My Blog

GMO Nightmare

10/14/2012 18:53:00

The subject of GMO's is something which I have received a few emails concerning my position on lately and one request to write a blog on the issue to share it better. I have been in many discussions on this matter in person with people and on the Internet yet have missed expanding on it here.

GMO's is a very important subject in my humble opinion although not so with many in the political world. We have here the issue of personal freedoms and the right to know about and control what we take into our bodies, possible health issues and governmental control over our lives. I would have to locate (its somewhere here on my crowded desk) the presidential order which was signed on (of all days) July 4th a few years ago where Obama literally gave Monsanto and the federal government free reign and total control of our food supply. In this order it is technically illegal to grow foods from none GMO seed. It even gives the government the authority to control what types of veggies and how much we are allowed to grow in our own yards.

Back to the GMO issue itself though. GMO's are no different from any other product, especially food where truth in labeling laws are concerned. Why are companies not required to tell the truth and label their products as containing GMO's? We have the right to know this information. I as so many others out there want to know what is going into my body. Unlike so many others though I am in the position to grow the bulk of the own food for my family most the time. A overly dry year as this one (summer 2012) has been that wasn't the case so we are dependent on the mass producers. So I feel the pain all too many of you do on the personal level.

As with GMO's, one company nor the government should ever have that much control over our lives. Neither should law suits by Monsanto against farmers for so called cross pollination of nearby crops ever be allowed in court. In the first place it's just ignorant, and it is a total waste of resources, money and tying up our court .

We have another issue with GMO's which concerns me. That being the safety of them. We can not tinker with the DNA of something with out consequences. Playing with plant DNA is not the same thing as the simple cross breading of plants. Another question is can our bodies really process and benefit from these organisms? I don't believe there is much difference between the effect of GMO foods and Pharma drugs. Artificial is dangerous and never as good as the natural thing. We also have the issue of environmental problems. With all the concern about our environment and damage being done to our eco system, why do we want to mass produce artificially altered plants which will destroy it? With the push for more and more GMO plants there will be a constant crossing of these with the natural plants which will eventually wipe out the natural breeds. A problem with this is that most GMO's are insect resistant. Insects are vital to the process of keeping the eco system in balance and should only be altered by us when they get out of control and not a mass elimination, which would occur with the GMO's.

On the state level I would constantly encourage our farmers to stay away from GMO crops and to benefit from the natural food market prices - vs - a higher yield and lower prices for GMO's. The formulation of co-ops for our smaller farmers is a must to keep market access for these crops in competition with large corporate farms to avoid a take over of our agricultural industry by the corporations. I will constantly push for the formation of better markets in the form of more value added finished goods as a way to combat the run to GMO crops by our farmers. Public service campaigns to educate as to the benefits of more natural foods would also be a major leg in my plans.

I personally feel this would be the best route to take. Keeping GMO's out out of Montana from the growers end or the consumers could be done by the Legislature or by public initiative but we would be treading on thin ice and infringing on the rights of others who do not agree with us.

I could go on about this subject by breaking it down into individual components such as health, environmental damages and so forth if need be. All responses are welcomed.

Just One Step of Many for Electrical Production and the Environment

04/19/2012 18:47:00

In our need for more electrical production and to show concern for the environment at the same time, the two sides of this equation need to come together and use just a touch of common sense. Across the nation a large number of our coal fire plants are aging. Many of these power plants are neither efficient nor as non-polluting as they could or should be. Many on the build it cheap side only have profits in mind while many environmentalist are so to the extreme that they hurt the environment more than help it. The idiotic length of time and hearings it takes to get a plant approved, no less built is totally insane. Hurting our ability to produce what we need, keeping electrical cost extremely high, and causes much more damage to our environment. What we have to do is shorten the time period it takes to get a new plant approved, built and on line. These newer plants would be more efficient as for production, and cleaner burning than our older plants (many of which need to be shut down and taken out of the picture entirely). Shortening this process down and insisting that the cleanest technology be brought forth when the plans are originally made, would help us in getting our energy needs taken care of, lower cost on the consumer and get the older more pollution producing plants shut down thus creating a step towards a protected environment. This is an area where we are hurting at the public and environmental levels by the extremist at both ends who in reality only care about keeping problems going for the sake of giving them something to complain about with no intent of doing anything productive for society nor their so called cause.

