Jon Tester for U.S. Senate

Sidney Herald

By ELLEN ROBINSON

Driving his farm truck on the six-day “Real Energy, Real Change” tour, U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester, a Democrat, listened to residents’ concerns and shared his plans for the future of energy in Montana.

“Real Montanans are fed up, and it’s time to change that,” Tester said. “Record prices for us, record profits for the big oil companies. Fuel for this year’s harvest cost me nearly 50 percent more this year than it did last year. We’re tired of paying dearly for a failed energy policy.”

Tester’s plan, which he formally unveiled Aug. 19 in Billings, emphasizes energy efficiency, investment in bio-fuels technology, clean and efficient development of Montana’s natural resources, independence from foreign energy through renewable energy and more wind energy incentives.

“Energy independence will help minimize the situation in the Middle East. The problem with the 2005 Energy Bill is it was constructed to help big oil, not the consumer. We need to increase refining so we can get more oil moving domestically,” Tester said.

Answering questions in Veterans Memorial Park Tuesday, Tester said, to achieve the goal of bringing down the cost of fuel for the average farmer an energy plan should be constructed to work for the consumer.

“We start with setting our priorities first before developing a plan. We need all possible solutions at the table, and cost control,” Tester said. “Health care needs to be simplified and standardized. It’s too complicated as it is.”

Questions concerning education, foreign policy, agriculture and the national debt were also addressed from the crowd.

Tester believes there is a major problem with the war in Iraq, and feels the best way to move forward from the nation’s current position is to train the Iraq people to protect their own nation, thus take over.

“From what I hear, this isn’t getting done. The American people can’t afford an open end on this war any more, we’re losing blood and we’re losing dollars,” Tester said. “We should be diligently working on a plan to stabilize the region and hand it over, but so far I haven’t heard that this is being done.”

Tester also pushes for federal passage of the Country of Original labeling.

“Country of Origin labeling is important because it give consumers a choice and they can know where their food is coming from. Americans are very proud of our domestic agriculture,” Tester said.

Tester feels the national debt, which is estimated at more than $28,000 per citizen with the U.S. population of nearly 300 million people, lessens future opportunities for the younger generations. Currently, the national debt is more than $8 trillion, and the U.S. population total is estimated at 299,360,394.

As a farmer and rancher, Tester feels strongly about fighting for the small family farms and ranches, and small businesses.

“The main problem in D.C. is their focus has been on multi-national corporations that tend to outsource our jobs and offshore the profits, not on the people and small businesses that make this country great. I’m fighting for the middle class which has been shrinking over the past few years,” Tester said.

Tester believes there’s a need for reforming the No Child Left Behind law that he believes inhibits teachers in the classroom.

“If they’re going to have mandates, they need to fund them. What this No Child Left Behind has done has taken what was locally controlled and now it’s controlled in D.C.,” Tester said. “It was bad enough when it was the state controlling it, now it’s even worse.”

Bringing Montana values to D.C. is the brand of leadership Tester plans to implement if elected.

“Montana values include needing local control in our schools, being able to take your children to the doctor when their sick without putting yourself in poverty, leading by example, and honesty,” Tester said. “Working in Helena has taught me being proactive you can make a difference pretty quick, and I believe our nation is heading in the wrong direction.”