Gentlemen, please loosen your bolo ties.
Whatever neck wear the male-dominated Montana House Republicans are wearing might be cutting off just enough oxygen to impair their better judgment.
Last week, Montana House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, proposed a dress code that would do any junior high assistant principal proud. It outlined a bunch of standards the House leadership expected, including rules about women's skirt length and necklines.
We're happy to report it said nothing about Beatle boots, crease lines in dungarees or pegging your pants.
It's easy to sit and take shots at this phenomenal waste of time. And, wouldn't it be great if all House leadership had nothing more pressing to worry about than what other members were wearing?
Thankfully, our leaders aren't elected for their smart fashion sense.
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The reason such antics are insulting is because they undermine the true role of the Legislature — addressing the serious problems our state faces. That's always been true, whether the style was a buzz cut or a bowl cut.
We agree: Lawmakers should dress appropriately. The office is one of leadership and is something to be taken seriously. But anyone who wins an election and public office should be wise enough and savvy enough to look the part. To outline them in language that hearkens back to June Cleaver is nothing short of insulting.
It also says a lot about the men writing the rules. Women's necklines and skirts must be too much of a distraction for these poor male lawmakers.
And who, exactly, is going to be in charge of policing the skirts and the blouses women wear? What's the punishment? And, is someone really going to be spending time monitoring this while as many as 70,000 Montanans reportedly go without access to insurance?
If lawmakers of any political stripe are sensitive enough to win an election, then they should be trusted with their own wardrobe.
This certainly seems like a solution in search of a problem.
Equally troubling seems to be the House Republican leadership that, as Rep. Jenny Eck said, could have simply avoided such patronizing rules with a bit of consultation. If this is the kind of communication the House leadership envisions between Democrats and Republicans, it's going to be a rocky, acrimonious session.
Of course the biggest problem of all in this whole petty issue is that it is just that — so petty. If Montana, a ruggedly individual state which has the proud tradition of electing the first female to Congress, has been reduced to dictating women's dress attire, then it's no wonder folks view lawmakers with suspicion.
We have serious issues facing the state. Eastern Montana has incredible needs for roads, sewers, schools and jails. Billings is Montana's biggest city and with it comes emerging urban issues. Montana constantly needs to rebalance its natural resources against preserving its natural beauty. School funding, Medicare expansion — you pick the issue — need addressing. Our court system right here in Yellowstone County is overloaded.
Maybe most importantly, the Legislature must do something to help places like Yellowstone County which has so many needs and so few revenue options. A local-option sales tax must move forward or we risk falling farther behind.
Those are the real issues that need addressing. Moreover, they need leadership, not the fashion police.
