Valley Views

An evolution in community

There’s a changing sentiment going around as young people dream about their futures: buying homes with friends, sharing a cul-de-sac with loved ones, getting apartments in the same building. Ask a young person and they will likely share an idea in a similar vein. A dream of being within walking distance to those they care about, of having loved ones close by. An aspiration for community.

While being able to connect through screens is certainly a modern marvel – I can’t imagine having to live through an extended quarantine without being able to see the faces of my loved ones through zoom or hear their voices over the phone – it turns out it doesn’t deliver the entirety of what we need. It’s missing something.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the human mind, but psychologists have said that only about 40% of the way we communicate is vocal. There are elements to our interactions that run much deeper, that we can’t consciously perceive.

It sounds a little out there, but it makes sense when you think about the way this connection shows up between people who are close. An old friend you haven’t talked to in a long time giving you a call the same day you thought of them. Accidentally dressing the same as someone you see every day, or saying the same thing at the same time as someone you’re close to. These small evidences are something I think a lot of us have experienced, but maybe haven’t given much thought to. It shows there’s a thread that’s shared between humans, but it doesn’t seem to be able to breach the digital divide.

That’s not to say there’s nothing to be gained from virtual companionship. It’s most certainly better than nothing and can do wonders to keep feelings of isolation at bay. However, there are limits as to what can be shared in a two-dimensional space, and it doesn’t achieve the entirety of what we long for as social animals.

So, what does that mean for generations that have grown up with so many virtual connections?

Adaptation.

Young generations may not have had access to community in the same way as older generations, but deep down they seem to know that connection is missing, and they’re actively taking strides to obtain it. Instead of doing what’s traditionally expected, establishing single-family homes and living alone, statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show they’re co-buying houses with friends, they’re opting in to multigenerational homes. They’re making those dreams of community happen.

None of this exists in a vacuum, of course. A lack of available starter homes and problematic inflation, the pandemic forcing people to reevaluate their priorities and navigate changing times, it’s all contributed greatly to this movement. There are restrictions now that prevent people from striking off entirely on their own.

But when there is the luxury of choice, more and more people are choosing to coexist with the people they value rather than going it alone. They are deciding to create communities and keep their loved ones close.

No matter how times we live in change, we’re still the same social creatures we’ve always been. When life forces us apart, we’ll always find a way to reestablish connection. Society will always course correct toward togetherness.

A Taylor’d Approach Taylor Davison Editor, Valley Journal

We need more housing

Montana has been discovered. We were the second-fastest-growing state in the country last year. Our rapidly increasing population presents many challenges and opportunities, and it’s also driving a lot of unease among many of us who’ve lived here for a long time.

Whether you love it or hate it, that growth looks like it’s going to keep happening for a while. We need to deal with that reality and reform many policies very quickly to respond to it, especially when it comes to housing.

Buying or renting a place to live is becoming more expensive and more difficult with each passing month. Even rural parts of the state that didn’t experience explosive growth like Bozeman and the Flathead over the past decade are now feeling its impacts in their communities. Over the past year, median home prices increased more than 20% in Missoula, more than 40% in Whitefish, more than 10% in Butte and more than 25% in Bozeman. Homelessness in Montana increased by 16% in 2021.

Housing will not get more affordable or more accessible until the root cause of the problem is addressed: supply. Between 2010 and 2020, Montana’s population grew by 10%, but our state only added 7% more housing units during that same timespan. In 2021, our population most likely grew at an even faster pace. Many areas in Montana need hundreds if not thousands of more homes. It is impossible for anyone or any entity to put a dent in Montana’s housing crisis without building more places for people to live.

Legislative Notes Sen. Greg Hertz, SD 6

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Threats to democracy threatens conservation

This is the year Montanans celebrate the 50th anniversary of our nation’s first citizen-initiated wilderness, the Scapegoat, and our first new constitution since 1889 statehood that guarantees each of us the right to a clean and healthful environment, a safeguard not explicitly provided for in the United States Constitution. Neither of these achievements would be possible today where toxic partisan polarization has replaced civility and cooperation for the great-er common good.

