Why Do We Fight The Inevitable, When Progress Always Wins

"The state of Montana has now blocked ESG investing for all state funds." -Governor Gianforte

Our Governor made that announcement in Vegas on January 19th, 2023.  It's had me thinking the last couple of days.

Trust me when I say I know he's just trying to be the MAGA governor that he is and sing the song of his people.  I know that he's saying that "Nobody tells a Montanan what to do."  He's also saying, (without saying it) that we are not down for progress and it's ok for Montana to be left in the dust because "damn it, nobody tells me that if I support the NRA they won't do business with me."

Actually, in this day and age, yeah Governor, they do.  I "vote" with my dollars every day.

There is another way to look at this though.

I watch a lot of the History Channel.  In particular, I'm thinking about The Cars That Made America.   It wasn't easy for Henry Ford or any of the car makers at that time.  There were people adamantly against horseless carriages and they were very vocal.  Kind of like people now who don't believe in Global Warming or hate electric cars.

This is the quote I can't get out of my head about that time, "The Horse is here to stay, but the car is only a novelty, a fad." President of Michigan Savings Bank. That's what he told Horace Rackham who wanted to invest in Henry Ford and his automobiles. Luckily, he didn't just talk to that banker and he ended up investing.  Who knows where we'd be if that's all Rackham went on. By the way, Rackham made a BOATLOAD of money of his Ford Stock.

This brings me to our Governor.  I'm so afraid that Montana is stepping so far backwards right now.  We have enough wind, water and sunlight here to power us all for our lifetime and many generations to come.  Why then, instead of embracing the change that is inevitable, are we cheering this man that is fighting progress every step of the way? I really don't understand. We have a chance to be leaders and innovators instead of the old guy yelling to get off his lawn.

This sort of thinking just reinforces the "backwoods hick" label that we get from so many who don't know the Montana way of life.

Another way to think about this is Milk Men.  Back in the day, it was one of the only ways to get fresh milk.  Then, refrigeration went mainstream, and traditional "Milk Men" just don't exist anymore.  Nobody is worse for the wear either.  There were other jobs available those days.

Innovation can be scary.  It can also be really cool.  How nice is it to get in your car and go to the grocery store to get milk?