For the lucky enough to be rich, the cruelty of Montana’s quickly increasing cost of living won’t much affect the wallet. One of the big East Coast newspapers even wrote that a handful of ultra-rich got so much extra dough, that banded together across America, they gave more than a billion dollars to steer politics this last federal election. Most everyday working Montanans simply put in longer days to pay the ever-increasing bills.
Yet capital didn’t buy this month’s elections as voters across America awoke and headed to the polls, ignored big money candidates and elected trustworthy locals to work on making life better and less expensive. And yes, it’s way too expensive for everyday working Montanans.
It’s a long way from here to less expensive. And a cheaper cost of living is not even discussed by the the four men of Congress from Montana. The blokes at conservative news now tell viewers not to purchase gifts for grandpa as a way to save money. Just a year ago this unfathomable lack of holiday cheer would’ve been viewed as war by every right-wing radio pundit within earshot of the Flathead.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure that even a full-time, $20 an hour job won’t go far given how much housing, insurance, cars, and eating costs in the valley. Either the small businesses across Montana aren’t paying enough or the economy got rigged to work only for wealthy part-timers or travelling tourists.
Readers can decide who gets blame for the most recent round of economic disaster whacking working-class Americans. It’s easy to see whose job it is in Congress to fix this unprecedented mess.
No one really wants to hear any of that kinda talk at tomorrow’s Thanksgiving table. The family is headed over. Settle down, grandma would say. Put the hackles down and grab a cold one. It’s family and friends. Talk about the kids, the future. And eat some more.
Undoubtably some looming discussions await relatives gathering on holiday. Let’s hope not to get all rigid during family time. Family time is no time for guile. Leave that deceitful cunning to the politicians. We’re the same working folks, trying to get by, regardless how we voted in past elections. No one gets persuaded by overly educated or frank talk at the table. Quite the opposite. People get mad, more unlikely to return.
That stuff that the robotic algorithm fed you on social media seems best left unsaid, and in the computer. Even online, wow. Humility and curiosity better fit the diet of hungry Americans sitting around the 2025 holiday table. The people next to you are not partisans, just Americans trying to get buy and looking for a square deal.
There’s a good chance one of us is mistaken, holding onto old entrenched ways. I know, gosh, oh my. If we can’t explain how the retort might work in real life, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it’s just an echo from screen-time algorithms, a politician’s email, or think tank jabber.
Be curious, they say, ask some questions. Ask how. If Republican uncles or Democratic aunts are willing to tell you how it might work in real life, maybe we’ll solve a couple differences to make stuff better. And every working stiff wants it to be better.
Make the holidays less stressful. The world could do with some words of kindness. People seem lonely. Scared. Agitated. Yelling won’t help. And yes, donating some of that hard earned cash to the local food pantry goes a long way to making sure we all have enough to eat during the cold.
I’m grateful for the time together, for the luxury of freedom, and for life. Thanks for reading. Sounds corny, I know. But hey, here we are. In the only now we get. Talking to people seems an important part to the process to humanity. Enjoy family, friends, and learn a bit more before it’s all gone. Welcome home and pass the gravy.