Our Values - Ravalli County Democrats

Our Bitterroot Values

We work hard to:

Ravalli Democrats share their views on key issues and contrast them to Republican positions.

What issues are important to you? Let's talk about it!

Housing
Without a doubt, fair housing is one of the most pressing issues affecting our community. Too many have moved away because safe, affordable housing can no longer be found. Housing should be stable, accessible, safe, healthy, energy efficient, and above all, affordable. In order to have the resources for life's other necessities and the ability to save for unforeseen events and retirement, housing costs must be kept on par with wages. Read more »
Rural Quality of Life
The family farm and ranch is the backbone of our small-town, rural way of life. Hard-working ranchers and farmers have been pressed to the breaking point, and deserve legislation that protects and supports their lands, crops, animals, and business. Farming and ranching is the cornerstone of our heritage and economy that must be preserved. Read more »

Property Taxes
The median Montana residential property tax will increase 21% this year. We believe corporations and the wealthy should pay their fair share in taxes. We support candidates who are committed to reversing the policies that gave rich corporations huge tax breaks at the expense of Montana homeowners. Montana Democrats strongly oppose a state sales tax to pay for tax breaks for billionaire “trophy home” owners. Read more »
Natural Resources
Fish and wildlife that have disappeared from other parts of the West are still abundant in Montana. Habitat degradation, fragmentation, invasive species, polution, disease, and climate change all threaten to harm wildlife that Montanans have fought so hard to restore and protect. Roughly 1.5 million acres of public land are inaccessible in Montana due to being landlocked by private land or by individuals who illegally block access to public roads and waters. Read more »

Veterans
There are 89,275 veterans in Montana, the second highest per capita population of veterans in the country. Our people serve at a higher rate than just about any other state in the union. We need to make sure our veterans are taken care of when they come back from active duty and become civilians. Read more »
Reproductive Rights
The right to privacy is guaranteed by the Montana Constitution. We believe our government should stay out of a woman's reproductive life, should recognize reproductive rights as human rights, and should honor women’s wisdom in making decisions — especially regarding their own bodies. Read more »

Social Security
We support candidates who are committed to strengthening Social Security, not privatization. This includes fully funding Social Security now and into the future. Further, there should be no benefit cuts and no increase in retirement age. Read more »
Guns
We believe that gun owners should be encouraged to take firearms training and/or hunter education and to safely secure guns in all situations. We believe that background checks should be required and "Red Flag" laws should be promoted. We support candidates who are committed to sales of weapons of war. Read more »

Health Care
Know that ‘life’ is the first unalienable right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and health care enhances life. We support universal health care because access to medical treatment not only heals sick people but keeps healthy people as well. We support health care includes vital focus on mental health and substance abuse treatment and acknowledge that Medicare and Medicaid are not perfect but deserve support and improvement. Read more »
Climate Change
Montana’s Constitution declares that its citizens have certain inalienable rights (Article II, Section 3). One of these is: “the right to a clean and healthful environment." The U.S. Constitution preamble makes government actions a high priority to ‘…Promote the general Welfare…”. The last decade have seen record-breaking natural disasters, from storms, to floods to wildfires all around us. Our landowners and farmers have suffered economic losses. Read more »

Education
Public education is the town square of America. It is the great equalizer. It teaches our children how to get along with others, cope with the challenges we face as adults, and be responsible citizens. Providing lifelong opportunities for public education should be a high priority for our elected leaders. The Bitterroot Valley must invest in all levels of public education if we hope to successfully diversify our local economy, grow a skilled competitive workforce, and help keep America globally competitive. Read more »
Immigration
We believe in employing a compassionate and comprehensive approach to immigration, emphasizing family unity, respect, and economic benefits. We support candidates who will pursue comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the broken immigration system and will honor America’s history and treat all people who come to the United States with dignity and respect Read more »