Montana Editorial Roundup

Billings Gazette, March 20, on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Montana values:

In an exchange hard to describe in words, Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke responded to a question about defunding historical preservation of the Japanese-American confinement camps by saying, “Oh, Konnichiwa.”

We say: Oh, no.

Zinke was responding to Rep. Colleen Hanabusa who was questioning Zinke about the decision and said that her own grandfather had been in an internment camp.

Beyond being wildly insensitive and bizarrely inappropriate, Zinke’s erratic behavior on Thursday at the hearing was just another in a growing number of incidents which demonstrate his values are too much Washington, D.C., and not enough Montana.

Zinke should know what those confinement camps are all about. Heart Mountain, which lies squarely in The Billings Gazette’s coverage area, is a constant and needed reminder of what happens when a country starts to suspect its own citizens. The U.S. government trammeled on the civil liberties of an entire group of people in the name of patriotism and defense. It seems like the entire Trump administration, Zinke especially, could use a field trip there.

Using the phrase roughly translated “Good afternoon,” was simply bizarre, especially since it was still morning when he uttered it to Hanabusa.

We have no idea why Zinke made such a bumbling remark, other than it’s a distraction to several other stories which have made national news lately, including quibbling about the details of his private travel, and being scolded by the White House because of ethics reports.

Traveling in lavish style, spending money frivolously and ethics investigations certainly aren’t in line with Montana values which he so often talks about. We’re the kind of place that debates whether the governor should use a plane in the fourth largest state in the country. We have doors, we just know that they come less expensive than six figures. And we have a tradition of standing up to racial insensitivity, and that’s why so many of Zinke’s actions betray those values.

We’d also point out that when it comes to questions of Zinke’s travel, it’s nothing new to Montanans. It shouldn’t surprise us that this issue has come up again. What’s troubling is that Zinke hasn’t seemed to learn his lesson, and now is just repeating the error on a larger, national stage.

Recall that Zinke was warned when he was with the Navy for improperly traveling back to the Treasure State. The Billings Gazette and other media throughout the state covered this when he was candidate Zinke and now seem hardly surprised when the issue re-emerged.

As Interior secretary, he tried to contort his travel plans back to Kalispell from Las Vegas, gaming the system for his own personal agenda. Each of these mistakes, which range from offensive to ethically suspect, have been reported. And each should rightfully bring questions and scrutiny - the kind that Zinke probably isn’t quite used to. But that’s as it should be: Zinke is no longer a legislator from Montana or our lone representative in Congress. He is a sitting cabinet secretary.

Taken individually, they are embarrassing or troubling. But taken as a whole, they represent a disturbing pattern. We believe the Office of the Inspector General must continue to investigate these questionable travel expenses as well as allegations of lavish spending. We also believe that Zinke must apologize to Rep. Hannabusa, rather than trying to defend the inappropriate remark.

And that doesn’t even touch the normal things he’s said about the Interior, which include making it easier for wind farms to kill birds and blaming increasing national park fees on seniors and veterans.

Even though Zinke is a Montanan, he’s not representing our values.

Editorial: http://bit.ly/2GTTpT3

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Bozeman Daily Chronicle, May 18, on Montana fostering tech growth:

A survey of Montana tech firms should serve as a road map to the future for lawmakers, educators and students. The firms reported the biggest problems they face when trying to grow their companies is hiring qualified workers and securing capital.

Conducted by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the survey called upon 200 tech companies about the challenges they face. The survey was conducted on behalf of the High Tech Alliance whose members reported $1.4 billion in revenue last year and plans to add 1,100 jobs this year.

A third to a half of respondents said it is becoming harder to find qualified employees. Alliance member companies reported hiring 23 percent of their new workers out of state. Forty-one percent of non-members said they had to look out of state for new hires.

And these are good jobs going to non-Montanans. Tech workers earn an average of $68,000 a year, according to federal labor statistics. That’s more than twice the $32,760 median annual earnings for all Montana workers.

The message the tech firm is sending is clear: Train Montanans in the right skill sets and they will land good jobs right here in this state. From high school through junior colleges to universities, expanding programs in the tech fields should be a priority. As high school students near graduation, they should think long and hard about enhancing their tech skills and pursuing them further in post-secondary education.

And state lawmakers should support educators’ efforts fiscally at all levels to address the need for more qualified tech workers.

The surveyed tech firms also cited difficulty raising capital as a hurdle to future growth. But there has been encouraging news on that front. The Bozeman-based Next Frontier Capital recently announced it has raised $38 million to invest, some of which will go into onX, a recreational mapping firm that plans to expand its Bozeman operations.

The tech sector of the Montana economy is no longer just a pipe dream. The industry is reporting solid jobs and revenue numbers and will likely vie for a top spot in the state’s economy in the years to come.

