Principled pragmatism is preferred

Editor,

There is no better example of the dangers of Rick Jore's rigid adherence to his "philosophy" than his vote for electric deregulation. Everyone was warned about the disaster this would be to Montana's consumers, but Jore voted for it. Now most Montanans are paying much higher power bills while the energy corporations make off like bandits.

We simply can't afford that kind of misguided dismantling of the Montana we love. We need leaders who, while guided by moral principle, will vote for what works. Principled pragmatism always serves us better than a fanatical "philosophy."

Jeanne Windham, by contrast, is a fierce defender of the free market system, but she also realizes that it must be reasonably regulated to serve the best interests of the people. We had a good, dependable power industry in Montana, well regulated by the elected Public Service Commission, which for decades kept our rates among the lowest in the country while delivering decent returns to investors in the Montana Power Company. But MPC officials wanted to get even richer, and Rick Jore and others helped them do just that at our expense.

The choice is clear: Jore, who despite the facts, despite the predicted disastrous outcome, will always stick to his preconceived, rigidly constructed "philosophy," or Jeanne Windham, who is guided by strong principles, among which is we must do what works best for making our communities healthy, safe, and prosperous.

Lora Hughes

Arlee