Cooney only candidate who will put Montana first
It’s been a while ago but Greg Gianforte is on tape advocating for a sales tax as “the ideal solution.” He also quipped that the best tax is one you have to pay and he doesn’t. Gianforte would like us to forget those things, and while they were a few years ago there is no reason to think his sentiments have changed. Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney has proposed legislation insuring there will not be a sales tax on Montanans. Why hasn’t Gianforte promised the same?
Cooney might not be a multimillionaire, but he has a long history of fighting for things that matter to Montanans: better wages and jobs, affordable health care, access to public lands, keeping dark money out of our politics.
Gianforte has not championed any of these policies. He’s either remained silent or has actively worked and voted against them while in Congress. These things matter. It matters who serves as Montana’s governor and it matters what they stand for.
I’ve seen enough and the records show enough to convince me that Cooney is the only candidate who will put us Montanans first on these and other important issues. He will be a governor we can be proud of.
Susan Nichols Roughton
Belgrade
Gianforte can’t be trusted to serve as our governor
Greg Gianforte has promised to protect Montanans with pre-existing conditions and preserve rural access to health care. Yet he’s pledged to help repeal the Affordable Care Act, which, while imperfect, enables thousands of Montanans to have health insurance and provides Medicaid coverage to thousands more. He’s promised if elected governor to work on prescription drug prices but in two years in Congress hasn’t advanced any relevant legislation. His opponent for governor, Mike Cooney, has already worked on and helped deliver results on these and other challenges during time as lieutenant governor.
Gianforte says he likes Montana’s public lands but refused to co-sponsor the Great American Outdoors Act, something Cooney actively supported. In fact, Gianforte has a terrible record on protecting our public lands. Gianforte pledges support for policies but has done nothing to make them happen in Congress. In fact, he hardly shows up for work. My question is, what is Gianforte waiting for? If he supports these policies, he should have acted. If he failed in Congress, we can’t trust him as governor.
I’ve known Mike Cooney for decades; he’s an energetic worker who gets things done for Montanans rather than for himself. Gianforte talks but doesn’t act.
Gail Richardson
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letters to the Editor 9/16/20