And we must prepare the workforce this industry will need to grow.

Editorial: http://bit.ly/2pt24Di

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Missoulian, March 18, on what Montana students can do next to help stop gun violence:

The walkouts organized by students in Montana and across the nation last week, one month after 17 of their peers were killed in a shooting at a Florida high school, were only the latest sign of a galvanizing movement to pass stricter gun laws. It likely won’t be the last.

The official #Enough! National School Walkout received support and encouragement from the national Women’s March Youth Empowerment initiative, among other groups, but it was students themselves who led the brief, peaceful protests in their own schools. They did so both to honor the lives of those killed in recent school shootings, and to advocate for better guns laws to make their learning environments, and their communities, safer places for everyone.

As with the Women’s March, participants may be wondering just what to do now. They are still fired up and ready to take action. But what are the next steps?

Agreement on even the most basic improvements to gun legislation has been frustratingly difficult to reach. In Montana, a handful of proposals offer a sensible place to start, but nevertheless face a tough road to approval.

There appears to be a wide chasm between the students’ perception of the problem and policymakers’ priorities. And students have good reason to think their safety and welfare are being overlooked by a shortsighted, hyper-partisan government.

Our state legislators, as a body, have long been more prone to loosening gun restrictions and encouraging more Montanans to carry firearms in more places - including schools. If students want that to change, they have to let their families, neighbors and legislators know. In particular, those who will be voting age before this upcoming Election Day can press the candidates to make school safety, mental health and gun control paramount campaign issues.

At the state level, Montana’s legislators must be encouraged bring the state into compliance with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). When it comes to improving gun safety, making the laws that are already in place work better seems like a glaringly obvious place to start.

Yet the Legislature has continually balked at taking any steps toward making the background check system more effective. Currently, the state does not share mental health records with NICS. As a result, a person may be involuntarily committed to a mental institution in this state, threaten violence against him- or herself or others, and then pass a federal background check and purchase a firearm. It has happened before. Without change, it will happen again.

Of course, the national background check system is far from perfect, but Congress is working on a bipartisan bill called the “Fix NICS Act.” It would provide federal funding to help states that opt to share criminal and mental health information with NICS. All three of Montana’s congressional delegates agree that any true fix would also include a way for individuals to contest a NICS listing and get their names removed.

These reforms make sense, and Congress ought to take action soon. However, there’s no good reason for the state to stall on its own part. Those who oppose legislation mandating that Montana report certain mental health information have argued that they are worried it would start the state on the slippery slope toward sharing all mental health records, that it would strengthen the stigma against mental illness and prevent Montanans from seeking help, and that ultimately, it wouldn’t be very effective anyway. They are wrong on all counts.

The state shares information with federal agencies all the time. In fact, Montana already forwards records on court proceedings if the defendant is determined to be mentally incompetent. Drawing a hard line between the vast majority of Montanans who suffer from mental illness and are not violent, and those who are at serious risk of harming themselves or others, is reasonable and relatively simple.

Further, the line between those who seek mental health care on a voluntary basis versus those are involuntarily committed is equally broad. Indeed, the possibility of involuntary commitment and NICS listing might even encourage more individuals to seek voluntary treatment before they reach the point of crisis.

And finally, it cannot have escaped the attention of U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, nor our state legislators, that Montana has been one of the leading states in the nation for suicide for decades, and that the majority of these suicides are completed with a firearm. Shouldn’t someone who has been involuntarily committed after attempting suicide be prevented from accessing a firearm until the risk has passed? Background checks may not stop every mass shooting, but they hold a lot of promise to help decrease Montana’s abysmal suicide rate.

Last week, the U.S. House passed the promisingly named but ultimately disappointing Stop School Violence Bill, which authorizes a mere $75 million in grants for this year and $100 million a year for the next 10 years for schools to offer training on warning signs and intervention, improve security, develop threat assessment teams and better coordinate with local law enforcement. That money might have made a dent in Montana’s school safety needs had it all been dedicated to Montana; as it is, however, our schools will have to vie for the grants with thousands of other schools across the nation. Gianforte voted in favor of it, and Daines signed on as a co-sponsor of the Senate version, which also aims to provide federal funding to hire more school counselors and mental health care providers.

It’s certainly a move in the right direction, but it’s not nearly enough.

This week, Congress has an opportunity to take another small step. Montana’s congressional delegates will likely vote on another budget proposal. They should advocate for the removal of budget amendment that has prevented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from studying gun violence. The Dickey Amendment was tacked on to a major budget bill more than 20 years ago, and it’s high time it was struck and the CDC allowed to perform important public safety research.

At the very least, Americans should be better educated about gun violence and the efficacy of various gun laws. And who better to advocate for better education than America’s students?

Editorial: http://bit.ly/2FTMvzO