Younkin found lacking

Editor,

Cindy Younkin, candidate for the Montana Supreme Court against incumbent Jim Nelson, indicated in a recent interview, "I am not pro this or anti-that. I will not have an agenda."

Anybody who believes this is living in "La-La Land." A person who has been a lightning rod for numerous political issues in the past few years does not suddenly become a person without an agenda. Ms. Younkin has a well-documented agenda that has included:

1. Sponsoring legislation to cut access to health care for women.

2. Voting against workers' rights to organize against raising unemployment benefits and against training laid off workers (HB 122, SB 428, 1999)

3. Voting to provide special privileges to out-of-state corporations such as Northwestern Energy.

4. Voting to restrict citizen participation in the initiative process regarding the voter-passed game farm ban.

Her career has been primarily in politics. She has no experience as a judge or in criminal law, has never argued a case before the Supreme Court. She considers herself a specialist in water rights, but the city of Clyde Park is suing Ms. Younkin for malpractice, charging she gave the city costly and bad legal advice.

By contrast, consider the views of Jim Nelson held by past Montana Supreme Court judges: Retired justice John Sheehy - "Montanans' constitutional rights have never had a stronger, more consistent, more articulate or more objective advocate than Jim Nelson."

Retired Chief Justice Jean Turnage - Mr. Nelson is "one of the hardest working judges that I know. He is always prepared for the cases that come before the court, and writes clear, well-grounded opinions." I rest my case.

Carol Werner

Ronan