Opinions Worth Roping - Don't Fence Us In!

MONTANA IS A STATE – OF MIND:
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AMERICA has been a beacon of hope for people around the world. It has been the embodiment of the idea of freedom, opportunity, and responsibility. Montana too has been a place of hope. It is called “The Last Best Place”. It is a place where people come to visit and rediscover themselves under its big sky. But the reality doesn’t always fit the dream. Too many Montanans have been left out of the party and our rural communities have been devastated by the rise of powerful monopolies and by the relentless expansion of large stores that send most of the money out of state while paying low wages with few benefits.

In Montana the real BIG business is SMALL business. 85% of businesses in Montana have 50 employees or less. Montana ranks number one in businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Our “Mom and Pop” ranches and businesses make up the backbone and sinew of our economy and help preserve the American values of family, community, hard work, and independence. Without these dedicated folks, Montana would be a place that people just pass through, pick up their loot, and head off into the sunset; leaving a mess behind, to boot.

We’ve got an example here in Sweet Grass County of what’s best about Montanans. The community of Big Timber and the Stillwater Mine created the “Good Neighbor Agreement”, a groundbreaking policy that shows how an industry and a community can get along. By agreeing to promote a healthy, wealthy and wise approach to mining, we are now honor bound to keep this place safe and viable for generations to come. We can start here and spread the word across each county, each state and across this nation that the values that join us are far greater than those that separate us. Let’s relight that beacon, that idea of shared community, the idea that anything is possible with a bit of gumption, imagination, and old-fashioned hard

work. Let others see the vision of what the future can bring, in this, the “Last Best Place.” And let’s export that commodity; Montana as a state of mind.

In this election, join the candidates who are listening to the citizens and not to large special interests. Join in new partnerships. Get together, get informed, then get out and VOTE!

Diane Kamp Clayton

Big Timber, Mt

September 22, 2004

Montana is a State - Of Mind