Opinion

Absentee ballots will soon be mailed out for November’s election. Two of the most important elections on the ballot are for Montana’s Supreme Court. We, as a group of Montana attorneys, former and current elected officials, and concerned citizens, are committed to supporting our Montana and United States Constitutions. We believe in the rule of law and the separation of powers between our executive, legislative, and judicial branches. We also believe in the absolute need for a fair, independent, and non-partisan judiciary to interpret our laws and invalidate those laws that infringe on our constitutional rights. Unfortunately, recent actions of certain members of the legis...

This is not an abortion issue. This is a humanity issue. I am a family medicine doctor from a rural community in eastern Montana. From the time I started my undergraduate degree in pre-medicine, I have been committed to returning to practice full-scope family medicine in a rural and underserved community....

Editor, Shirley Azzopardi is running to represent Lake County’s district 93. As a deeply caring and experienced educator in our community, she’s gained many skills that would be useful in the legislature. She’s worked with and taught people of different backgrounds and needs and has been...

Editor, This is a letter of support for Rick Schoening, candidate for Lake County Justice of the Peace. Mr. Schoening has proven himself as a dedicated public servant for over three decades. His career experience as a Game Warden, followed by his desire to continue serving his hometown of Polson in its...

Editor, There are many reasons to vote for Ryan Zinke. He believes in borders, he knows that this out-of-control spending by congress and the current administration has to stop, he knows killing fossil fuels is not the answer for the planet, he knows that girls should compete against girls in sports, he k...

Editor, I’m sure Joe Read is a nice guy, but he also seems pretty good at wasting taxpayer money during his time in Helena. He supported convening a special session this year, an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer funds since the issues will be considered during the regular session. He voted for un...

Editor, Our votes in the Nov. 8 election will shape the years ahead - for better or for worse. Who cares enough to work across divides? Who will do a better job of protecting our right to vote? Who understands the reality of climate change, and can reason based on the truths before our very eyes? For H...

When you order a pizza and the total comes to $25 and you hand them a fifty dollar bill, have you ever had the restaurant tell you that they are going to keep your change in case their expenses are higher in the future? We know this sounds absurd, but not for the state government. Over the last two years, th...

Every two years, Montanans who are elected from their communities travel from all over Montana to gather at the State Capitol to convene the Montana Legislature. During our time together, we work to deliver legislation that will help Montanans, including funding for our schools and hospitals, protecting our ...

Judicial independence is a matter of Constitutional law and American tradition. By the strict design of our founders, our separate court system has been independent of party politics, and therefore not guided by party platforms and party leaders as are the other two branches of our government.   In 1...