Opinion

When we elect politicians, the hope is as they share information, they are giving us as much truth as possible. So, when Steve Daines was invited to reflect on the American Recovery Plan that just passed, also known as the COVID Stimulus Bill, it could be that he was just misinformed. So, we just wanted to set a couple of things straight for the record. First, Senator Daines explained that “$350 billion [would be a] bailout for blue states.” What we do know is the $350 billion will be going all states, and Montana will receive almost $3 billion dollars – and that is what our own legislature is working on right now – making sure we are within the guidelines so that...

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...

This column continues the one from last week where Jill Pertler shares the heartache experienced after the sudden loss of her husband.    When someone you love dearly dies here on earth, they are gone. But they are not gone. They are here. They are everywhere. And if you perceive very caref...

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 ...