Letter to the Editor

I am writing one letter in response to the issues raised by Dave Bennett, Dave Lyman and Ernest Scherzer.

I will respond to Bennett’s letter that questioned my votes on certain DUI bills currently in the legislature. There are some bills that have negative legal implications and could possibly end up in court on Constitutional grounds. There were two bills to date that would have required mandatory breathalyzer tests which Bennett refers to. Upon listening to the Hearing testimony on these two bills it was obvious that they had serious Constitutional issues. One bill included mandatory blood testing. As one attorney (a Democrat I might add) put it, an individual could be pulled over and if suspected of DUI the officer could conceivably force the individual into his patrol car, drive an hour to a hospital, force the person inside, force them against their will to be strapped down, a needle inserted into their body and fluid withdrawn. As pointed out in the hearing, once this practice is started, where does it stop? Dave, you and I understand the magnitude of the DUI problem.  Remember that I was on the Law and Justice Interim Committee which spent a year and a half studying the DUI problem. I know which bills are forth coming that have a better way of dealing with the issue (see my next “We the People” article). I did carry a bill (SB10) to deal with young drunk drivers. That bill I supported died on second reading in the Senate.  It is well known here in Helena that I strongly support the 24/7 Sobriety Project which will do more to remove drunk drivers off the road than any other bill and not cost the taxpayer one penny.  I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution.  My votes on bills reflect that.  Your comments concerning the “Sheriff First” bill are wrong. My “impetus” for the bill is to help insure coordination between law enforcement agencies, not “stopping the killing of innocent people” although that could possibly occur. Apparently, you have not read the bill. This bill has gained support from Sheriffs from across the state.

Dave Lyman’s letter objects to my “no” vote on abolishing the death penalty.  As noted, I voted “yes” on the bill in committee solely for the purpose of allowing all members of the Senate to weigh in on the issue. I voted “no” on the same bill last session, that is what I would call “consistency” which Lyman asserts I lack. You commented about a quote made by me in the Missoulian?  Please give a reference.  Lyman’s letter is full of innuendos that simply do not hold water.  I received hundreds of messages from around the state commending me for the courage to do what I did on this very important issue.

Once again, Ernie Scherzer takes exception to my voting record on education in his letter. Please note there are no references for his assertions of the “facts”.  Where are the Bill numbers and titles? His comments and lack of documentation are misleading the people.  He is just giving his own paraphrases of bills he apparently fails to fully understand. I made a commitment to the taxpayers of this district that I would not vote for bills that contained a tax increase. He may be referring to HB2, the general funding bill last session which I voted, with all the Democrats, “no”. It was a tax increase and throwing more money at education is not going to solve educational problems.  I did introduce four amendments to the bill to reduce government spending by about 10%. In those amendments, I exempted the Judicial Branch, K-12 education and the Montana School for the Blind. All four of those amendments failed and if they had been passed many the financial issues we face today in spending would be almost nil.  The typical tactics of the socialist left is obscuring the facts and distorting the issues. This is spurred on by much of the media. 

I take my job seriously and I intently listen to testimony from all sides on bills that come before me. There are many times that I do not vote along partisan lines. I was sent here to not raise your taxes, grow government, or bend to whichever way the wind blows and that includes letters to the editor.

Greg Hinkle, SD7