WHY PUT AWAY THE 'VETO' BRANDING IRON?

Dear Gov. Schweitzer,

I have agreed with your position on many issues. I loved your standing
for reason with your VETO branding iron. Why have you put that
branding iron away?

I am not a user of medical marijuana. But I was proud of Montanans
when they voted to approve this natural pain reliever while giving a
nod to the free enterprise system and allow a new industry to bud in
our state. It provided safe pain relief to many citizens and put
hundreds of Montanans to work.

There have been abuses within this industry. But we have not been in
the habit of shutting down other industries when abuses are
recognized. The sane approach is to address and correct abuses. The
bill passed by this Legislature, killing a valuable growing new
industry in a state in need of employment, is not sane. Heat up that
branding iron. Give a more rational future Legislature the chance to
do what is right.

And how incongruous seems this decision while allowing a big
energy-backed eminent domain measure to become law. Why is big energy
given the upper-hand over landowners who have valued and protected
their farms and ranches? I don't believe that thousands of Montana
jobs will be lost and that the Montana Alberta Tie Line will be
scuttled if this measure is not allowed to become law. When has a big
business-backed power project ever been killed by a few people living
off their land?

Big Power ultimately always gets its flow. And pinning the need of
transmission lines on the new wind energy industry is not forthright.
Those lines are really more to serve the international coal industry,
not to create jobs for Montanans.

You need to stick that iron back in the coals, buddy, and veto those
bills.

Chris Nixon

Bozeman