They Wont Be Able to Live Here Anyway

I’m waiting for one of the political candidates running for office in Montana to bring up an issue that actually affects me.

While the mess on the southern border continues unabated, we have no crush of immigrants where I live.

I read and hear about male athletes crossing the line to play women’s sports, but that’s hardly a concern here.

My freedoms are not being infringed upon. I can legally pack a gun, buy weed, and gamble, although I’m not sure those were freedoms that concerned our founding fathers.

Education and affordable housing, on the other hand, are front and center among my concerns. Teacher salaries in Montana are shamefully low. As a result, many school districts across the state – including Malta’s – are moving to a four-day school week in order to attract teachers. We can’t pay them much but they can work less here.

And everyone knows the less time kids spend in the classroom the more they learn.

Or not.

It really doesn’t matter. They won’t be able to afford to live here anyway.

I recently saw an ad for a small home in Livingston for a mere quarter of a million dollars. It did need a bit of work. Stripped to the studs, it had no kitchen, bathroom or interior walls. It’s what they call a fixer-upper. In Bozeman or Missoula that home would be a steal.

Most of the fine folks running for office, however, have bigger fish to fry: transsexuals, terrorists, and election integrity come to mind.

It’s almost as if the candidates are simply parroting party talking points and ignoring real issues at home.

The last, best place has simply become the last place for teachers and prospective home-buyers. Mississippi is a better option. That’s embarrassing.

But let it be known that in Montana we’re hell on trannys, terrorists, and crooked elections.

And we like guns. Half of the candidates are pictured in campaign photos with AR-15s or other assorted military weapons, promising to fight China or Iran to protect our freedom to pack guns, buy weed and gamble.

We’re a gullible bunch.

The way our schools are headed we’re only going to get worse.

Moving to Mississippi may be our only option.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]