On The Issues
Health
State Medicaid expansion was a key component of Obamacare it will ultimately bankrupt Montana. This is happening due to higher than planned enrollment of able-bodied and childless males. Our Democratic leaders and their supporters are pushing this burden to your children and grandchildren.
Obamacare resulted in many doctors retiring. COVID mandates have resulted in even more healthcare workers leaving the field – this can only increase negative health outcomes for Montanans.
Factoid: Medicaid Expansion is responsible to pay for 1 of every 6 abortions in Montana. Medicaid Expansion will also be responsible to pay for 70% of the sex change operations occurring in Montana.
Education
Montana is one of only 8 states with no form of publicly financed school choice. With the proven advantages for charter schools our legislators and Governor should given this option to parents.
- Charter Schools can innovate and experiment new forms of teaching and learning, which allows them to tailor education to the student rather than the test.
- Charter School are exempt from federal regulations, curriculums and bureaucratic interference. Allowing them to focus on the individual rather than the group.
- Charter Schools survive only if they are providing a quality education which attracts students and the funding that comes with them. If not, they close due to lack of funding or their charter can be taken away.
We all know competition improves outcomes for all parties, why would the school boards and teachers unions block improving public schools?
We should develop strategies so our schools are partnering with business to create internships that move individuals into the jobs they seek sooner and with less financial outlay.
We need to push our Congressional delegation to reform the Student Loan program, making college and universities responsible for guaranteeing student loans not the US taxpayers. If Universities and college were responsible, they would have a very large incentive to educate their students for successful careers, assuring debt repayment.
Improving Our Economy
I’ve often wondered why we ask our elected officials what bills they passed, rather than which ones they repealed.
Without a doubt reducing regulation and taxes on businesses is proven to improve the local and state economies. Achieving a robust economy would let Montanans to achieve the long-held dream of having good-paying jobs so our children can stay in Montana rather than seeking jobs in other states. However, just recruiting businesses to compete against current businesses is short-sighted. Creating a diverse economy allows the state to weather economic turmoil such as recessions, lack of workers or hyper-inflation.
Thankfully, the 2021 Legislative session and Governor Gianforte did just that. But our work is not complete. There is still more regulation that can be fixed or eliminated.
As a business owner, banker and city councilperson I recognize it is individuals and businesses, not government, that creates vibrant communities and prosperity for our citizens.
Election Security
The only way to ensure our individual freedom is with election security. I was part of the Missoula Election integrity Project (report attached) which found many anomalies in the Missoula County 2020 elections. We also worked with many national and state groups. Most of our concerns are surrounding the maintenance of the voter rolls.
The 2021 Legislature was successful in passing legislation to correct some of these problems, but more work is needed to shore up security.
Rule of Law
I have always been a staunch supporter of our law enforcement and military. We wouldn’t have a country without the rule of law they protect on a daily basis. They have the hardest jobs, not only because of the personal danger, but are most often at the whims of politicians and their supporters. As we seen since the defund the police and restorative justice movements pushed by Democrats our major cities are crime ridden areas with many families fleeing those cities and states to come to Montana.
In some Montana cities we see them instituting the same failed policies as Portland, Seattle and San Francisco. As I have witnessed many in government view laws as suggests, useful on to either ignore or enforce to serve their political agenda.
A Brighter Future
I believe parents should be the primary voice in their child’s education. COVID certainly highlighted the curriculum being taught is not centered on helping our kids achieve success in adulthood. The draconian mask and remote learning mandates imposed by some tone-deaf school boards proved to be detrimental to our kids' learning and mental health. We can and must do better with our kids.
I believe school choice would move the decisions regarding their kid’s education to parents and away from the bureaucrats.
School bureaucrats and Big Tech support Critical Race Theory and Common Core learning which puts them at odds with parents who support critical thinking and basic reading, writing, and arithmetic as a curriculum to success. We need to give families educational options.
My supporters include Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, and Conservatives because they know I’ll listen to their concerns and do the homework to find common-sense solutions. I’ll hold their government accountable for transparency.
Community Service
I’ve always tried to model my life around the challenges of President Kennedy’s “Ask what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you" and Martin Luther King’s “My children one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
I serve on many non-profit boards, research panels, and regional studies, run a non-profit dedicated to the workforce, which sub-contracts to serve agencies providing service to seniors, disabled individuals, tribal members, and veterans. I’ve spent 20 years working with our legislators to improve our communities.
Memberships include: MSSA - Transit Research Bureau - Missoula Pachyderm - Judicial Watch
Having been educated in Colorado and Montana I was exposed to two very different learning methods. The methods in Colorado enhanced the student’s strengths while helping them improve in the areas they were having difficulty.
While on city council I attended a public meeting where the Superintendent of Schools, Alex Apostle, was the guest speaker. He was discussing how our students, after 12 years of education, were not ready to attend college, trade schools, or enter the workforce. His solution was to have our Colleges and Universities add a year of college prep instruction to their curriculum. This solution contributes to the high student loan debts carried by many of our kids.
Values We Respect
My grandfather and father were cowboys – cowboy values are the core values of Montanans.
- Take care of your horse and animals before yourself.
- Leave the gates as you found them and the place better than you found it.
- Help your neighbor when they need it.
- Thank our Lord every day for all he blessing he has bestowed upon you.
- Duct Tape and WD40 can fix almost anything.
- Judge people by their character and actions.