More Transportation Energy

03/23/2012 14:24:00

Common sense has got to be brought back into the picture when dealing with balancing between progress and environment. The fact is no matter what we do we can not survive without extracting resources or building new means of producing energy. Nor can we keep up with our needs and keep cost down without doing so. We need to build a new refinery in Montana to assist in our transportation needs. This would give us more good paying jobs, boost our economy and lower fuel prices for us within our state. The insane part is not the thought or actions of building such a facility. The insane part is that it would take roughly 13 years to gain approval for, building it and getting the facility in operation. This is caused by the excessive ignorance in the process of studies and so called public hearings. There is no cause for a proof of need. That is a given. To think that through the process of studies to prove that even one blade of grass, a rock or a mouse will not be displaced is ignorance at it's best. Or to think that we can build one with no kind of pollutants is lame also. The best we can do is streamline the process and require that were a new refinery to be built that the plans were developed with the newest, best and cleanest technology possible at the time prior to actually setting things in motion.

Here is one area where the needs of transportation energy production and electric energy production can work hand in hand. In moving to a more green, renewable energy production drive we can lower our impact on the environment to equal or exceed the strain a new refinery would place on our environment. Thus causing a net lowering of impact on our environment. Also with the constant development of vehicles with better MPG, cleaner burning engines and alternative fuel vehicles our pocket books and environment will gain an extra benefit. If we will also alter our path for bio-fuels away from corn and towards hemp oil bio-fuel we can use a heavier percentage of ethanol than we now do, maintain the power output we desire (hemp oil burns almost as strong as straight gas) and have cleaner burning fuel than corn ethanol. Hemp unlike corn heals the ground and purifies air better, does not require fertilizers and other chemicals that corn does and takes less water and other things which damage the environment and causes water contamination in order to produce. There is also the aspect of more production per acre using hemp over corn.

A move to put in a new refinery and insist that refineries within Montana be upgraded for better efficiency and cleaner operations as technology advances along with the changing over to hemp oil has many benefits. 1) a Montana which is independent on transportation fuel needs 2) more and better paying jobs 3) a cleaner environment (air, water, and ground) and 4) lower cost to the consumer leaving more money in everyones pocket.

THE BEST RULE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO FOLLOW

02/17/2012 16:27:00

One who leads best controls less. In any society in order to be prosperous and have a thriving society, leaders need to learn to back down and not try to control every aspect of life (personal, business, or otherwise). In a vastly mixed society as ours here in America which has such a broad range of belief systems, cultures, races, and opportunities this is even more critical. Even within a particular belief system(such as religion) there are many schools of thought, thus the large array of denominations (for lack of a better word). Due to this a social (political) leader can not nor should ever even consider using his/her personal, religious, cultural heritage (race or origin of family) as the divining rod for their social compass. Unless that teaching is based on compassion, tolerance and understanding that we are all different and one persons path may not be the same as someone else. We need people in office who will lead without forcing their personal religious beliefs upon the rest of us nor deny others of theirs. I as Governor of Montana would lead the battle to do away with control of our personal/family lives by those who wish to control our every move and force anyone to live according to their beliefs. When leaders cross the line of letting their religion dictate their social policy they have gone too far and infringing on the rights of everyone. We as citizens or as leader do not have to agree or even like what someone else does in their life or with their bodies but it is not our place to control others because of our personal likes or dislikes.

