This story was originally published by Daily Montanan: URL: https://dailymontanan.com This story has not been altered or edited. (C) Daily Montanan. Licensed for re-distribution through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. ------------ Austin touts his track record of accomplishments, reaching out to bridge divide – Daily Montanan ['Darrell Ehrlick', 'More From Author', '- May'] Date: 2022-05-25 00:00:00 Kyle Austin isn’t worried about bridging the divide that seems so commonplace in politics. The registered pharmacist and owner of 406Pharm has literally traveled across the state, setting up clinics for COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and other vaccinations like flu shots. That’s given him a chance to hear from people, see the government work during a health crisis, and also talk with residents about more common-sense issues. Austin is a Republican, vying for the second district seat already held by incumbent Rep. Matt Rosendale. Fellow Republicans James Boyette of Bozeman and Charles Walking Child of Helena are also running for the Republican nomination in the primary on June 7. Austin said that it may be surprising that a Republican candidate was active in the efforts to vaccinate residents against COVID, but he said he gave folks information and told them about the benefits without pushing it as a mandate. He said his common-sense approach is what is sorely missing from getting positive results in Congress. He has had a front-row seat to seeing the problems with health insurance and he’s also concerned with the lack of support of the agricultural community, and keeping folks on the farm. He understands that because he came from a farming family, born in raised in the Havre area. “The Farm Bill doesn’t represent ag values,” he said. He said that Rosendale’s lack of participation in agriculture debates and his voting record show that he consistently votes against Montana values. “He’s a hardliner who says, ‘No,’ and we don’t want someone who always says no,” Austin said. He said that while Rosendale is voting against anything that the Democrats touch, he said farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of climate change, something that is completely lost in the political acrimony. He said because of that, farming and ranching should be more a part of the conversation about climate change solutions. “They understand that climate change is happening and it’s not a cycle,” Austin said. He said that unfair practices, like the meat-packing business, have also pinched farmers and ranchers, and it’s led to more farm failures and even a crisis of suicide among the ag community because of despair. He said that while others are making millions off the hard work of agriculture, he said that it’s pointed out the acuity of mental health resources in rural America. Austin also believes that the United States Department of Agriculture has helped create the crisis where ranchers are forced to sell to one of four large meatpacking companies and consumers are forced to pay extremely high prices. He said that by modifying the USDA requirements more beef could be butchered and sold on a smaller level and across state lines. “The heart of America is small business, not big business and not big corporations,” he said. Government and healthcare Austin, as a pharmacist who traveled around the state to smaller communities to get vaccines to those who wanted them, said that he’s seen the problems of insurance companies. He said he’d like to see a U.S. health plan and a taxpayer-created health corporation to compete against other insurance companies. He said there are other government agencies that oversee critical institutions like banking and insurance, and healthcare is equally important. He said even other portions of the government have taken over healthcare plans, like Medicare or Tri-Care for the Armed Forces, so a similar model could be adopted and modified. That would also reduce the paperwork and hassle, too, when some plans cover certain procedures and pharmacy benefits while others do not. That kind of efficiency means people can be more certain and productive. Oil He said that America need to pursue projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would help ease supply-and-demand for oil the world over, as well as continue to drill in more places, like the Bakken. “With all the money and support we put into Iraq, at the end of the day, when has Iraq helped us? Why is Iraq not stepping up and helping us with oil?” Austin said. Border crisis Austin sees a crisis that is pressuring the borders of the country, not just the southern one that runs along Mexico. He said that many addicts are too afraid of getting help because drugs are illegal and admitting to using them creates a stigma that stands in the way of help. “There should be help without consequences,” he said. More needs to be done to stop even the illegal use of legal substances, like driving under the influence and alcohol. He said there needs to be more done to tighten laws for DUI and increasing tracking. He said that Montana should consider having customs and border patrols at the state entrances as a means to cutting down on drug and human trafficking, including drug-sniffing dogs and checking to make sure drivers have valid licenses. He said that while much of the focus of former President Donald J. Trump’s border wall has been along the southern portion, he said more needs to be done to secure the northern border, which affects Montana. “The airlines are bringing it in, and it’s also coming through Canada. You can walk across Canada and into Montana,” he said. He said that America and the United Nations must also use pressure so that migrants and asylum seekers don’t want to leave their home countries in the first place. Church and state Austin also may differ from some of his contemporary conservatives, admittedly being more moderate when it comes to other ideas. For example, he believes in the separation of church and state, and said it protects the ability of everyone to have their own perspective. He believes that women and their doctors should be able to make healthcare decisions, and doesn’t want to return to the days of abortions being a matter of back-alleys or coat hangers. “It’s about education and being responsible at the end of the day,” Austin said. “I think I appeal to the middle of the road.” [END] [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/05/25/austin-touts-his-track-record-of-accomplishments-reaching-out-to-bridge-divide/ Content is licensed through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/