How did we get to this point and does anyone care? We’re not here to play the blame game but we absolutely must get back to the idea that facts and the truth matter. Democracy dies in lies, and it dies when people are unaware or don’t care. So, is our cherished American democracy in danger of dying? The short answer is yes, but salvation is still possible so long as we heed the flashing red lights. The direst flashing light against democracy took place last year on January 6 when the defeated President (former guy) sent an angry mob to the capitol to “stop the steal.” The attack was fueled by his baseless claims of a stolen election, otherwise known as the “Big Lie.” It was the worst outbreak of US political violence in modern times. President Biden likened it to a dagger held to the throat of American democracy. Instead of this being a wakeup call the Governors of 16 Republican-led states, including Gov. Gianforte, have signed into law dozens of measures that will make it harder to exercise our most sacred of American rights, to be able to vote in fair and free elections. Never before in our history has a major party tried to turn election administration into an explicitly partisan act.

The January 6 insurrection and the false claims of election fraud that instigated it didn’t happen in a vacuum. Distrust in government has been growing ever since 9/11. The seeds of discontent and conspiracy theories found fertile ground, a result the former guy has taken full advantage of. Never mind that there is zero evidence of fraud that would have changed the election. Never mind that 60 plus frivolous lawsuits contesting the 2020 Presidential election were thrown out, many from judges appointed by the former guy. All that needs to be done is to incessantly repeat the Big Lie, then amplify it via friendly outlets and social media so as to insulate the base from the truth. The Big Lie takes on a life of its own so that Republican candidates either embrace it or face a difficult primary challenge promoted by a vindictive loser.

Herein lies the danger. Democracy relies on respecting election results, even when you don’t like the outcome. It is about accepting the equality of others and counting their votes. Democracy cannot survive if a major party isn’t willing to accept defeat. As a result of the constant drum beat echo of the Big Lie an astonishing two-thirds of Republicans do not believe Biden won. There is growing concern that another baseless challenge to

an election is now even more likely following the Big Lie. A terrifying percentage of the population actually supports violence to overthrow an election. It isn’t hyperbole to state that our democracy is on the Valley View brink. Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to be Bill Cunningham Montana Conservation Elders worried about the future of democracy, but for the opposite reason. They wrongly think the Presidential 2020 election was stolen and that Democrats will do it again. Often driven by conspiracy theories they are the most motivated voters in America today. In contrast many other voters, especially Democrats, seem indifferent. The claim that the former guy won is a Big Lie not just because it demands belief in a conspiracy, but also because it

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housing

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Many Montanans have a built-in resistance to more development. We value the open space, scenic views, and the natural beauty of the Last Best Place. But the migration to Montana is not stopping anytime soon. Without more housing supply, prices will only continue to increase as people with the money to afford those prices move here. High-income individuals will squeeze out the middle class. The upper middle class will buy what homes remain, and the lower middle class, working class, and low-income folks will struggle to find any place to live within their means. Most locals and long-time Montanans don’t have the financial resources to compete with this inferno of a housing market, meaning many of those who’ve been here the longest will be priced out.

The one and only way living in Big Sky Country can be affordable for average Montanans going forward is if we build more housing. That necessary development does not have to ruin the character of our beautiful state, especially if local governments get outdated and needless regulations out of the way.

The biggest barriers to building more housing are restrictive zoning regulations. Some local governments are starting to wake up to this fact, but they all need to move faster and more aggressively. We need to build more housing units on a single lot such as duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

At the Legislature, we hear about Montana’s housing crisis every day. We’re listening, and we’re watching what is happening at the local level throughout the state. This is one of the biggest issues facing our state, and the solutions need to be implemented.

Legislators are working with local government representatives and other stakeholders; however, immediate changes must start at the local level now. (Editor’s note: Greg Hertz is a Republican State Senator from Polson. This column was originally published as part of the Frontier Institute’s “Legislative Viewpoint” series.)

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reverses the basic structure of American history. To tell the Big Lie is to be owned by it because it demands allegiance to the Liar in Chief. If you sell your soul, what are you getting in return? A shocking number of Republican lawmakers, including Rep Rosendale, voted for the lie that forced them to flee the chambers on January 6.

If there is a bridge across the huge ideological divide in America it is a common quest for freedom, an often heard battle cry for Republicans. But how can they reconcile their desire for freedom with their support for an autocrat who defies the checks and balances set up by the framers of the Constitution? A sore loser seeking to retain power by means of a violent assault against our nation’s capitol?

