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By Moe Wosepka, Executive Director
Montana Catholic Conference
The elections are over and the speculation
has begun anew. Before the election
we considered how much different
Congress, the U.S. Senate and our
Montana House and Senate would look.
Now we know. The people are considering
what to expect from Congress and the U.S.
Senate, and what we can expect to happen
in Montana’s 2011 legislative session in
Helena. Let’s share a few thoughts on how
the election results will
affect our efforts in Montana.
The number of
Republicans and Democrats
in the Montana Legislature
has changed dramatically. In
the past several legislative
sessions, the party split has
been very close. In the 2009
session we had an equal split
in the House, 50
Republicans and 50
Democrats. The split in
Senate was close, also, with
27 Republicans and 23
Democrats. For the 2011
session, the House will
have 68 Republicans
and 32 Democrats. The
Senate hasn’t changed
much, with 27
Republicans and 22
Democrats. One race
remains undecided.
What does that
mean for issues that the
Montana Catholic
Conference will work
on? It may have a
major effect on some
issues, and not much at
all on others.
MCC staff will work on some of the
same issues we face every session. There
will be several beginning-life bills that we
will join with other organizations to support.
Those bills should do well.
We continue to work on a bill to abolish
the death penalty and replace it with
life in prison without the possibility of
parole. That bill may be more difficult in
the current climate, although we are working
with the expectation that we can place
the bill on the governor’s desk for his signature
before the end of the session.
We will work to ban assisted suicide in
Montana. The proposal to legalize it is
being promoted as a choice for those suffering
at the end of life. Actually, it would
take the choice away from the individual
and give it to the insurance companies or
government agencies because the cheapest
solution is to provide a prescription that
causes death, rather than providing treatment
that sustains life.
Another concern
statewide, as well as nationally,
is the economy. How
can we balance our need to
create jobs and maintain
families along with schools,
social programs and institutions?
I recently read the following in a press release
from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Over 14 million people still lack gainful employment.
- 39 million Americans live in poverty.
- 12.9 million children — more than 20 percent of all the children in the United States — live in poverty.
- Over 3 million homes of U.S. families have been foreclosed, and over 50 percent of Americans worry about ability to pay rent or cover a mortgage payment next month.
It will be a difficult balance, and many
difficult decisions must be made. We must
treat every life with dignity, including
those who suffer from lack of medical
treatment, lack of jobs or just basic needs.
Please keep the issues and the legislators
in your prayers. Their job will not be easy.
Moe Wosepka is executive director of
the Montana Catholic Conference. He may
be reached by phone at 406-442-5761 or
by e-mail to director@montanacc.org.
Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 11, November 19, 2010.
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