Democrats did well

Now that the results of the general election have pretty much been determined I would offer a few observations. Although Democrats appear to be outnumbered in most of the precincts in the area, they actually made one of their best showings in recent times. They had a very credible roster of viable candidates who all ran strong campaigns.

While campaigning, most of the concerns that I heard expressed centered around the inequitable property tax structure, the difficulty of earning a reasonable living wage, the problem of availability and cost of health insurance, the availability of affordable housing, the possibility of contaminating our clean water and air, and the high price of fuel. Almost all of the candidates acknowledged these concerns, but there is a marked difference in their solution proposals.

The Democrats propose to implement measures which will make things better for the working/middle class, those on fixed incomes, and small businesses. Republicans propose to address the problems by rewarding large corporate businesses whose primary objective is to make as much profit as possible for their stock holders. A majority of voters agree that Governor Schweitzer has Montana started on the right track. I find it rather odd that they have gone against the national trend by sending representatives to Helena who, for the most part, do not share the Governor's political views.

As a member of the "fixed income", middle/working class in the Flathead Valley, I hope to do my best to find ways to convince others in my social strata to make future political choices that will best address our concerns. Perhaps the 2008 election will prove to be an opportunity to reverse the current 60% to 40% political party affiliation ratio.

Edd Blackler

Bigfork