ORIGINAL: Montana Bob
Ok my 2 cents.
I feel muley's frustration. So many before you Pastorsteve have come here to Montana because it is different and more laid back than where they come from.
Then it seems the first thing they do is try and change it to the exact place they came from.
I am a transplant been here 22 years. The changes I have seen are incredible and frustrating.When I moved here I fit in well with the natives and just sat and watched the changes before me.
People moving in on a 1 acre lot not an animal or tree in site, in the middle of nowhere,then painting every fence post bright orange. To me and others it just shines of ignorance.
9 out of 10 of the SUV's you see in the winter in the ditch have a nice CA plate or temp sticker in the window.
This people you see that come into Montana are like a prisoner let loose after serving 10 years, bull in a china shop thing. They take advantage of the laid back lifestyle here.Mostly it's the Kalifornians you see.
It used to piss me off till I realized there is nothing I can do and now look forward to having them come in and driving my home and property price to a ridiculously high value.
So pastorsteve welcome, change the plates on your ride and sit back, grab some popcorn and watch the sad picture show that has beenplaying for years.Don't forget your hanky as it is a crying shame.
Wow Bob...I hear you. And I'm sure sorry and saddned by the state of events that have transpired here. I know it's probably hard to believe but we kept a lot of those things in mind when we moved here.
We moved into a home that was already built (instead of buying up more land and building a new home when there were litterally hundreds of homes for sale). We didn't want to make a bigger foot print than we had to.
We completely support and have supported keeping the big boxes out of the valley at all costs.
Believe me when I tell you that I DO NOT want things like they were where I came from. We lived on the corner of a 5 lane road where there was traffic 24/7. My kids were home bodies primarily because they couldn't go out and play anywhere safely. Not a good environment at all.
We have been here for almost a year and have been saddened many times by watching the very thing you speak of. I know it is somewhat hypocritical for me to oppose the very thing I did in moving here, but again, it wouldn't bother me if they bought homes that were already here, fought to keep things the way they are as much as possible. It bothers me as well.
If there is anything I can do that I do not know about as far as either petitions, ballot initiatives or anything else, feel free to educate me, I would love to help.
Take care Bob.