Republican candidate for governor, Giantforte, has surpassed one million dollars in raising funds for the governor’s race. Are you ready for another Republican governor after sixteen years of competent leadership by Democrats?

Have you noticed how Republicans belly ache about slow economic recovery when a Democrats is in control? Nationally, the last time it was Obama, and over a decade ago, in Montana, with Schweitzer as governor, we heard their squawking. If you think this through it’s always the same. The recovery is too slow when a Democrat is cleaning up an economic mess made by a Republican. With Obama it was following the disastrous ‘W’ Bush’s presidency. Our economy was in free fall, bordering on a depression, at the end of his administration. In Montana, with Schweitzer, it was cleaning up after Republican governors Racicot and Martz managed to destroy the Montana Power Company and drive our state into an economic burrow pit.

After the depression of 1929, it was Democrat Franklin Roosevelt who was slow in cleaning up the Republican mess. It took well over a decade to bring us back from the abyss that the Republican presidencies of Calvin Coolidge, followed by Herbert Hoover, put us in.

Do you wonder why the Republican administrations repeatedly run our national and state economies into the ditch? The answer is simplistic. Republicans do not believe in government by the people and for the people. So why do they run for office and why does anyone vote for them? Again, the answer is simplistic. They are more concerned with their wallets than whether or not the government thrives. The voting public believes their falsehoods, published and financed by the wealthy oligarches who couldn’t care less.

So what do you suppose Gianforte will do to our environment, our economy, our social networks, and just as important, our public lands? Prepare for a calamity to befall this state if a Republican is elected governor again. Think back to the mess Republicans Racicot and Martz made of this state. Gianforte has reneged on his pledge to not accept pac money. It follows that his taking money from real estate moguls means if elected he will work to sell off and develop public lands. He will also promote cutting taxes for out of state corporations and the destruction of health care by privatization. If the vision of what he will do disturbs you, support a Democrat for governor.

Montana is a special place. The outdoor opportunities in Montana, more than any other reason, makes Montana special. Having lived in Montana for most of my life, and Colorado for the last decade, I can tell you that access to public lands in Montana is as good as it gets in the lower 48. This is especially true on the rivers.

In Colorado, the river bottoms can be private property. In Montana, the river bottom is considered public land, up till the high watermark. In Colorado, if you are on the river and stop for any reason and step off the raft, even on a sandbar in the middle of the river, you are trespassing.

When you have anti-government, anti-public land zealots in the Republican controlled legislature, you can be certain that this type of access will certainly be limited or ended. Greg Gianforte has already shown his willingness to limit public access, having been sued in the past for access to the Bridger River near Bozeman. The laws will be changed to help wealthy out of state land-owners to close traditional right of way access to public lands. Combined with destructive TEA party policy, this is a toxic mix that will greatly decrease the quaily of life for your average Montanan.

Governor Bullock, and Governor Schweitzer before him were a bulwark against extreme right-wing ideology that will ruin Montana. This needs to continue with another democratic governor. The key will be if traditionally conservative voters can see through Fox New misinformation, and the 2nd amendment, abortion, and SOCIALISM!!, dog whistle issues to do what is right for Montana.