A Better Way of Doing Things

For those of you who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Mike Hopkins, the Republican candidate running for House District 92.

We have come to expect that the Federal Government does not do its job. When it comes to State Government, we expect the opposite. We expect our State Legislature to get things done, to work together to tackle serious problems affecting us as citizens.

Unfortunately, it seems like our state government has lost touch. Instead of creating an environment where small business can grow, the legislature has created one where small businesses are forced to jump through a seemingly never ending set of hoops and red tape, often having to close their doors due to the cost of complying with the ever growing list of burdensome regulations placed on them.

Living in Missoula County, we all have experienced the leadership of the Missoula County Democrats, which controls government at the city and county level. We have all experienced the seemingly never ending tax increases, fee increases and the continuing growth of ridiculous regulations on both private citizens and local businesses.

I think there is a better way to do things. I want a State Government that goes out of its way to provide us with more opportunity, not less. A government that treats our tax dollars with the respect that they deserve, remembering that every dollar spent by government is a dollar not being spent by the taxpayer that actually earned it.

During the last Legislative Session, I worked on bipartisan legislation to protect our outdoors, increase teacher take home pay, invest in education and vital infrastructure across the state, keep fees low across the board and stood up for timber and energy jobs here in Montana.

Out of the seven primary bills that I focused on, we got six of them passed. The seventh bill which dealt with infrastructure, failed to pass by a single vote.

If elected, I plan to focus first on writing and passing a responsible infrastructure package so that we can deliver needed assistance to rural Montana communities.

I will work to pass a bill giving our service men and women in-state tuition status for the purposes of additional education and job training, protect Montana jobs in the timber and energy industries and write a responsible budget that puts Montana on a path of opportunity and job creation.

If you feel like your taxes are not high enough, if you feel like government should regulate more of your life and your personal choices, like there should be more fees and more red tape, the Democratic Party is going to be your best bet.

If you believe that you should keep more of the money you earn, that regulations and fees on businesses and private citizens have gotten out of control, I humbly ask that you consider casting your vote for Republicans who want to address and solve these problems.