Letters
Editor, With regards to Terry Falk’s letter to the editor (Dec. 3) and his idea that about one-third of the state windfall could be spent on prisons: a little surfing on the internet tells me that out of state prisons charge Montana about $90 per day per inmate, the state pays about $83 per day to counties to house some of their inmates. The average cost to house a prisoner in the US for a year is $65,000. I have no doubt that our prisons need repairs and expansion, but how about looking at the costs and benefits of preventative programs … Head Start programs, job training, mental health programs and drug treatment? Head Start costs about $8500-$9000 to provide services annu...
There are various possible responses. Many people would invest a large majority of those funds into something or somebody that they trust. Generally speaking, this is referred to as sound financial literacy. The state of Montana won the lottery in a sense by receiving an unexpected large windf...
Editor, Besides wondering how many of our citizens understand that our government is made up of three co-equal branches, in these troubled times, we may legitimately wonder if many in Congress recognize that truth. We can see why this might be so. The office of the presidency has, to date, always been ...
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act recently signed into law by President Trump contains important reforms to Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion program. It helps control taxpayer costs and incentivizes able-bodied adults to work, go to school, or otherwise meaningfully engage as productive commun...
Editor, Several years ago, I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washinton DC. Upon exiting the museum there was a poem on the wall that brought me to tears. I want to share that poem with you. But first let me tell you about the man who wrote that poem. Martin Niemoller, the author of the poem was a Luthe...
Editor, If you are a customer of Mission Valley Power (MVP) you have no doubt noticed a huge increase in your electric bills the last two years, and another increase is coming in 2026. You have also noticed there is a 3-tier rate system, where the more you use the higher the per KWH rate is. My fami...
Editor, Two acres of landscaping was too much for my mom to handle, so she hired a gardener. A high schooler, I had never seen anyone work so hard; planting, weeding and raking. My mom took him iced tea mid-morning and homemade cookies at lunchtime. The sweat on his brow glistened as I practiced my Spanis...
Editor, By the slimmest of majorities, Republicans of the 119th Congress just rammed through their Big Ugly Bill, a regressive tax-and-spending blueprint that redistributes wealth from the poorest to the richest Americans over the next decade. Montana’s entire GOP delegation voted for this atrocity....
Editor, Many thanks to those who have pitched in to make Polson look especially sharp this spring. For example: – Our own Flathead Lake monster is now “swimming” in her own bright blue sea in Sacagawea Park. I watched a little girl (and heard her laugh) as she climbed on the bro...
Editor, Senator Daines wants to grow our economy and support the strongest innovation ecosystem in the world. In order to meet these goals, the Senate must keep the clean energy tax credits in the budget bill. Don’t take my word for it. Here is what John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy-the nation&...
