Jon Tester for U.S. Senate

As water continues to rise in New Orleans (and the Red Cross continues to need your help), life in Montana seems a bit mundane by comparison. The Billings Gazette is reporting this morning that the Public Service Commission has approved a rate hike on natural gas rates so students are facing tuition surcharges to cover the cost according to the Montana Kaimin.

Voters in Gallatin County rejected a a new county jail, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is reporting. The Great Falls Tribune tells us that Tom Siebel, a philanthropist, is funding a $5.6 million campaign to fight meth use. His action comes after the passage of a comprehensive anti-meth legislative package at the legislature this year.

Finally, Swing State Project is reporting that campaigns across the country are following Jon’s lead and calling for support of the Red Cross. Both the Democratic and Republican parties nationally have now put out the call to their supporters to help our neighbors in Louisiana and Mississippi.

What else is happening in your Montana morning?

About an hour ago, Jon sent out the following message to our email list:

I want to thank all of you who helped make Monday night??s Pearl Jam show in Missoula such a tremendous success. Whether you attended the show in person, showed your support by contributing online, or just read about the night??s events on our blog, your participation means a great deal to me.

Now I want to ask you to participate in another way???by making a contribution to the American Red Cross to support the residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

As I write this, waters continue to rise in New Orleans, where entire neighborhoods have been flooded. Biloxi, Mississippi has been hit hard. More than 37,000 Americans are already seeking shelter in American Red Cross centers all along the Gulf Coast. And the director of FEMA says tens of thousands more will likely require shelter for weeks, if not months.

So why is a U.S. Senate candidate from Montana asking you to help out?
Because it??s the right thing to do. Because this campaign isn??t just about politics???it??s about all of us pulling together to bring Montana values to Washington, D.C. and to the rest of the nation.

And in Montana, we help a neighbor in need. And sometimes that neighbor is very far away.

So please do what you can by supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross to help those affected by this disaster.

Thank you for helping out.

Jon Tester
Montanans for Tester

Honestly, please help the Red Cross. And if you want to get campaign updates in the future, join the email list over on the right.

New West’s Jonathan Weber came to the show last night and was impressed by Pearl Jam’s show. As noted in the story and in comments over there, Pearl Jam doesn’t back just anybody. Of course, Jon Tester isn’t just anybody.

Joe Nickell of the Missoulian also came down to our little concert and noticed how Pearl Jam was trying to play off of Jon Tester’s “cool” vibe. I may have gotten that backwards, but the story does a great job of highlighting how the concert has sparked interest among a lot of UM students, not to mention the 50-70 volunteers we had running around in Blue “Jon Tester” T-shirts last night.

Of course, there were several thousand other people there who can shed a little light on how the concert went. What did you think of the show?

From here, it looks like a long, winding road from Big Sandy to Washington, D.C. We??ve got quite a ways to go, but there are many unique places and remarkable people to see along the way. I??ve already started traveling across Montana, from the mountains to the plains, to talk with everyday folks from all walks of life about our shared values and vision for Montana and America.

You probably won??t be too surprised about something I??ve been hearing:

It turns out that I??m not the only person in this state who thinks things could be going better for us in our nation??s capital.

The fact of the matter is that politicians in Washington, D.C., aren??t focusing on the right issues. Some of them want to privatize Social Security while most Americans face skyrocketing health insurance premiums. But when they finally do try to tackle an important issue, like rising gas prices, they do it by giving a break to some of America??s wealthiest corporations at taxpayer expense. Our representatives should focus on issues that matter ??? like affordable health care for families, jobs, education and our economic and retirement security.

I??m running for U.S. Senate because I think before our government signs off on a bankruptcy bill that gives creditors the green light to go after working families, the government should fix its own financial house of cards. I think its about time to remind people in Washington, D.C., about what people out here in the rest of the country are worried about. These kitchen-table issues matter. And Conrad Burns and the current administration aren??t getting the job done for Montana families.

For the past seven years, I??ve served in the Montana Legislature in both the minority and as the President of the Senate. We??ve accomplished a lot since winning back the Senate in 2004, from strengthening Montana??s privacy laws to increasing funding for education, making health care more affordable and accessible and producing some serious plans for rural economic development.

I??ll bring my experience as a citizen legislator and the beliefs we share as Montanans to the U.S. Senate. My first duty will be to represent the people I meet each and every day on the road to Washington.

It??s going to be a long ??? and fun - trip. Thanks for joining me along the way.