There aren’t anywhere near enough homes for the children who are here
One of my prior and greatest purposes, while working in various roles across the landscape of human services, was coordinating the licensing for people wanting to be therapeutic foster parents. The purpose of my role was to recruit, train, and support people willing to foster children who came with all the trauma heaped on them from physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Let’s talk about the number of children in foster care, the number of licensed foster homes, and how taking away reproductive rights is only throwing gas on a fire that is already out of control.
It is no easy feat to step into the role of fostering children who have been put through the things I have seen children put through. I have seen children who had been locked in a closet while the parents used drugs, sometimes for days at a time, eating their own feces and left with minimal language or motor skills due to severe neglect. I’ve seen children who have been sexually harmed at ages so young they were permanently physically scarred. I’ve seen children who have been tied up for not properly pimping their mother. I have witnessed infants who have had their legs broken because of parents who were struggling with addiction and dropped them. I could honestly tell horror stories for days on the things I have seen children put through. Needless to say, these children don’t enter foster care as a blank slate. The people willing to become foster parents are often tested to the core of their being by the behaviors and needs that come with such deep trauma.
According to the data reported in “Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and Families,” as of 2021, Montana had 1,674 licesed foster homes and only 697 of those foster homes were willing to foster children who are not a friend or family member, (https://www.fostercarecapacity.com/data/non-relative-homes). However, there was a staggering number of 3,223 children in foster care, in Montana as of 2021. The national numbers are just as bad. Per the federal data for 2021, there were roughly 212,045 licensed foster homes and 402,140 children in foster care in the U.S., (https://www.fostercarecapacity.com/data/total-licensed-foster-homes).
With numbers like this, the first question that comes to mind is. “Why the funk are reproductive rights being taken away?” There is no apparent strategy in forcing women into child-bearing when we can’t take care of the children who are already here.
There are many reasons a woman would need an abortion. Some examples are addiction, severe mental illness, taking medications that affect fetal development, cancer, septic uterus, ectopic pregnancy, fibroids, HIV and other diseases, pregnancy from rape or incest, a dead fetus, a fetus not developing correctly, too old, too young, or too unstable to be responsible for a life are all excellent reasons to make a decision for abortion. If the government forces every pregnancy to be a birth, what will the numbers of children in foster care look like then? Who will be responsible for them?
Shouldn’t this massive responsibility fall to those who are so concerned with a heartbeat that they could care less about the woman and her circumstances? Yet it doesn’t. During my time of recruiting foster parents, I asked many of the pro-life sign holders standing outside a medical facility harrassing people going in, if they would like to make an appointment with me to become foster parents. I quoted the statistics of children who need foster homes. I figured they would be the most interested.
My effort was futile. I was given loads of excuses like, “I’ve heard horror stories, it’s not for me,” and, “I have my own children. I can’t risk something happening to them by taking in a child who might hurt my own kids.” Then why the funk would you stick a sign in someone’s face when you are unwilling or unable to help with this massive social issue?
I suppose if we lived in a perfect world, with perfect pregnancies and perfect health and no social issues, we wouldn’t need abortion. That is the irresponsible fantasy of every person raising a pro-life sign. Not all women are alike, not all wombs are alike, not all bodies are alike. The uterus is a complicated place, as is the entire body.
It’s deplorable that pro-life advocates and the govorment have turned their back on all the social, mental health, and health crises that have caused the high numbers of children who are in foster care. Instead they jumped on a fantastical soapbox that a heartbeat should negate all issues the woman, children, and society are facing.
What do you say about a husband and wife team serving in the legislature and representing your community? We thought we did away with the concept of royalty long ago. Of course this is different, but it still feels so. . .feudal. And in the tradition of a feudal system, Steven Galloway and Lola Sheldon-Galloway seem to be in lockstep with each other when it comes to their politics.
Steven Galloway is currently running for House District 24. He was swept into the position in the 2020 Trump wave. He defeated Barbara Bessette, who is currently running against him to regain her seat.
Steven and Lola Galloways have six children and are active in the Mormon Church. Politically, both are on the far right of the Republican Party. They have hosted local militia meetings (See our post https://wtf406.com/2022/09/galloways-host-militia-fundraiser/) and participated in the efforts to undermine our election system by advocating Donald Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, despite the fact that Republicans won every race in Cascade County, (https://wtf406.com/2022/09/the-big-lie-in-cascade-county/)
Steven calls himself a businessman. He and his wife, Lola, own 23 apartments, six rental houses, and six commercial properties. Those commercial properties include the local Dairy Queens, Do It Best Hardware, and Great Falls Lumber. All in all, he has built quite the little kingdom. Galloways’ real estate investments alone are worth almost $2.5 million.
