Memo to Mr. Trump from Idaho neighbor
IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR FEARS OF A RIGGED ELECTION DIDN’T PAN OUT. You won.
Lots of people from both parties thought you didn’t really want this job, that you were running on pure vanity or to mock the system. None of that matters now, of course. Your strategy worked.
Like half the country I supported your opponent, but I accept your victory amidst the mixture of crowing and hand-wringing that fills the airwaves and social media these days, noise that will fade soon enough, as the real work of running this country begins.
My voice is one from the hinterland, but maybe you’ll listen to some of us in flyover country. The Cubs won the World Series, so anything can happen, right?
We Montanans treasure our public lands. They fuel our economy and provide solace and clean water and breathing room. I hope you will stick to the promise you made in January, that privatization of federal land in the West won’t happen on your watch. Please, appoint wise people to run the departments of Interior and Agriculture. They affect our daily lives here. We’re not just voting blocks, abstractions.
We have lots of arguments about wildfires and logging and road closures, and they’re important, but we can’t even have the discussion if the lands go private. So let’s make sure public voices can be heard on issues that affect our water and our air. our wildlife and our wallets.
And keep in mind that Montana gets about $1.50 for every tax dollar we send to D.C. It funds our roads, pays wages, supports our seniors and finances schools. Lots of people don’t like to acknowledge it but one can argue that federal spending constitutes the biggest industry in our state, and almost everybody gets a chunk of it. So be careful about how you squeeze the budget.
You’ve been pretty vague about how you will replace Obamacare, which needs some serious work. Middle-class, self-employed, reasonably healthy people (like myself) have taken it in the shorts under this plan. But millions with bad diseases or injuries have benefited. Montana isn’t a wealthy state. Keep us in mind. Find a system that works better. Some of your ideas made sense, like forcing the pharmaceutical industry to the bargaining table.
Don’t waste time prosecuting Hillary Clinton or suing all those women who accused you of giving them a “Trump handshake.” Be gracious in victory.
Lots of people say you’re a racist. I don’t know you and won’t take a position. But many — by no means all — of your supporters are openly racist and it seems you embraced and invigorated them to get their votes. We’re pretty white in Montana, but we’ve got a lot of Indians in the state. They were here a long time before we were, they suffered a lot of raw deals, and they deserve respect.
And lay off gay people. Many of your supporters believe they are sinful. But I say that’s between gay folks and their god. They’ve got enough on their plate and don’t need the government piling on, too.
•••
Scott McMillion is editor of Montana Quarterly. His journalism and essays appear in magazines around the country and an updated edition of his award-winning book, Mark of the Grizzly (Lyons Press), came out in 2011. He lives in Livingston with his wife, Jennifer.