Initiative Quandary

I’m really struggling to make a decision on how to vote on Initiatives 185 and 186.

I’ve seen the mailers on I-185 that claim it is unconstitutional. If so, why are groups spending so much money to defeat it?

Also, considering we think of our form of government as a democracy, telling people that their vote will not count seems a bit insulting.

The other problem I have with I-185 is the additional tax on tobacco products. This tax is aimed at a small portion of Montanans (I don’t use tobacco). It seems like it would be too small of a tax base.

I do favor Montana’s support of Medicaid and I don’t believe the Republican-dominated state legislature will continue to support it.

The problem with I-186 is what is referred to as “not in my backyard.”

If the metals are not mined in Montana where we have strong environmental laws, where will they be mined? Our planet could be the loser if they are mined in areas where much lower environmental protection exists.

I get the feeling the anti-mining groups that support this initiative have not really considered the global consequences of this initiative. Do they really care about our planet or is it just about their “backyard”?

Personally I think I’d rather have the Montana DEQ overlooking mining in our state than some other governmental agency in some far away place where the environment is low on their list of priorities.

Please think about it.

Thanks,

Bruce Bourne