Heading north on 19th Street is a large sign advertising Daines’s slogan: “More Jobs—Less Government.” It bears looking into. There’s nothing Daines can do by himself to create jobs, even aided by Trump and the Republicans. Jobs may come back slowly on their own, notwithstanding COVID-19.
Consider this: “Less Government” means fewer, not more jobs. Social Security Administration employees? Fire some. National parks? Let parks crumble. Public school teachers and librarians? Cut
them. Let our children grow up ignorant. Protective services? Let buildings burn and people die without EMTs. Health and human services employees staffing Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and parts of the ACA? Emasculate these programs during the pandemic, letting citizens suffer, die and mourn. State and local government employees? Send some home and let others languish. Don’t be hoodwinked. Daines’ slogan is hollow.
Let’s talk about hypocrisy: In March 2016, Daines said Congress should wait until the next election to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. Now he says—as do almost all Republicans who back McConnell — “I believe the Senate should move forward with confirming President Trump’s nominee.”
Jack Kligerman
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 10/7/20