A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Greg Gianforte, all but certain to run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Montana, is rich, religious, and believes in hard work. But he doesn’t seem to believe in Social Security or even retirement, reports the Huffington Post:
In a February talk at the Montana Bible College about how to find “godly purpose” in work, Gianforte explained why retirement isn’t consistent with biblical teachings.
“There’s nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement. And yet it’s been an accepted concept in our culture today,” he said. “Nowhere does it say, ‘Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach.’ It doesn’t say that anywhere.”
“The example I think of is Noah,” he continued. “How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn’t like, cashing Social Security checks, he wasn’t hanging out, he was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical.”
He’s right about that (and far right, too), but it doesn’t matter. We live in a democracy, not a theocracy. Governor of Montana is a secular office. If elected to it, he won’t get to replace the Montana Constitution and the Montana Codes Annotated with the Bible or the Koran, although he might find that idea appealing.
He might also find being governor the most frustrating job of his life. Business executives, especially successful ones like Gianforte, are accustomed to things being done when they say, “do that.” Successful politicians know the political world doesn’t work that way.
Not only is Gianforte deeply religious, he’s reportedly a young earth fundamentalist (see Bishop Ussher) with particularly rigid religious beliefs. That’s consistent with the world view of an authoritarian personality. His intelligence, sincerity, and work ethic, notwithstanding, he may lack the flexibility, the adaptability, and the empathy for the less fortunate, that successful governing and honoring human rights require.