Is greater dependence or independence best for our community?

Editor:

I would like to thank Bruce Patera for taking the time to write his June 21 letter to the editor. His comments on the Vibrant Futures Consortium, however, were confusing. The motion did pass. Will Mr. Patera only be happy if the members of the Havre City Council are in lock-step agreement with his opinion?

Thankfully, our representative form of government allows for debate and dissent.

The 20-year anniversary of United Nations Agenda 21 is being celebrated right now in Rio de Janeiro as simply "Rio+20." In August 1992, Rep. Nancy Pelosi introduced a House Resolution dictating that the United States of America develop a national strategy to implement Agenda 21. In June 1993, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order which created the President's Council on Sustainable Development to carry out Pelosi's House resolution. It never went through the entire legislative process. It has been implemented in stealth-like manner over the last 20 years.

Great Falls is encountering Agenda 21 with its recent debate over whether or not to accept the "Complete Streets" program. Missoula, Bozeman and Helena are the only cities in Montana that have joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. The slogan on the ICLEI website is "Local Governments for sustainability." Based on the language contained in the packet, which was given to the Havre City Council members, I believe that Vibrant Futures is part of this "sustainability and planning" scheme.

Rosa Koire is a forensic commercial real estate appraiser. Her career as an expert witness on land use has culminated in exposing the impacts of sustainable development on private property rights and individual liberty. She is also a lifelong Democrat activist. Her book "Behind the Green Mask" and her politics prove that UN Agenda 21 is not a traditional left-right argument. Freedomadvocates.org is another good place to start your own research; it is well worth your time.

It was also suggested that I put ideology over the community. This is puzzling, since greater and greater reliance on the federal government is an ideology antithetical to the very foundation of our form of government. Also, the federal government is broke, how sustainable is it to rely on them for money? The agenda that has starved our state of financial resources is that of extreme environmentalism. Our elected officials have voted to close down federal lands to energy resource extraction and our forests to common sense forestry management (which has made the current forest fires much worse).

According to Mr. Patera, Montana has increased the federal tax dollars that it gets back from Washington from $1.47 to $1.92 for every $1 that it sends. This should not be a source of pride; people don't prosper on handouts. Our country was founded on the concept of independence not dependence. Moving back in that direction is what I believe to be best for both our community and our country.

Rick Dow

Havre

(Rick Dow represents Ward 3 on the Havre City Council.)