The legislators have gone home, and the dust is beginning to settle. Hopefully they are getting some rest. Theirs is not an easy job. Pressures come from all sides. Lobbyists, constituents, fellow legislators, and party leadership are after them constantly to stand firm or change their vote. Seldom are they given credit for doing the right thing. It seems so much easier to condemn than commend.

Our legislators and other elected officials are good people who are passionate about the cause and the constituency they represent. They come to Helena with the goal of promoting those objectives, and they come face to face with those whose goals are polar opposites. "How can that be?" we ask. How can intelligent people be exact opposites on issues we are so convinced are black and white?

The answer to that question is as varied as the issue itself.

People are molded by values, life experiences, successes, failures, economic conditions, faith life, community, family, genetics, media, and on and on. The list could cover several pages. I was raised in a small town in Eastern Montana. It's an area with very few variations of employment, life style, and education. You would think the citizens there might agree on most issues, but on some they do and some they don't. Why would we expect legislators to react differently?

Nor is the frantic pace of the legislature conducive to working together, or good communication. Legislators are expected to become experts in areas that may be alien to them. They vote on bills ranging from tax law, to welfare, to prisons, to genetics testing, to carbon sequestering, to hospital bed taxes all in the same day. They may have opinions, but can they all be experts? Certainly not. Sometimes we expect too much. They can only make good decisions with good information. If they lack good information, it may be our failure not theirs.

Our freshmen Legislators are perhaps the best group of new legislators this state has seen in many years, on both sides of the isle. They are dedicated, intelligent, open to dialog, and respectful of the office and the process. They have probably been affected more by the difficulties of this past session than anyone. They put their hearts and hands into the process only to be deflated due to the breakdown of the process.

One legislator that needs your prayers and support is Representative Michael Lange. Representative Lange committed a horrible gaffe in the final days of the session. What he did we should not condone, but we should remember not to define him by one event. He is much more than that. He is a very bright individual, very committed to what he believes, and very passionate about what he does. He made a mistake, but he is a good man who has become the target for all that went wrong with this session. That, he does not deserve.

We are a people of Christ who calls us to forgiveness. It is time to stop the blame and the hurtful condemnation. Nothing positive will be accomplished by that. We first need to search our hearts for our ability to forgive, then pray that we can set aside the blame, and be ready to start anew. We all make mistakes, we all need forgiveness. It is time for us to move on, unite energies, and endeavor to find effective solutions for the good of all Montanans.

Moe Wosepka of Helena is director of the Montana Catholic Conference.