By Ron VandenBoom
Dennis Rehberg, Republican candidate for Congress, will attend a no-host campaign breakfast in Havre on Friday, April 21, at the Iron Horse Restaurant.
Rehberg is running against Democratic candidate Nancy Keenan for Montana's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The seat will be vacated by the current Montana representative Rick Hill, who is retiring at the end of his term for health reasons.
A rancher from the Billings area, Rehberg is running a campaign based on family values.
He has proposed that if elected he will introduce legislation that would protect teachers, principals, and school board members from meritless lawsuits that result from efforts to maintain discipline.
"Teachers simply must be given the ability to remove violent or disruptive children from the classroom," he told Republicans at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Havre.
He has attributed the decline in the effectiveness of education to a non-educational school curriculum that concentrates too much time, money, and energy on subjects that should be taught at home or in churches.
"Schools should not be the primary teachers of social values," he told the crowd in February.
"The bottom line is that schools can't do it alone," he said. "Schools cannot raise America's children."
He has also promised to introduce legislation to guarantee that 95 percent of the money appropriated for Montana schools by Washington will find its way back to the classroom.
He has emphasized what he calls "common sense values and common sense principles."
Rehberg will be available to answer questions about his views on the issues during the breakfast. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