Politically, he is ultra conservative. He also introduces legislation that affects his business interests. He’s sponsored five bills dealing with property valuation and/or landlord tenant relations. He’s endorsed by the NRA, The Montana Family Foundation, and the Montana Shooting Sports Association (if the NRA is too liberal for you, MSSA is for you)
Lola is loopy, agitated, and angry. She was elected in 2017 to represent House District 22. You might wonder how she and her husband both serve in the House of Representatives from different districts when they live in the same house. Well, Steve doesn’t live in the district he represents. This seems to be common among Great Falls Republicans (See our previous post about Representative Steve Gist’s residency issues (https://wtf406.com/2022/10/where-in-the-world-does-steve-gist-really-live/ )
Lola consistently shows up at far-right gatherings in Great Falls. She protests abortion at Planned Parenthood, pushing a baby carriage with a doll in it. She helps the militia raise money. She pushes election conspiracy theories. She helped organize efforts to stop legal marijuana sales in Great Falls.
The bills she carries in the legislature are consistent with her activism in town with a pinch of Trump conspiracy theories as well. In the last session, she brought bills to limit marijuana sales (died), prohibit censorship by social media (died), revise election laws related to absentee ballots (died), and to establish a “pain capable” unborn child protection act (passed. . . unfortunately).
The House of Galloway has thrown its support behind the efforts of far-right takeover of the local and state Republican Parties. The hard right in Great Falls is now centered in the local Pachyderm Club after losing a long and acrimonious battle with moderates for control of the Republican Central Committee. Lola received The Pachyderm Club’s highest award, the Golden Tusk in 2020. She is currently on the State Republican Party Executive Board, which took a dramatic turn to the right at its last convention. She was also a Montana Delegate to the last National Republican Convention.
“Democrat or Republican? First thing. And when I say Democrat, they say ‘Oh you don’t want to talk to me!’ But I do. You may not vote for me but I still want to know what’s on your heart.” Jacob Bachmeier comes across as an introvert. He’s soft spoken, thoughtful, and seems to avoid the spotlight. He admits that he doesn’t love giving speeches but would rather meet voters at their doors, having the one-on-one conversations he believes government is based on.
But don’t let his humility fool you. Bachmeier has already achieved that rare feat even veteran politicians often can’t attain. In 2016, Bachmeier flipped a district. Not just any district. A district that had been held by a Republican for eight years. And he did it at only 18 years old.
In 2019, Jacob co-sponsored HB 726, a bill that helped parents of adult children with disabilities continue to collect child support after the child turns 18. The bill was signed into law, providing much needed support to disabled adults and the parents that continue to care for them.
After taking time away from politics, Bachmeier is running in Cascade County for the first time. And much like before, he’s looking forward to a tough race. Jacob is facing off against Republican Wendy McKamey. McKamey has served in Republican held districts HD 23 and HD 19 and is now seeking a Senate term. However Mckamey’s staunch anti-choice views may prove too extreme for the numerous Republicans and Independents that support our right to privacy.
Luckily for Jacob, speaking with Republicans is a skill he’s already honed. Politics is a family affair for Jacob. He grew up hearing stories about his great-grandpa Rex Manuel (D-Fairfield). A larger-than-life figure who served in the Montana House of Representatives during the golden age of state politics.. With a family evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, Bachmeier navigates both worlds seamlessly. So he does too with his identity as both a devout Christian and a pro-choice Democrat.
As a Queer person, I often feel cautious around folks who describe themselves as “devout Christians” for obvious reasons. (Sometimes they really don’t like LBGTQ+ people. Or women who’ve had an abortion.) I’ve known Jacob a bit for a few years now, and yet I was quite surprised to learn that Jacob is religious. When I asked why I hadn’t known this before, Jacob said simply, “I wouldn’t want someone else‘s religious views governing how I act as an individual. I try to keep my religious views out of government and laws.” Y’all. It’s the separation of church and state for me. That VITAL separation is truly lacking in Bachmeier’s opponent.
Although I didn’t know Jacob’s religious affiliation, I do know how he treats people. How he approaches conversations with his neighbors. And how he cares about others. These qualities are what led Jacob to becoming pro-choice. Even as a Democrat, Bachmeier entered the Legislature still unsure about how he would vote on this issue. So what changed his mind? Listening to his constituents. Bachmeier explains,
“When those bills started coming up, I would get lots of calls from people on both sides of the issue. As I got more calls form people that had abortions and told me their personal stories it became pretty clear to me that people don’t get an abortion because they think its fun. People don’t get an abortion as a common form of birth control. That’s just not how it works clearly. After talking to people there were a lot of complicated heartbreaking situations that were very unique to each individual person, and it became very clear in my mind that we can’t legislate and regulate every single individual and unique reason why someone might feel the need to get an abortion. Ultimately I decided we need to trust the people personally impacted and the medical professionals who perform those procedures.”
A candidate that is willing to learn, grow, and expand his views? Yes, please. What I learned from my conversation with Jacob is that he’s experienced both sides of the political spectrum. Politics for him is an opportunity to help his neighbor. We don’t have to share the same religious views to share the same values. His religion does not come into his politics, which is just as it should be. It does come into who he tries to be as a person.
Jacob sums it up nicely, explaining, “At the end of the day the Bible says to love all People. It even says to love your enemy. It’s very important to me to hear people out and hear what they care about. I want this country, this state, our community to be as good as it can be for everyone.”
