Instead of giving us a hypothetical letter, why not
call the presidential candidates and ask them where they stand on
Western issues, and then tell us (HCN,
1/21/08)? You could have played an important role in
informing us about where the candidates stand on the issues.
I believe the most important challenge in the West is
water management, not energy development. Another important issue
is the heavy hand of Congress and government on the West, and how
we remove it. Other issues at least as important as energy are
roadless areas; wilderness; Endangered Species Act revision;
public-land access and management philosophy (stand-and-stare vs.
active management); private property rights vs. preservation of
open space; wolf and grizzly bear delisting; and what should be
done to protect the integrity of Western values.
Unfortunately, Super Tuesday will come and go before another issue
of HCN, and we will have to vote based on our
own limited knowledge of where the candidates stand on the issues.
Jim Gerber
St. Anthony, Idaho
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Hello, Clinton? Hello, McCain?.
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