Economic Growth

02/08/2012 14:32:00

The plans for the economy is a subject which needs to be handled as a cross spectrum situation. There are many things that effect our economy which need to all be addressed. I promote our economy on this premise. To start with we have to drive home the point that government can not create jobs. It can only create an atmosphere which allows for individuals to do so. The true base to build Montanas economy does not come from outside corp. influence. Our economy will only grow when we create Montana based businesses by Montanans. Cutting business taxes for Montanans who are currently in business or want to start one is a must. Getting rid of the maze of specialty licenses, requirements and over regulation is also a must. My plan includes these steps. I also promote the growth of co-ops. These organizations assist people in purchasing items for personal/business use at a lower cost, and gives a means for small producers to combine products for better market introduction. I also push hard for a more value added aspect to our production and marketing methods. It makes no sense at all to export raw products then import finished goods from these products back into the state. Let's create the finished products here at home, this will lower our cost as consumers within the state and give us a better return on what we ship out of state thus boosting the states economy. I am also pushing the hemp market (which is legal in MT). With putting just 1% of our agricultural lands under hemp we would boost the state economy well over $100 million dollars a year off just raw material and oil alone. Finished goods from this product would grow the economy many times over. It would also enrich our soil for other crops on a rotating basis, help purify the air better and clean up surface water which seaps into our water table. It is pest resistant and can be grown chemical free, thus being even better for our environment and creating a better profit margin than traditional crops with less cost to the farmer and less impact on the environment. I also promote better harvesting of our natural resources. This is one area Montana is in a prime spot to capitalize on. Better management of our wooded areas would boost our timber businesses, clean up large areas of bad lands, and cut our expenses on battling wild fires. This act alone would also help with air and water quality, and less medical bills to Montanans as a result of smoke issues related to wild fires. Insurance cost would come down as property would not be as threatened. All these things would free up money resources for Montana citizens which they would by human nature spend elsewhere on goods and services which would actually increase our economy vs draining it of funds or costing the state hough sums of money to combat. One area the state could help in a direct manner to boost the economy which does happen to be the responsibility of the state is with our infrastructure. Better flow of goods and services from a sound and sufficient infrastructure, (roads, power, water, communication), increases our ability to do business and have lower cost means of getting goods from production spots to market. There are areas within our current agricultural industry that we need to expand in which would also pick up our economy. The layout I have given here would grow the Montana economy and create good paying jobs across the state, virtually eliminating unemployment issues for our citizens.

Job Killers

01/09/2012 12:36:00

Most people across our state and country would agree that job creation and availability is very important to our individual lives, families, communities and overall health of our state and national economy. We have many things which are standing in the way of job creation and our individual financial security. In this case all too many key into the for or against big business aspect. Yes, many of the job killing things are related to big business. This part of the issue can take volumes to cover and will be addressed in future postings. In this one I would like to key in more on the smaller level. The mom and pop outfits or simply an individual trying to get started making a few extra dollars to help offset things at the time and hope it grows into a more permanent business they can depend on for life and pass down to later generations.

When more and more regulations and specialty license are set in place it drives people away from starting even the smallest of business. Many of these so call public safety or health issue regulations are nothing more than big business promotion schemes. When raising a hand full of chickens and maybe sell a few of them or a few dozen eggs, Having a bake sale requires fees and/or nutrition labels and on and on without falling under the long arm of the county/state/federal government control we have a major problem. I can understand a neighborhood getting together and organizing (according to their wishes) some sort of covenants to keep from having a loud "dirt bike" race track right next to their homes or gas pumps in the center of their homes, but when counties or towns set up zoning laws which won't let you operate a small business from you own garage they have passed the point of reality.

To give an example of some of the mess. Take someone who is good with working on their guns. If that person tries to open a small business to work on others, there are miles of red tape, licenses and fees just to be able to touch your weapon, no less to screw on a simple sight that may need replaced. What about the local handy man that you simply want to replace a piece of glass that broke in your window. That person has to go though bonding and lord knows what to be operating in a legal capacity. Worse yet, try and bake cookies and sell them without being in a "zoned" area, health checks, licenses, nutrition labels as the like. Don't dare cut a dead tree and think you will use it to produce some sort of furniture. This people is STUPID AS IT GETS.

