For the Majority, Not the Wealthy Few

Dear Editor,

The Gianforte Administration and the GOP majority in the legislature campaigned and were elected because they said they would bring jobs to Montana, support small businesses and improve our infrastructure. What is actually happening is multiple tax breaks for the wealthy, and budget cuts for the rest of us. There are bills cutting services for Montanans with disabilities, seniors, Child Protective Services, and other essential public services. This comes in the middle of a pandemic that has caused thousands of Montanans to lose their jobs and need the very services that are being cut. In addition to these bad bills, there are multiple education bills that would defy our Montana Constitution and take taxpayer dollars out of our severely underfunded public schools, and use them for private, religious or charter schools that have no public accountability. This just switches the burden to local taxpayers. Other states have tried these failed policies and suffered greatly. It is time for all of us to pay attention to what our legislature and our governor are doing and tell them we want them to honor their campaign promises for the majority of our state, not the wealthy few.

Sincerely,

Julie Hippler

Billings Teacher