Letters to the editor

Nov. 19

Important to Share the Spirit

Share the Spirit Holiday Assistance Program is beginning our 13th year helping children from needy families with toys, clothes and gifts at Christmas. We are fortunate enough to partner with the Marine Toys for Tots program which helps us manage the daunting task of providing for these children. In 2008, we served almost 1,200 children 12-years-old and younger in Lake County and we can use your help again this year! Trees with Share the Spirit tags will be at local merchants and banks throughout Lake County beginning the week of Thanksgiving. They will be covered with tags filled with children’s Christmas requests so if you see one, please take a tag for someone less fortunate and help make their holiday brighter.

 Share the Spirit Tree locations in Polson are: Glacier Bank, Lake County Leader office in Polson, Wal-Mart, Eagle Bank, Lake County Courthouse, and St. Joseph Medical Center. In Ronan, trees are located at Hanson and Granley True Value Hardware, the Valley Journal, Valley Bank, Community Bank of Ronan, the Gift Gallery and Family Pharmacy and St. Luke Hospital. Look for our trees in Pablo at S & K Electronics and in St. Ignatius at Lake County Bank and Harvest Foods. Port Polson Inn is a drop-off only location in Polson. This year the Share the Spirit headquarters will again be located on Polson Hill on South Hills Drive just beyond the Southshore Veterinary Clinic and Collision Craft in the old Tamsco/DRS building.

Applications are available at the Lake County Office of Public Assistance, DOVES, Public Health, WIC Office, Working Innovations, Job Services, and Helping Hands. Share the Spirit is a 501(c) 3 non-profit group registered with the Internal Revenue Service.

We really need your contributions to help these kids! Share the Spirit has no paid employees; only volunteers who contribute over a thousand hours each December. We “borrow” donated space to work from and have almost no overhead expenses so that any contributions we receive go to Christmas presents for children.  We try very hard to coordinate with other giving organizations so children are not duplicated. Donations can be mailed to Share the Spirit at P.O. Box 1341, Polson, MT 59860. Thank you and God Bless!

Toni Young, Polson

Abortion question a personal belief

Now, how about this latest wrinkle in trying to pass some health care legislation: The Stupak-Pitts amendment banning abortion coverage from federally subsidized health insurance policies.

To have an abortion or not have an abortion is a personal choice and a moral issue that does not belong in the political arena of constitutional law. Constitutional law is the body of law dealing with the distribution and exercise of government power.

The rather interesting aspect surrounding abortion is that it is primarily a religious-based issue. It is different from, say, the smoking ban issue. Smoking has been proven over and over to be a cause of cancer, pure and simple. What has ever been proven to cause harm to the person choosing abortion? Nothing. It becomes purely and simply a personal belief issue about the question of when are we “taking a life” and when are we not taking a life, “when does life begin,” etc. These questions can only be answered within one’s own belief system and are an example of the reason for “separation of church and state.”

The “separation of church and state” has become a rather muddy issue is recent years in our government. There is a great reluctance to clear this up. And, of course, the reason for this reluctance is that legislators who depend upon votes from their constituents are dealing with constituents who feel very passionate about their religious beliefs and voice them and want them as a part of the constitutional process.

As Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god.”

 So, the unfortunate person who was sent to Congress not only wants to get re-elected but needs the campaign-coffer money from lobbyists supporting certain views! This person is “between a rock and a hard place,” for sure.

 So, what do we do about this? Good question. Great question. The question. And beyond “doing the right thing” and following our constitutional guidelines of “separating church and state,” what can one say?

Who is willing to take the first step toward “justice for all?” Another good question. Just as important as passing good legislation is knowing which issues should not be considered in the legislative process and therefore should not be allowed in.

Bob McClellan, Polson

Rural fire board concerns

I am a resident of the Polson rural community. I have been informed that at the last meeting of the Polson Rural Fire Board, a majority of the board against a lone dissent, Jack Clapp, passed the following resolution: “The PVFD [Polson Volunteer Fire Department] is not a part of the Polson Rural Fire District structure or organization.” It is my understanding that this means there is now no fire departments in the rural area, although the PVFD will continue to respond to rural calls until directed otherwise by the rural board.

As a rural resident, I am concerned about the safety and insurance implications of this decision. Someone once famously posed the question, “Can’t we all get along?”

That would appear to be a particularly relevant question in this situation. All parties should have worked together in an effort to resolve whatever differences there were. I believe that the Lake County Commissioners should now look into this issue to ensure that this decision is in the best interest of the rural community and that there will be no diminution of fire protection. Finally, perhaps the minutes of the Polson Rural Fire Board meetings should be published in order to keep the community better informed about these issues.

Frank Jones, Big Arm

No property tax relief in sight

Open letter to Governor Brian Schweitzer: I wish to thank you very mufh for taking time to reply to my letter published in the lake County Leader on Oct. 1, concerning the large increase on our Lake County properly tax assessment.

