal and service center on the east side of the new runway the jets will not be required to mingle with the light planes and gliders buzzing around interfering with their operations and endangering their lives and property. Since there will never be a control tower, according to the FAA, each pilot must “see and be seen” to prevent deadly confrontations. Of course, since the airport traffic pattern is a left turn racetrack pattern without air traffic control there is the problem of midair collections but not to worry.  Jets approaching to land use a wider traffic pattern or a straight-in approach.

The new jet runway will not contend with the hazard of the thirty-foot obstacle at the end of the light plane runway. The builders will simply cut a canyon to maintain a level runway and grade the land away from the runway at about a three-degree angle.

One minor consideration is the location of the RML integrated laboratories building which is under the jet aircraft airport traffic pattern. Just yesterday the head of Homeland Security singled out private aircraft as a serious threat to national security but no terrorist would bother with us here in our isolated mountain valley. After all, we are almost fifty minutes over mountains and forests from Canada.

Thirteen years ago the Federal Aviation Administration in Helena insisted the Federal Government will expand the Ravalli County Airport no matter what the “locals” want or how long it takes. Now that seems kind of arrogant since the airport belongs to us “locals.” But that is exactly what has happened, thanks to our elected County Commission. Nobody interferes with the FAA. It goes without saying the County Commission agreed with the FAA and approved the expansion plans. I understand the original cost estimate was under $10 million but has now gone up to about $15 to $20 million. That’s no big deal because the taxpayers will only fork out about $2 million dollars to provide better conveyance for the “beautiful people.”

Now future upkeep is another subject. For the most part that cost lands on the taxpayer’s back but just think about the inconvenience of landing your multimillion dollar multiengine jet in Missoula and driving all the way up the valley. That is a real burden. Back at the end of the last century some landowners and residents raised the very real specter of Inverse Condemnation, a growth industry for the legions of tort lawyers. Compound that threat with the inherent taking of our constitutional rights with the Zone of Influence regulations in place to prevent residents in the Zone from seeking any legal remedy to prevent aircraft noise and visual interference with our constitutional rights as protection for the airport operations. The last time I checked decommissioned Betty Lund had developed a Zone approved by the commissioners to meet her concept which has no relationship to the FAA Zone which the County Commission also approved.

Over the years I have been a proponent of leaving our sport flying airport alone as it is today. This has more emphasis now because of Flatiron. I believe all the trials and tribulations will not happen if the move by the aviation community to promote airport expansion is stopped now. Back in the late seventies the commissioners didn’t go to the public for guidance after the FAA sent the County a check to start land acquisition for airport expansion. There wasn’t any effort wasted with working groups, public meetings or an Airport Advisory Board, which today is a vestige of the defunct bombastic Airport Authority. The Commissioners simply returned the check to the FAA with the message that the County Airport didn’t need expansion. When necessary the County would let the FAA know. Then the Commissioners negotiated an aviation agreement for the use of the airspace over a rancher’s property. The FAA blustered, grumbled and retaliated with threats of loss of support, delisting, withholding grants etc. But when the airport runway suffered frost damage the FAA was quick to open the Federal checkbook.

Whatever happened to decisive decisions by our so-called leaders?

Earl Pollard
Hamilton

Great play

Dear Editor,

Wow!  Folks, if you have not seen “Honky Tonk Laundry” production at the Chantilly, you have missed a truly memorable performance.  Cara Ayers and Beth Schreiber brought tears to my eyes with their comedy and a non-stop tap to my foot with their incredible music.

Mel Walters
Stevensville

Election changes

Dear Editor,

The State Administration and Veterans Affairs Interim Committee met February 22 in Helena. The committee approved draft legislation for two bills that would change the way elections are conducted in Montana. The first would allow students 16 yrs of age and older to receive training as election judges. After completing the training they would be allowed to serve as election judges, except that they cannot act as Chief Judges. The majority of judges in a precinct would have to be qualified voters, i.e., adults. There are two reasons for this change: First, to get young people involved in the election process and, hopefully, make them long term participants in the elective process. Secondly, to make it easier for the county elections administrators to fill election judge vacancies as this has become increasingly difficult statewide, due to longer hours that polls are required to remain open.

The other bill is to allow a pilot project to hold “mail-only” elections in some counties. During the 2007 election cycle, a number of cities held mail only elections which resulted in much higher voter turnouts than would normally be seen with the traditional polling place elections. Some school districts have held mail only elections for many years. Since permanent absentee voting began two years ago, the number of people signing up for permanent absentee ballots has risen to twenty percent, and growing which results in polling places are being kept open for about twenty percent of voters. The other sixty percent simply don’t vote. Because of ease and convenience, the committee felt that eventually we will have mostly absentee voters, which would result in counties around the state conducting traditional poll elections for a very small number of voters. These parallel systems would result in a very expensive process.

The first such elections for congress and the legislature would not be held until 2010. The ballots would be mailed out 30 days before the election and can be mailed back any time up to Election Day. On Election Day drop-off locations would replace polls, where voters can drop off their voted ballots. Last year Cascade County had a single drop-off point at the county fairgrounds, which worked very well since most ballots were mailed back. Same day registration and voting at the courthouse would continue as they are now.

The pilot project would be held in 10 – 16 counties in various parts of the state to ensure overall representation of the state population. A pilot project was proposed rather than a complete change-over in order to minimize unforeseen difficulties, and to test voter acceptance of mail-only elections. The primary purpose for trying vote by mail is to increase voter turnout. People who participated in vote by mail elections last year reported they liked having the ballot before hand, so they could study candidates and issues before voting. Other reasons are the difficulty election administrators are having getting enough judges to staff the polls, and vote by mail elections are less expensive and will save counties money. Voter fraud can be avoided by checking each new voter identity against the statewide voter database in the Secretary of State’s office in Helena, as is done now. Anyone attempting multiple registrations can be detected on several points. The committee will be studying drafts of the bill between April and September, with the final bill being introduced in the 2009 Legislature.

The committee also heard a report from Brigadier General Putnam of the National Guard regarding progress in revising the Post Deployment Health Reassessment program. The program was initiated after a Guard member committed suicide a year and half after retuning from Iraq. The program involves reassessing how post deployment physical and mental health is evaluated after deployment to a combat zone. The General reported that federal authorization and funding had been received to add an extra psychological screening to the post deployment process, as an immediate improvement. Evaluation of the entire process is continuing, and will be reported as it progresses.

Gary MacLaren
Representative HD 89

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