I had to shake my head in disbelief when I read Gov. Greg Gianforte's "witty" remark at an April VIP fundraiser in Missoula. Following 16 years of Democrats in the governor's office, he told the cherry-picked crowd, has been "like clean-up on Aisle 4.
" Wow. What grocery store does HE manage? Because the one I'm in looks like a hurricane hit it. ■ Aisle 1: Over 132,000 Montanans — nearly 45,000 of them, children! — have lost health care coverage.
■ Aisle 2: Homeowners' property taxes just increased, on average, 21%. ■ Aisle 3: Last month, public schools across Montana had to ask those same homeowners to increase their taxes yet again to keep good teachers and important programs in their schools. Understandably, half of those levies didn't pass.
■ Aisle 4: While Gianforte earmarks funds for his longterm priority of privatizing and evangelizing public education, scores of teachers and administrators in Montana's truly public schools just lost their jobs. The burdens they once shouldered are being assumed by other educators too busy and less qualified to assume them ably. Kids are losing access to music, counseling, career-technical training .
.. those "little" things that make such big differences in realizing their potential.
■ Aisle 5: The housing crisis is exacerbating homelessness in city after Montana city, with the resulting pressures on unhoused and housed alike, not to mention local governments. ■ Aisle 6: Workers desperately needed to keep small businesse.