When you think of what we need in Montana politics, do you think, “More laws proposed and voted on by multi-millionaires!” If that’s your stance then George Nikolakakas is your guy. George is running for one of Great Falls’ house districts as a political newcomer. As a multi-millionaire, George has self-funded his campaign to the tune of $47,000+. Whew. That’s quite the bucket of money to draw from for a $100 per day legislative pay.
What kind of legislator can we expect if he is elected?
George is a proud conservative with the funds and free-time to plaster his image on bench ads, billboards, and on those political mailers we all know and love. I’ve never met George but I’ve had the pleasure of seeing his diatribes on various Facebook posts. It’s interesting to see politicians claim their priorities are X, Y, and Z as if their other positions won’t impact us just as much. The Montana GOP is just two seats away from a legislative supermajority. And we all know their agenda if they get that supermajority. Re-writing our Montana Constitution that protects our environment and human rights. It’s not a guess what Republicans will do when they are elected in our state. They have told us their priorities in their party platform. You know the one where they say no abortions with no exceptions for rape and incest. What a Pro Mother-Killing stance.
If you elect George, will you get a sycophant to the Republican party platform? We can’t 100% know as he is new to the scene. But we can let him tell us in his own words what he thinks about abortion.
Here’s the problem with George’s “moderate” position on abortion. Abortion is healthcare and one in four women will need an abortion in our lifetimes. It’s not a wedge issue, THIS IS OUR LIVES. I guess it’s easy to overlook pregnancy risks if you don’t have a uterus. Must be nice not to be worried about that and focus on other things.
With a stance like that, we can assume that he will vote in line with all the other Republican extremists in our state and continue to remove our healthcare access. Relegating women back to the 1950s, the conservative dream.
But we still have time. Do not vote for “moderates” coming for your rights. We have until November 8th, let’s show up for ourselves and future generations.
In the last monthly reporting period that ended October 15, Kerns reported receiving over $6,500. A large chunk of that came from Republican organizations and officials. Here’s a breakdown.
Former and current legislators:
Mark Noland (Flathead County)…………………………………….$250
Steve Fitzpatrick (Cascade County)……………………………..$100
Steve Gist (Cascade or Flathead County?)……………………$400
George Nikolakakos (Legislative Candidate Cascade County)…….$208
Republican PACs:
Cascade County Republican Central Committee………..$200
Cascade Republican PAC………………………………….$400
So, why do you suppose Kerns is getting this late infusion of cash from politicos in the Republican Party? Could it be that they can see that Kerns’ opponent, Melissa Smith, has run a strong campaign? Could it be that Kerns has not run a good campaign? Could it be that this house district has the best “numbers” for Democrats in Cascade County? Probably all of the above.
A 5,000 pound elephant was sitting in the room on Monday night at MSU-Northern in Havre while the Hill County candidates participated in the public forum sponsored by the Havre Daily News. Republican Incumbent Senator Russ Tempel of Chester and Democrat challenger Dave Brewer of Havre respectfully agreed on nearly all issues and demonstrated what politics can be like when you’re not a partisan hack. Independent Les Odegard and Democrat Sheri Williams challenged Republican Diane McLean on her history as Hill County Commissioner in a spirited discussion.
And then there he was, the giant elephant we couldn’t ignore: the empty chair where Representative Ed Hill was supposed to be sitting. Democrat Paul Tuss running for House District 28 was not shaken by the no-show status of his inferior (on all levels) opponent. Tuss focused his answers on breaking through partisanship to achieve progress for Montanans. He touched on utilizing the private sector to address Montana’s housing crisis, using the budget surplus to support nursing homes, and affirming his support for the right to privacy as guaranteed in the Montana Constitution. Where was our lone representative Ed Hill? Why wasn’t he sharing his legislative vision for the people of Havre and answering honest questions in front of his constituents?
According to a constituent in Havre who had the unfortunate experience of having his door knocked by Ed Hill on Tuesday, “He declined to debate because he wanted to speak on neutral turf.” Of course Ed Hill would consider that an institution of knowledge such as MSU-Northern would be considered “unfair turf”.
Hill further buried his head in the sand Monday night by refusing to speak to the Havre Daily News for their Campaign Profile series, because “he couldn’t get the questions ahead of time.” Why is Ed Hill so afraid to answer questions from the people of Havre? Why can’t he think for himself on his toes? Havre is essentially a small town, and folks notice when you don’t have the guts to answer basic questions. The other six (two of them Republican) candidates did, and all answered with integrity and bravery.
If ever a title fit the Representative from House District 28, Coward of the County would be it. Except if Hill came across poor Becky after being assaulted by the Gatlin brothers, he would probably tell her that life begins at conception and be on his way.
By Lindsey Ratliff Lindsey is a lifelong Montanan born and raised in the Malt Barley Capital of the World (Fairfield, MT). A Dirt Road Democrat and political junkie, she interned in Sen. Baucus office in 2012 and has been active with local Democratic races since. She currently lives in Havre where she teaches kids how to draw, paint, and discern between facts and bullshit. She is currently serving her 2nd term on the Havre City Council.
