Letters to the Editor
Editor, With all the downer-type news this winter, I would like to change course and thank Harvest Foods and Ace Hardware personnel, in Ronan, for always wearing their masks. I have had my shots, still wear my mask in public, and I feel much safer these days, but it is nice to know that they seem to care. On the flip side, I must say it’s a bit disconcerting to be in the checkout line with someone “packing heat.” Really? At Harvest Foods. Unfortunately this morning I read the New York times article in which Governor Gianforte claimed to have been trapping since he was a “tot.” Really? I grew up in rural New England and did not know anyone that tr...
Editor, Politics, these days, has such a grip on our citizens, and especially our elected leaders, that listening thoughtfully to each other and accepting compromise seems a thing of the past. But, this attitude is not true with many. Thankfully in our democracy individual opinions count t...
Editor, The Montana legislature is considering a good idea. House Bill 629, if passed, will provide a tax incentive to businesses that create five new jobs per year in which salary plus benefits equals at least $50K per year. If a business meets the criteria of number of new employees per year their...
Editor, Does a professional, independent bureaucracy lead to better governance? The answer is “yes,” compared to the alternative political patronage as a source of corruption, waste and the dominance of special interests. Montana has a Civil Service System based upon competitive, meri...
Editor, Why do we have government? Why do some of us go to the polls every few years and fill out our ballots? You might think it was to elect people who would represent not only us but what’s best for us. Yet, it seems that the special interests have sabotaged that process and, in on...
Editor, The people have spoken. These are the important words we hope to hear at the end of every election cycle. And, up until now, we have been able to trust these words to be true, since there has never been voter fraud in Montana. Throughout our voter history in the United States, there...
Editor, Governor Gianforte has framed his COVID-19 response on his faith in Montanans to demonstrate “individual responsibility,” however, his most recent example of not being personally responsible after failing to take the required wolf training course before trapping and shooting a wo...
Editor, I believe the person responsible for the disgusting anti-Biden float in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ronan owes the float committee, the other float participants, the Irish American community (tribal and non-tribal) and the community at large — especially the par...
Editor, In our nation’s long debate about how strong the federal government should be and how much power should rest with state and local governments, Republicans have been fierce for local control. Why then are we seeing a rash of bills from the Montana State Legislature that violate this ...
Editor, Hey Montanans! Our state is receiving an almost $3 billion windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act. Some is designated to be spent on Kindergarten through 12th grade education, emergency rental help, pandemic unemployment benefits, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, and budget relief f...