If we want our economy to grow, people to be able to survive and prosper, we must end this insane ritual of government knows best. We must end the ignorant rules, regulations, fees and so forth which hinder or halt the individual from trying to better them self. The large business protection rules have to end. Even in the name of "public health" with dumb labels and "health facts" there is a limit. When someone buys a cookie or cake, we know we are purchasing junk food. We do not need a dumb liable to inform us of that or the details these labels contain. If an issue like that is important to someone there is a simple solution. Don't by the product that does not contain these economic kill switches. But do not overstep your bounds and deny others to be able to do so or to make a little money from selling products without them.

That is how an economy grows, not by seeing how many big corporate franchises one can import into a community to drain the money out and send all the cash elsewhere.

Standing up for the State

01/07/2012 16:22:00

Montana needs a Governor who will not pick and choose what they stand up to the feds over. That is not a choice the Governor of a state has. The office requires (if the Governor) does their job to stand up for that states constitution, laws and it's people. The federal government by letter of the law only has control over things on the state level where the state has given that right to them to do so. If the state is not involved in activity which would be a direct threat to national security the feds loose hands down over what a state does. Nor does the federal government have the right to hand mandates down to the states that the feds them self are not going to pay for. As Governor I would stand in favor of the state on all levels where our states rights are concerned without the pick and choose method of what and when I do it. My first priority is the great state of Montana and her people.

Bison Management

01/05/2012 12:47:00

There there are times when our present Governor has nit-picked where and what on he would stand up to the federal government. Some of his stands were about lame at best. Bison management being one of them. I understand the concern of ranchers not wanting to see a spread of disease to cattle herds, and the concern of some over property damage. Fact is to avoid possible property damage would constitute elimination of a species which is not acceptable. This is a situation which could be handled in a reasonable manner for all concerned without the game playing and pitting segments of the population against each other for personal or political gain.

Although personally not a big fan of Ted Turner, I would have to take a look at this man when it comes to Bison Control. Mr Turner has quite a large herd of Bison, yet very little if anything is ever heard about possible problems with his herd where disease or control are issues. My recommendation and something I WOULD DO as Governor of Montana is closely look into what Mr Turner does in order to keep his bison herd contained without problems and in keeping disease from spreading then copy his efforts on the state level. It only makes sense to do so and is a simple way to get a handle on things. Sometimes it is better to follow another persons lead in things. After all that is how franchises function. Someone has a line of products in which certain standards are set as for production, distribution and pricing. A person buys a franchise to run in the same manner because they have been proved to work. There is no difference here. To not look into this possibility where bison management is concerned is nothing short of STUPID, and divisive for the sake of playing games. If Mr Turners methods work and we follow them it settles the issue for everyone on both sides of the argument. We have helped in continued existence and growth of a species, and controlled the spread of disease as well, protecting our cattle herds and the beef industry.

Health Care Problems

01/02/2012 17:56:00

Modern American Medicine has a few issues which need to be addressed if we are to actually have health care that works and available to the masses without raping the public financially. First I will deal with the concept of our system and the downfall of the health of most Americans. Then I will get into the cost aspect.

In the first place our current method is modern medicine (that is almost an oxymoron), it is not as most people claim traditional neither in practice nor medicating. Before the bright idea of trying to chemically and artificially copy natural plants which most meds were created from we did not have most of the issues we have today. The creation of these artificial meds which the human body was not designed to accept began the downward spiral of our physical systems. We use the meds, our bodies break down creating new ailments causing phama companies to create more new meds which cause more problems at younger and younger ages. Thus creating a vicious cycle of decay and dependency. Add to this the food additives and artificial aspects of that industry and the situation is even worse.