Indeed, this is a battle to prevent an authoritarian theft of our freedom. Our freedom to hunt, fish and wander on public land, or to even have public land. Our freedom to be free of violence from anti-democratic extremists. Our freedom to vote.

Impairing democracy is key to the former guy and his enablers’ ability to seize power. Once in power they won’t focus on the real problems we all face: Covid, inflation, the climate crisis. Instead, culture wars will be used to create fear, division and chaos with threats to shut down the government and default on the national debt. How will this help any of us?

As folks with a long history of conservation in Montana we’re nostalgic for the good old days when bipartisanship in good faith produced good policy. We can and must get there again. But only if both major parties believe in democracy and the rule of law. One approach, radical as it may seem, is to tell the truth. And to tell it over and over again, using the same repetitive tactics of the extremists who create a fictional self-serving reality.

Montana Conservation Elders is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization with a particular empha-sis on sharing Montana’s rich conservation legacy with Montana students. vj

Props to MME

Editor,

My nephew has been a client of Mission Mountain Enterprises since 2008. Over the years, our family has attended many MME events. Each and every time I have been impressed by the quality of staff that work for MME.

Friday, Feb. 11, my nephew invited me to attend the Valentines party at RAC (Ronan Activity Center). When I entered RAC, I was immediately approached by a staff member asking me how they could help me and I replied my nephew had invited me to the party. When my nephew arrived, I met him in the kitchen. He immediately introduced me to some of his friends and the staff. While they were preparing lunch, I had a chance to see the staff in action. While there are more clients than staff, it was obvious to me how intertwined staff are and how supportive they are of each other. An example is when a female client needed assistance for something other than getting across the room a male staff member would ask a female staff member to help and they would freely assist or take over. They say it takes a village to raise a child, in this case the village is a limited number of eager, respectful, supportive, attentive, and committed individuals who make up the staff of Mission Mountain Enterprises.

They are unsung heroes who work with every realm of persons with every type of disability. I was new prouder than to see my nephew is in the hands of these talented and very capable individuals.

Doug Fry Polson

Censorship in speech

Editor,

We have long been liberal democrats, and we applaud Senators Manzella and Daines for speaking out against vaccine mandates and for freedom of speech. The highly effective mandate and vaccine marketing campaign promulgated in mainstream media seems to benefit not the health or welfare of the general public, but pharmaceutical companies. The “free press” isn’t so free anymore, eroding trust in the news specifically, and government in general.

In this freedom of speech country of ours, we have had an expectation of diversity of opinion in media. Instead, today, out of fear of reprisal, those who would speak up on an issue opt to remain silent. And those who do find their words censored. Many of our friends, liberal to conservative, including health professionals, tell us they’re in this exact situation. And in Canada, protesting truckers are threatened with frozen bank accounts.

We challenge the media to have enough respect for their readership to offer unbiased reporting on more than one side of an issue which information readers can then use to come to their own decision.

Judy Preston Anais Starr Ronan

Give some credit

Editor,

Among the many Republican talking points on offer is the notion that Democrats have not accomplished anything important since Joe Biden became president - and certainly nothing that benefits Montanans.

Let us take a look at that. Are we better off than we were in 2020? In fact, we are SO much better off that the information cannot be put into one letter to the editor - but let’s start with jobs and children.

When Biden entered office, unemployment was 6.8 percent, the economy was shrinking, and job growth was weak. The American Rescue Plan averted a financial crisis through emergency stimulus checks, rent relief, help for small businesses, and other support. It funded the reopening of schools and provided assistance to state and local governments. Montana also used American Rescue Funds to incentivize returning to work, and now has the seventh lowest unemployment rate at 3.5%

One of the most effective and popular provisions was a monthly tax credit for families with children. Nationally, this helped 61 million children. Child hunger was cut by 25%. In Montana, more than 100,000 families have received these payments (which unfortunately expired in December).

Christina Stoddard, economist at Montana State University, has given these figures meaning: “Kids whose families have more support when they’re young… we see those kids earn significantly more as adults. And so they’re better off, and their family’s future is better off so it’s this kind of multi-generational benefit… Children whose parents are receiving these kinds of programs benefit. Those babies are born healthier, the children in those families have fewer health conditions.”

Let us give credit to an administration that hit the ground running, and got a lot of important work done, despite widespread resistance. All of us benefit, because we are all in this together.

Gail Trenfield St. Ignatius