Letters to the editor

Minimum wage

Conrad, tell me it is not true that you make over $160,000 a year and you will vote against the minimum wage.

Yogi Berra said it best -- "It is amazing what you can see when you are looking." And I have been looking through the layers of the articles in the paper, and it all comes down to oil. In the IR on Sept. 30, it said that there will be a vote for more money to go to outer continental shelf oil and gas rigs. Give me a break. I still remember $3 oil/gallon gas and Exxon making millions or billions profit.

$506 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan spent since 9/11. I guess you haven't noticed that there are homeless people here in the Treasure State and many of them are vets.

To you, who are the people of Montana? those that make over $150,000 a year, those that make over $50,000 a year, or those that try to live on minimum wage or less?

I am 75 years old, a Korean veteran, 1950-1954, honorably discharged; over 2,500 killed in Iraq, and over 20,000 injured; what price do we have to pay? Could you or one of your representatives tell me where I am wrong with all of this?

Jerry Densel

Lincoln

Taylor's deregulation

Taylor sponsored deregulation in 1997. This gave us our high and still increasing prices for gas and electricity. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see this would happen. Taylor now claims he voted against his own bill -- which he did, But like other unprincipled legislators, he took advantage of a legislative procedure to vote both ways. His first vote was for deregulation. But there is a second vote. Taylor knew there were plenty of votes to pass his bill, so on the second vote he voted against it.

It was a sneak vote. He did not announce his change or urge others to do likewise. He is still the author of our deregulation bill and the high prices. We do not need an unprincipled legislator on the PSC. We need Ken Toole, who knows utility law and issues and will do an honest job of representing the public interest.

Neil Haight

500 Geddis