Of course I could go on for some time about this but what I really want to get into now is the cost. According to the American Medical Association(which is also upset with how doctors do and the path taken in recent years) 6 out of 10 test ordered by doctors are totally uncalled for. Most of these have nothing to do with helping the patient. They serve two aspects, 1) it's their way to try and avert law suits for not doing enough, 2) More money for clinics and hospitals. Most of these test are drastically overpriced. Next in the money game is pharma drugs which have even a higher mark up than the jewelry industry(which can range from 300 - 3000%). Which hurts the patient even worse when the doctor would rather hand out little pieces of paper for meds instead of working to get our diet, exercise routine balanced. Yes people most every ailment can be turned around with these two aspects. Next thing we have which I would really like to see changed is most city policies towards hospitals and clinics. Many cities have ordinances which require proof of need (anti-competition clauses) before a second or third hospital/clinic may be built. The medical establishment is no different from any other business when we remove the competition aspect from it. The sky becomes the limit for them when it comes to what we are charged. Hospitals/clinics claim they have to charge what they do in order to stay in business, yet they can afford to give share holders massive payoffs and build multi-million dollar shrines which would put most 5 star Hotels and resorts to shame. Anyone who doubts this aspect really has not paid attention to the facilities which are being built.

Many leaders try to convince us that the problem is lack of insurance only. No that is not the problem in and of itself. Truth of the matter is that lack insurance at reasonable cost is a direct fall out from over charging from the medical world and the state of perpetual illness from a young age caused by our food and drug industries. At one time we could pay smaller premiums for insurance as young adults and if reasonably healthy the cost were even lower because there was less chance you would need it. The insurance company would then invest these premiums in order to grow the value of your investment. At some time in the future when you needed to use it, between your premiums and their investments the money was earned and available to cover your cost. Now days that is not the case. People these days are so heavily Dependant on the medical system and pharmas and at younger ages that insurance companies have trouble paying off the claims being filed. With trying to keep pace with usage they also are horrid about averaging out cost across the board whether you use it or not. This drives premiums up for everyone regardless. With medical cost constantly going up insurance has no where else to go but up. Think about things in a little different light here for a second. If a person is taking 6 medications everyday and these meds were costing $150 each (that's $900) per month plus doctors visits and test, who in their right mind would want to be an insurance business and charge this person $50 - $100 a month premiums? There is no way they could pay the claims for your services and would have to shut down. To do otherwise the owners would have to be a Bill Gates type figure and issue our insurance as charity. By the way I'm not against charities. I hope that all who read this can see the pit we have entered. We must get cost down for medical practices, procedures and meds down where they should be. We must open up our communities to a competition based health care system and reign in the big pharma/government bed partner nightmare. Encourage healthier lifestyles and insist that the poisons being labeled as food be done away with. Refuse to think that person in the white lab coat is a god and insist that they actually do something to cure vs handing out meds freely just to cover up symptoms. These things will make health care and the insurance to cover it more affordable to all. Another thing is too not be afraid to pursue other means of medicine which are the true traditional methods that many call alternatives now.

O MY Bama, We actually agree on something.

12/20/2011 16:29:00

Just another few comment about the proposed pipeline fairy tail. I don't agree with Obama on many things, yet on this issue I would be inclined too at least in part. He, as I, do have great concerns about the Ogallala aquifer which the line is set to run threw. We also have in common the understanding that the Republicans will try and pound anyone against the project as being anti jobs with their claims of 1000's of jobs being created. Their claims to this is not totally true. With most projects like this, there is actually very few new jobs created. Then in most cases the ones that are happen to be basic construction grunt work. There may be a few extra welders but that is questionable and maybe extra truckers hired to move the parts. This would most likely be the extent of it. If figures to refute this were presented I would be more than glad to acknowledge them and correct the view on the jobs issue. This is most likely one of those issues which many of us will end up repeating ourself one countless times over the coming months, so please bear with us. Once again there is just no need at all to make a move of this kind when simple extensions at the lower end of the existing pipeline to get to the desired target can be done without all the waste and destruction which is planned in order to replace an existing structure. We as a society in general have grown to the point where replacing instead of repair and improvements is the preferred means of doing anything.