You sent my letter to Dan Bucks, director of the Montana Department of Revenue in Helena. Indeed, to correct the reply you received from Mr. Bucks. He states our property will actually ses a decrease. He also states my taxes in 2008 were $1,272.41 or $1,452.41 for 2008. He states our 2009 taxes are only $1,260.79. Here is a copy our tax bill received for 2009: It reads total due $1,517.11. I believe this is a pretty big increase, not a slight one. Maybe we weren’t spending enough on schools when Mr. Bucks attended. He seems to run a little short on a couple of the three Rs. He definitely needs to learn how to read and his math skills are badly in need of repair. Mr. Bucks states the agricultural land is taxed according to production only, not by what the owner can sell it for. Why then, do 60 percent of ranchers in Lake County have to work out to support their farms and ranches?

Mr. Bucks states in a Dec. 6 Missoulian article that Flathead County increased 81 percent and Lake County at 103 percent. Agricultural property in Lake County topped the list at 141 percent.

Mr. Bucks states in the same article, “The revenue goals are to freeze the taxable value of property for six years.” I guess so once you have raised them high enough. He tells me, “Lake County and Flathead property is highly desirable.” A cabin on Flathead Lake is worth much more than if it were on Fort Peck Dam.”

Sir, I do not own a cabin.

Mr. Bucks says I may be a little confused due to inconsistent numbers in the newspapers. Yes, I am old, but not stupid. Please don’t pee in my boots and tell me it’s raining.

A friend gave me a form (PBB8E) Rev. 09-09. It is extended property tax assistant ce. A program from people with a total income less than $75,000 for 2008. How many families in Montana earn even close to this?

To get this form, write the DOR at P.O. Box 6169, Helena, MT 59604. Why isn’t this form given out at our Lake County office?

Some things in my 78 years I have come to understand. We have to endure the loss of the ones we love, and overcome illness as cancer and heart trouble, but I prefer not to be taxed to death.

Wlima Bick, Ronan

Thanks to the greatest generation

Thanks to Bill Ingram for his very interesting and well-written story (Leader Nov. 12) from his WWII service in the Air Force serving on B-25s in the European and North African theatres.

Mr. Ingram is part of the greatest generation as aptly described by Tom Brokaw in his book by the same name. The courage, fortitude and resilience of this generation of Americans both at home and on the front lines saved the world from the dark forces of oppressive tyranny represented by the Axis powers.

Having won the peace, with great loss of life, the generation then set in motion the prosperity that has made our country the greatest in the world.

And, as Mr. Ingram indicated, our present struggle against the forces of Islamic extremism is yet another war, we must win to preserve our way of life. As Jack Kennedy said, the price of freedom is high, but Americans have always been willoing to pay it.

Thanks, Mr. Ingram, for your service, your example and your wisdom.

Virgil Hess, Polson

MCT was magnificent

What a pleasant experience to see all those wonderful performers in Missoula Children’s Theatre’s Saturday performance at Arlee Schools of “Robinson Crusoe”! The lines were heard throughout the gym, the punchlines of performers were received with laughter and awe, the dancing and singing of all the students made our hearts glad and happy. As a long time member of this community of Arlee, helping and being in the very first play produced by MCT in Arlee in 1978, seeing so many children love performing arts, and all because of the opportunities presented to us by Missoula Children’s Theatre!

Arlee Schools, the grant writers, the local businesses who have helped so tremendously in funding, the Montana Arts Council, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, along with so many others all these years, are to be commended for their financial and volunteer help.

 The bleachers were packed, the littlest ones were mesmerized, and the MCT directors brought those students to do their best in just five days! MCT, I thank you, Arlee community thanks you, and please continue to bring joy to all of us.

 Anne Stewart, Arlee

Advice for the Leader publisher

It’s great that Polson has its own newspaper, a weekly, that people can use to keep track of local news, events, stuff for sale, etc. The Leader has met these needs for me quite adequately for many years, and I like to think I’ve been helping keep the paper afloat, if indeed that’s a problem.

Never have I looked to the paper for political advice, and from time to time have had to discipline myself to tolerate “Damn Drewry’s” ridiculous right-wing editorials. But even a progressive’s flexibility has its limits, and mine were approached after reading his latest take on global warming. (Leader, Nov. 12), and how there’s no used to bother about it because it won’t work anyway, and besides, it might cost us $200/year. How does he know?

There’s no way his limited understanding of global economics or climate changed can justify that insolently confident sermon. He’s way out on a poorly supported limb, along with a lot of other people who neither understand nor trust science and scientists. Why doesn’t he just can it, do the paper a favor, and keep his extreme political opinions to himself? He is ruining it for me and probably for other subscribers as well. Please encourage him to stick to what he actually knows something about, and to quit polluting my paper.

Dave Marshall, Polson