Rather than viewing the recent slight uptick in the economy and leveling off in the national debt as a harbinger of a positive future, John Snow believes it is diverting national attention from the debt crisis that continues to pose a mortal threat to our country. Snow, who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury […]

With our U.S. debt and liberal entitlements front and center in Washington these days, our inability to hammer out sensible and responsible solutions, both here in Montana and in Washington, is ultimately going to be blamed on the split in the Republican Party if we’re not careful. Most Republicans have common goals: limited government, fewer […]

Ever heard the one about 95 percent of the lawyers giving all the rest of them a bad name? Well, sometimes, it seems like the same is true for bicyclists. I’ve been riding a bicycle around Montana for 40 years and along the way I’ve had way too many conflicts with motorists. One point that […]

Congress is poised to begin in earnest a debate on how to fix America’s broken taxation system. Reform is sorely needed, with the U.S. tax code notoriously convoluted, out of date and considered to by many to be a competitive disadvantage for American job providers. At the center of this debate will be Sen. Max […]

In 1944, wreckage of three 33-foot diameter balloons with Japanese writing on them was found in western Montana. The FBI later reported that 6,000 such balloons were released from Japan, equipped with incendiary devices to start wildfires in the United States and Canada. No amount of high-tech spying could defend us from a terrorist whose […]

Recently the U.S. House of Representatives passed Farm Bill legislation that removed the nutrition component that provides food for children, seniors, the disabled, and others in need. If your intention was to eliminate or drastically reduce food going to those in need due to economic distress, this is the legislation you would pass. If your […]

Imagine if tomorrow morning’s headline was this: “Four hundred thousand to get one half-billion dollar boost in income.” The underlying news story announces that hundreds of thousands of people here in three states of the Northern Rockies whose good-earning jobs are behind them will share $500 million each year for the rest of their lives. […]

“What would it take for a Republican or self-identified independent to vote for a Democrat in local elections?” This is a question the small, Democratic Party inner circle establishment, mostly from Whitefish, has posed to their membership after this author has pushed the question for many years. Understand this is not your typical political party, […]

Montana once boasted a strong timber industry that helped maintain healthy forests, supported local jobs and provided a steady revenue stream for our counties and schools. But in recent decades, inflexible federal policies and unrelenting appeals and lawsuits have imposed a huge administrative burden on federal agencies, limited our mills’ access to timber and ultimately […]

It’s been quite a party. But the hangover might be a doozy. After four straight years of trillion-dollar annual budget deficits, the news is dawning on all political parties that the federal budget is long due for serious repair, and that less spending is part of the process. As a state that historically has gotten […]

Maybe Montana should take over zoning and planning for Wyoming. We Montanans care more about aesthetics and water quality than our southern neighbors. Undoubtedly, the Cowboy State will be happy that we do all the hard work. I mean, just look at us compared to them. We’re beautiful and they’re screwing up their environment with […]

I am writing to emphasize my grave concern about the entire Flower Creek Drainage, a concern that should prompt every citizen to prevail upon decision-makers to stop talking and take action. As hot summer winds fan an already dry forest, we daily face the threat of catastrophic fire. For many years there have been discussions […]

Infested: “to overrun a place or site in large numbers and become threatening, harmful, or unpleasant.” A recent letter to the editor composed by my friend and fellow Flathead Valley angler LaVerne “Lucky” Stultz, and published in several area papers, used this term to describe what lake trout have done to Swan, Lindbergh and Holland […]

For good reason, generations of Americans have called Montana “high, wide and handsome.” Our accessible public lands, big skies and clean water make our state a world-famous place to play. And that’s what makes it one of the best places on Earth to do business. That’s our shared belief at Business for Montana’s Outdoors: that […]

Montana is ready, able, and eager to accept the challenges put forth by President Barack Obama in his recent speech at Georgetown University in which he announced aggressive new standards and goals for the reform and renewal of America’s energy production and consumption. Montana and states throughout the Rockies now have enormous opportunities to dramatically […]