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Lawmakers remember: Mother Nature always wins
Despite all the political drama as the year draws to a close, it’s pretty clear to those of us living in Montana that Mother Nature still calls the shots. What we got for Christmas this year was a rather astounding jump in temperature from 35 below zero to 45 above in the space of a […]
Why you can’t run government like a business
For years we’ve all heard politicians claim they should “run government like a business.” But of course government isn’t a business — and governance is not like selling software. You’d think he’d learn, but Gov. Greg Gianforte just found out again that he can’t simply ignore the Montana Constitution’s right-to-know provisions by trying to keep […]
Gas and oil companies were deceiving us? What a surprise.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a trove of documents last week that show while gas and oil mega-corporations have been mouthing their commitment to clean energy “transition,” they’ve actually been peddling what, in the West, would be called “bull pucky.” In the common vernacular of our time, it’s a practice known as […]
It’s time to stop promoting Montana
They say “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” Not a day goes by that we don’t hear about the lack of affordable housing in Montana, the next big subdivision or resort — and the problems they face with water availability and the pollution they dump into rivers and streams. Yet, we continue […]
Holland Lake: The once burnt child fears the fire
We’ve all heard the old saying “The once-burnt child fears the fire” — and likely all had the experience that gave rise to its simple wisdom. But recently, Montanans of any and all political persuasions rose to overwhelmingly reject the highly controversial proposal to expand and develop Holland Lake Lodge. The reason? We have been […]
The Montana Constitution: Something to be thankful for
Every year about this time we take stock of our lives, loves, family, friends and being able to call Montana “home.” One of the great joys of living here are the rights and protections provided by the Montana Constitution — and those should never be taken for granted. When you think about the condition of […]
The end of the road for Donald Trump
For six long years now Americans have been assailed by non-stop lies from Donald J. Trump, the twice-impeached former president who launched an attempted coup against Congress and relentlessly — albeit falsely — accused the election system of being rigged. But the midterms didn’t turn out to be the “red wave” he predicted. In fact, […]
Our challenge is the future, not the past
They say “the generals always fight the next war the way they fought the last one.” Unfortunately, that’s been true not only in war but in politics as well, where far too often the challenges of the future are met with the dubious strategies of the past. Yet, the partisan politics of “divide and conquer” […]
Historic opportunity to keep our rivers flowing and healthy
Montana doesn’t often have a budget surplus — let alone billions of dollars that resulted from the enormous influx of federal funds during the pandemic and massive new federal infrastructure funding. But thanks to that surplus, Gov. Greg Gianforte and the upcoming legislative session have a historic opportunity to provide significant, desperately-needed, and permanent relief […]
The problems of one-party rule
When the Republicans swept every statewide office in the last election they were understandably and justifiably dancing on a pony keg. But with their great victory came the onus of one-party rule, in which you can’t dodge the responsibility for the conditions and problems because you and only you are in charge. With another election […]
Trump in ’24? Here’s why it won’t happen
Those still clinging to hope that Donald J. Trump will return to the presidency might want to do a reality check after this week’s developments. While his political influence continues to erode due in large part to his endless whining about falsely losing the last election, his legal and business problems continue to grow almost […]
NOPEC may be no problem after Saudi treachery
It’s been 21 years since our “friends” in Saudi Arabia flew jetliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9-11. Even though 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens and the Saudi royal family has been linked to funding the attack — the Bush administration allowed dozens of top-level Saudis to fly home without questioning, much […]