Initiatives were pushed by out-of-staters

To the Editor:

Recently I received a letter from the "campaign coordinator" concerning propositions CI-97-98 and I-154. I have no doubt that these issues are important to Montanans. However, it is my understanding that most of the financing and signature gathering was done by out-of-state people - over $600,000 just to hire out-of-state people to gather signatures. What it cost to drag his Ohio pig out here and repaint it I don't know.

I'm a Montanan. If a New York multimillionaire who gets more of a tax break each year than I made as an owner-operator for the five years I was in business came into my home and tried to tell me how to run my affairs, I'd grab him by the ear, drag him behind the woodshed, and give him a good old Montana hair, teeth and eye gouging butt kicking.

I can only assume this millionaire's motives are that if Montana spends less money on social programs, he will get bigger tax cuts from "King George" and his cronies in the House of Representatives.

Montanans want to make their own decisions. Maybe we like to take some time to study these issues before making our minds up.

We might find out for example that other states that have passed propositions like CI-97 for example have had to rescind it because it seriously impeded the state's ability to maintain some of its social programs, some mandated by the federal government.

The reason the judge pulled these off the ballot is because there were too many complaints of fraudulent representation by out-of-state signature gatherers. All I can say to Mr. Butcher is if you want to be the lackey of New York millionaires, go to New York and do your campaigning in the Bronx or Harlem.

Harry Turnland