Raising the bar

Several weeks ago you could hear it as a low rumble from some seemingly distant point over the horizon, but as the political season rolls on it has given way to an ever growing cacophony of loud voices fervently expressing political views, promises, analyses, hopes, and uncompromising convictions that the speaker has all the answers. Sadly, few people really listen to what is being said, unless they are the one saying it. In part, that is because the polarization of opinion is acute and not very useful in terms of Montana coming to grips with many of the challenges we face in the modern world.

To be certain, there are issues for which moral and cultural imperatives demand an uncompromising stand be taken—protection of our Second Amendment rights as citizens to "keep and bear Arms" is an excellent example here. This right is not only an integral part of the Bill of Rights to our United States Constitution, it is also a key component of what being a Montanan is all about.

There are other areas that are less clear, and here we are wrong to divide our world so starkly on most every issue. Back in the slow and undiscovered days of this area, it did not really make much of a difference. We were so rural that we could contentedly pound our fist on the table and shout any slogan imaginable, but as it seldom really impacted on anyone else, there was "no harm, no foul." Similar to the often quoted question of whether or not a falling tree makes a noise in the forest if there is nobody there to hear it, one can question the relevance of political views, no matter how extreme or accommodating, expressed by isolated voices in the wilderness.

As an example, let us turn for a moment to the important issue of the Flathead and Swan valleys' growth versus property rights. No statistics are needed to understand the magnitude of this challenge to our valley—just a quick drive from almost anywhere to anywhere else will do. We have been discovered by others who want to share in our rural environment, gorgeous scenery, clean water, wildlife, hunting/fishing opportunities, and pristine wilderness and park areas. Remember too that this description is not just a "feel good" thing, but it also describes a significant element of our local economy.

We live in a gorgeous place, and it is only surprising that it has taken so long for others to have discovered it. First, accept that there is no stopping them. To be sure, the influx will rise and fall with future fluctuations of our economy and the shape of the "baby boomer" retirement curve, but have no doubt, growth will be a fact of life in this valley for many years to come. If you accept that, then it should not be hard to accept that we as a community have a responsibility to plan for it, and indeed channel it, in a manner which seeks to preserve those very characteristics that we cherish. If we do not do so, some of our grandchildren may well live here, but they will not do so for the same reasons that we do. Our solutions to the challenges of growth must be developed by neighbors who are respectful of property rights, yet recognize the inevitability of change along with the imperative of properly controlling it, and we had better hurry.

I believe that most residents of this area will pause a moment and ponder the wisdom of coping with our growth and other challenges from a perspective of mutual respect and a shared commitment of real people solving real problems. Let us "raise the bar" in terms of how, as neighbors, we work together on complex issues. Our future depends on it.

Don Loranger

SD 5 candidate

Bigfork