Opinion
In our minds, Montana is already the greatest state in the nation. However, our state will be even greater by the end of the 2025 legislative session. At the halfway point of the session, the Senate is working harder than ever to move critical legislation across the finish line and keep Montana the Last Best Place. Tax reform has been a top priority this session; every lawmaker here can confirm that the people of Montana are eager to keep more of their hard-earned money. We have already advanced several pieces of legislation to accomplish this, including measures to provide property tax relief for Montanans using money that tourists pay when they visit and increasing transparency on loca...
In Montana, the following statement rings true now more than ever: “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.” Although the quote is often misattributed to Mark Twain, the adage’s creator was highlighting a perennial issue in governance out west – water rights. In 2025, exem...
In Montana, the following statement rings true now more than ever: “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.” Although the quote is often misattributed to Mark Twain, the adage’s creator was highlighting a perennial issue in governance out west – water rights. In 2025, exem...
To provide a better understanding of what climate change means for Montanans, we are hosting a new monthly series, entitled Montana Climate Matters. Each month, you’ll hear from experts knowledgeable about climate science, impacts, and solutions. Our goal in this endeavor is to facilitate unders...
It’s hard to predict which direction the 2025 Montana State Legislature will take. One path encourages Montanans to be divided and angry, fighting for scraps and looking for scapegoats. The other is a path towards prosperity, freedom, and a better future. Legislators who would trample Montanans&rsqu...
Serving 16 years in the Montana legislature taught me much about the do’s and don’ts of crafting a state budget. Legislators are charged with deciding how to use hard-earned Montana taxpayer dollars to make government work for the people. It was our job as legislators – Republicans and Demo...
Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt. A bill pending in the stat...
Montana is at a crossroads in our management of wildlife. We will either maintain our decades-long tradition in which everyone has equal opportunity to enjoy our public wildlife, or we hand control to a handful of wealthy landowners and outfitters to pick who gets to hunt. A bill pending in the stat...
Editor, “Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.” (Lewis Carroll) I love words. I love to play. Here is some wordplay of shock and awe: “woke” (the opposite of asleep); “deep state” (the shallow state’s gaslit ideology); CRT (Shhh!!); Gaza...
Dreams and goals - I think it’s safe to say we all have both. And that’s wonderful, and necessary. Because what would life be without dreams and goals? In a word: hollow. I used to set very specific goals for myself. I used to dream of what I wanted to accomplish with those g...
