Opinion
Montana farmers and ranchers face numerous challenges. Some of these challenges such as weather, commodity prices, and bank loan rates are beyond a single farmer’s ability to manage. On the other hand, there are challenges faced by Montana producers, which one could reasonably consider as manageable yet in reality are not. One of the biggest challenges thrown in the face of Montana agriculture that falls in this category is when original equipment manufacturers lock farmers and ranchers out of repairing their own equipment. Farming is a seasonal operation. When crops are ready for harvest, hundreds of farmers engaged in their livelihood are in the field at the same time, meaning th...
The grizzly bear is a unique and vital part of Montana’s wildlife heritage. Our state animal, the great bear once roamed throughout the plains of central Montana, before being extirpated from the flatlands by settlers, and relegated to the mountainous country of western Montana. Now, after decades of p...
You may have driven through the community of Arlee on your way to Flathead Lake or Glacier National Park. Today the beautiful Jocko Valley is threatened by a proposed asphalt plant on a 157-acre gravel pit. I realize gravel is a necessity in today’s world for highway and irrigation projects. But rig...
State Senator Carl Glimm has introduced legislation (SB 210) that would inject the government into end-of-life medical decisions. I agree with those who oppose this legislation on the grounds that it would violate a fundamental freedom under Montana law that people, in consultation with their physicians, sho...
No matter what your personal moral opinion about abortion is, SB 154 is not the answer. SB 154 is a direct insult to our right to privacy as protected by our Montana Constitution. It is short and easy to read, stating: Clarifying the right to privacy does not include the right to an abortion. If our le...
The last couple of years have been doozies - for just about all of us. The world has changed before our eyes, in ways we never would have or could have imagined. I’ve found - often the hard way - that difficult times are opportunities for growth, new perspectives and outlooks. Two years ago, my w...
So much is happening this month with our renovation project and we have some updates to share. Please visit our website and our Renovation FAQ page for more information. The library will be holding a surplus equipment sale on Friday, Feb. 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p...
Editor, I’m amazed at the fact that some members of the GOP Super Majority/Freedom caucus have not taken care of a loved one who is dying. Should they have had this experience, they would not be in support of SB210 which ends the statutory approach to medical aid in dying, set out in the Montana Sup...
Editor, Once again, the party of small government has decided it needs more than $2.5 million after this legislative session to defend the bills that are passed that are found to be unconstitutional. They did this in the last session and blew through the $100,000 in their budget to defend their laws...
Editor, With a crisis looming over the debt ceiling, you’ll be hearing that Republicans, the party claiming to support fiscal responsibility, are just trying to keep reckless spending in check. Don’t be fooled. There is a process where legitimate debate occurs about what the government funds, ...
